Followup:
John Armstrong at LifeStyle called me shortly after my posts and he was disappointed we'd had a less than ideal experience. He was earnest to help make it right for us and did so and he also asked that I repost some corrected facts so that this post would not live forever with corrected information.
1. Regarding Model years John clarified for me that the serial number drives the Manufacturer Model Year and a plane certificated prior to year end (Like this one with a December 28th 2012 Certificate of Airworthiness date) the model year is set by the factory by serial number not date. All units past the last serial number for a model year are the next model year. ln such a case the FAA registration still uses the year month of manufacture but the unit for value and proper representation are the model year the manufacturer deems for that model year. John provided me the letter of designation from Diamond for the plane involved and it did state clearly the plane is indeed a 2013 model. He and I discussed that this can cause confusion for sure and he said it does but "it is what it is" and there is a method to confirm it for all involved. He provided the example of car manufacturers that produce new year models and have them arriving at dealer lots as early as October many times.
2. Regarding the ADS-B being flagged by the inspection facility as not improperly installed, Lifestyle Aviation pointed to the Form 337 for the GDL82, they double checked the paperwork with another avionics shop to make sure it was correct and obtained a letter from the FAA authorized A&P/IA that signed it off clarifying the method used for installation and testing and even provided the ADS-B test data. So in summary the ADS-B unit was legit and installed properly. So lesson learned, it is possible to install something that is not approved by STC if properly done and documented.
3. John apologized for not listing the plane as " With Damage history" and provided the logbook entry that was not included in the logbooks the owners supplied. He explained the owners had a few log entries that had not gotten in the books and said his staff member took full responsibility for not catching the paint difference during the visual inspection. Their contract actually worked well allowing a full exit with return of deposit and John offered to cover our expenses which was not part of the contract but a nice gesture. They sent me the log entry that showed it was a Class 4 repair which is the most minor designation involving paint and filler only and NO glass work so at least that all got updated and John sent me details of their listing update that corrected it. Glad to see that got sorted but it sure would have been better if the owner has made sure all log entries were updated before turning over for inspection.
4. Language in the description of the listing led me to believe that the aircraft was a fully upgraded XLT and in my assumption I thought that meant all available avionics gear too. John clarified and helped me understand that the XLT was a package of features primarily including the major interior redesign that Diamond did that made the seats wider, added lumbar support, included infrared control technology leather, cup holders front and back, integrated storage pockets. So their listing was actually accurate on some of the items I had crowed about not being included.
5.Verification of TIS - John explained base Traffic Information System (TIS) is a transponder based system standard for all DA40 G1000 models. Regarding TAWS he clarified that all the G1000 DA40's have basic TAWS but not necessarily the TAWS-B higher performance terrain alerting version feature unlock card. He shared that when the 2008 DA40 XLS came out TAWS-B was included but the next year model they made it optional as an over $8k cost option. So the -B version was not part of the base model past 2008. Since I had a 2008 DA40 XLS in the past with TAWS -B unlock I assumed they all had it...not the case. The LifeStyle guys had actually listed it correctly I just had certain assumptions base on the plane I had before.
6. Garmin FlightCharts vs Jepp ChartView, this was one of the more confusing parts because the logbook review showed what appeared to us as the Diamond factory updating Jepp charts. As it turned out John reviewed it and clarified that the entry showed the Diamond factory had referenced updating Jeppesen data not Jeppesen ChartView Charts and there was no reference to ChartView. John explained that in the past (in the era of this entry) the data for the airports was supplied by Jeppesen and referred to as Jeppesen data and the plates were always referenced as Jeppesen ChartView. Garmin these days and for some time displaced Jeppesen as the supplier exclusively of the airport data and updates are done for Garmin data and Garmin plates all via flygarmin.com. He provided me a helpful url that explains the differences between Garmin FlightCharts and Jeppesen ChartView. As it turned out this was not inaccurately represented just confusing like a lot of things.
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=U ... Sltzqz3gS8
7. John stated the listing agent will be working with the owners over the annual to address all airworthy issues before this aircraft will be back on market as part of its annual and any buyer that contracts it will have the opportunity to confirm all items are operative and airworthy.
8. Lastly, John Assured me the marketing team will be taking a deep dive on all listings, especially this one to ensure the most accurate information. He said they will make photos available presenting any minor cosmetic conditions in advance for their listings so buyers will have access to see what they will see in person. John has taken full responsibility for this and I believe it shows character to admit to an issue and correct it on the spot.
Overall, this situation was discussed on the DA40 forum as a Prebuy experience to learn from only. I have no hard feelings with LifeStyle Aviation and was pleased to learn a few things and be corrected on some of the items and to have the chance to air some of the other items that had been a concern. The good news is John Armstrong was eager to take lessons learned and adjust business practices and was interested in getting things accurate and clear for all involved. He stated also that they do have alternate contract paperwork clients can use if they want to that provides for a traditional walk-away pre-buy, but he stressed they strongly recommend, for modern planes built this century, the approach that requires sellers to correct inoperative and un-airworthy items while allowing buyers to step out if undisclosed damage is found to protect buyers makes the process as fair and efficient as possible.