Did I buy a used jeep that the dealer said was new?

[DayJ]

So I finally picked up my JL Unlimited Rubicon in Firecracker red... Hooray! The dealer had to do a dealer trade to get it, when I got it it had 730 miles on it, when I said something they said the dealer they traded with was 500 miles away and yadda yadda yadda... So I shrugged it off as it was probably a show and tell rig and it is what it is. But as I'm going through it I found a previous owners temp tag receipt from Aug. So now I am really suspicious. Thoughts? PFA

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[StammesOpfer]

Sounds like technically "New" since it was never registered (probably) but I would be pretty unhappy. Not necessarily your dealers fault they probably didn't know (they wouldn't unless the other dealer specifically told them). You could probably use it to leverage a small concession just out of good faith from the dealer but ultimately they technically didn't do anything wrong. It just kinda sucks. Hope you love it anyway.

 

[DayJ]

Yeah I feel the "technically new" but the temp registration just has my mind wandering... I has the buyers name and address and jazz... same as my temp reg. Names blocked of course. EDIT: Of course I love it... my 3rd Rubicon!

 

[paulr]

I don’t know I certainly would be pretty upset and I would want to know why the buyer returned it or what happened exactly, did the sale fall through etc.

 

[K2500Z71]

If it was ever titled or registered to someone else, there’s probably a record out there somewhere that will eventually show up on a Carfax.

If your dealer misrepresented the vehicle as new when it was in fact used, you have a legitimate claim.

Call them up and firmly state that you believe they “misrepresented the vehicle as new when it in fact had been previously registered to someone else.”

They will probably tell you to bring it back and swap for a real new one or order you a 2019 to avoid the risk of any penalties or legal action.

Something similar happened to my cousin (dealer misrepresented a new Equinox as AWD when it was FWD and didn’t provide her with the window sticker). She figured it out a few months and several thousand miles later when the first snow fell. The dealer took it back, no questions asked.

 

[Carbonalpine]

Someone bought it and returned it before the dealer registered the vehicle. The owner drove with temp tag until it was returned. Dealers can issue temp tags up to 90 days

 

[mdelzer]

Call Jeep and ask them what the inservice date and mileage is. That is what really matters the most when it comes to "new" or used. That said, they should have sent a truck to transport that far.

 

[viper88]

So I finally picked up my JL Unlimited Rubicon in Firecracker red... Hooray! The dealer had to do a dealer trade to get it, when I got it it had 730 miles on it, when I said something they said the dealer they traded with was 500 miles away and yadda yadda yadda... So I shrugged it off as it was probably a show and tell rig and it is what it is. But as I'm going through it I found a previous owners temp tag receipt from Aug. So now I am really suspicious. Thoughts? PFA

Double check to see when the dealer punched the warranty. The in-service date should be the same date you bought it.

 

[old8tora]

Yeah I feel the "technically new" but the temp registration just has my mind wandering... I has the buyers name and address and jazz... same as my temp reg. Names blocked of course. EDIT: Of course I love it... my 3rd Rubicon!

Contact the original purchaser by mail and/or phone , and politely inquire what happened ? This will help you if you have a claim with your state attorney general at a later time . The miles and the warranty date in FCA records will be the evidence .

Write to the original dealer for copies of their paperwork .

Also be sure to document everything , including COPIES of the temp. regist .

When you go to your dealer to ask , give them a COPY of the temp. regist. , and NOT the original , which you will keep .

 

[old8tora]

Double check to see when the dealer punched the warranty. The in-service date should be the same date you bought it.

Very important .

 

[WranglerMan]

If it was sold and then returned to me that screams “used” I would be looking to see when it was sold and why it was returned, that many miles tells me “used”

 

[Goin2drt]

Two things. Carfax will tell you and when the warranty started. Warranty started could also be a dealer demo in which the warranty starts but you are officially the first owner. Weird they would drive the car 500 miles on a trade on a new rig. Usually that far it would get trucked or trailered.

I personally would not have bought a new rig, at a new rig price with 700 miles but that is me. At 700 miles that is used or a demo and I would expect that type of discount or deal.

Glad you are enjoying it.

 

[DayJ]

Update: I ran the car fax $35 bucks is good for the piece of mind I suppose, and called jeep cares to get the warranty start info, and the dates lined up. So I'll just figure they had the paperwork ready and the orig buyer decided he/she didn't want it when they got it. Thanks for the assistance ya'll its so good to be back in the jeep world!

 

[Eaglescout]

I had a similar issue with that same dealer in Abilene, although my Jeep only had ~220 miles on it. I found no actual record of a previous buyer, but I did see on the factory invoice where the jeep had originally been sold to a dealership in Fort Worth, and I assume traded to Star Jeep in Abilene. There were a few phones stored in the UConnect I had to remove, and when I replaced the temporary license plate, I found another, older paper tag behind it, which might not be uncommon.

In my case, I think it got traded between dealerships, and then driven by some of the employees at Star until I bought it. I'm sure a couple test drives in there, too. When I was sitting in Finance, I made sure the warranty started on that date and was for 36,220 miles instead of the 36,000 it would have been right off the truck.

Enjoy your Jeep. Even though we bought from the same place, it's unlikely we'll run across each other since I live in San Antonio, but I'll keep an eye out. I do like that Firecracker Red.

-Scott

 

[DayJ]

Scott, you never know. I also called the TX vehc. registry (now that they are open) and they said they have no records of it being registered.

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