Caveat emptor: this will be fairly detailed…read more
I bought a used 2015 Porsche GT3 from JLC earlier this summer.
Aside from the actual *pricing*, it should be noted that the experience left much to be desired.
Here's why...
I've bought my last three (3) vehicles from out of state. Call it what you will, but everything, especially cars, tend to go for a bit of a premium here.
Hence, JLC being located in FL wasn't really a deterrent as I'm used to doing everything over the phone or online and covering the bases with a well-executed PPI, or pre-purchase inspection.
If I'm able to distill my experience with JLC down to one area of dissatisfaction, it's this: they aren't true to their word and they over-promised and under-delivered in virtually every aspect of the process.
#1: I was told--no promised--that the GT3, a car whose value is inherently sensitive to "high" miles or additional mileage--was going to be flat-bedded en route to it's two (2) pre-purchase inspections, or PPIs, that *I* paid for upfront.
I only found out, after being given the service notes from The Collection in Coral Gables along with the corresponding mileage, that it had been driven around am additional ~80 miles from the time I put down my good faith deposit/earnest money to the time the car was pre-purchase inspected.
#2: JLC insisted upon me shipping out my trade-in vehicle, a sweet 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C, prior to finalizing the numbers. I wasn't entirely comfortable with this but they informed me that if I had any discomfort with the deal, they would ship me back my trade-in vehicle on their dime, no questions asked. Free and clear to back out of the deal at any point in the process, they said...okkkkk.
They also insisted upon me shipping out my Alfa Romeo 4C on open transport. Here's what happened to the vehicle with the shipper/transport they contracted with (please see accompanying photo!). This damage, extensive as it was, essentially precluded me from getting my car back in one piece "no questions asked" should I want out of the deal or want to back out, right. I mean, their shipping company totally wrecked the hood of the car.
ONE THING TO NOTE: If you look at Jumbo Luxury Car's listing (which has since been removed but whose archives remain) and the accompanying AutoCheck report for my Alfa Romeo 4C, the very same one that was damaged big-time during shipment, there is absolutely ZERO indication of that damage anywhere either in the write up or AutoCheck or Carfax.
That, dear friends, is highly suspect if not downright deceptive. See, I'm not making things up!
#3: Timeline for the run-around
May 8th - Wire confirmed initiated and received (email sent and received) by Jumbo
May 13th - USPS tracking number for title for Alfa Romeo provided as requested for shipment of vehicle
May 15th - [REDACTED] emails me saying he now needs to *receive* the title in order for it to be shipped out, a different requirement than previously indicated, thereby further delaying everything.
May 20th - Vehicle picked up at JLC in Florida for transport by Gorban Transport to California
May 27th (MEMORIAL DAY) - Vehicle arrives at destination with undisclosed damage (four noticable scratches) not previously indicated and for which I did not initial upon receiving the vehicle.
They subsequently paid to have two (2) out of the four buffed and paint-corrected but they cheaped out on it and it's still visible.
Please see the attached photos of what their transport company did to my trade-in vehicle and for which they said they would "ship it back" on "their dime" no questions asked. Then, look at their online listing for this very same car and the lack of damage report.
Although I was especially upset about them *driving* my car around an additional ~80 miles after being assured it would be flat-bedded transported and *never* driven, every other detail and concern was also handled in a haphazard way and they significantly over-promised and under-delivered on the timelines, impacting me receiving the vehicle in a reasonable timeframe.
