Would you buy a car with no service history?

[uktotty]

33,000 miles, all MOTs to verify mileage but lost the service book.
Would you buy or walk away?

[roger]

Depends on how much you want it, how long you are likely to keep it, and your own abilities at doing things.

If it was a keeper, and you had the knowledge, and it was the right price, you could probably take a chance. Sometimes possible to rebuild the book from garage info....but what if it had never been serviced!!!! Could be a reason why no book and no service invoices available.

But personally I would walk away

[uktotty]

It looks really pretty and its cheap

 m http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/ATD_we ... =563969221 m

[red_leicester]

If it was serviced at a main dealer give them a ring and find out when it was serviced by them.  Also ask if they can provide the service details, so you have the records.

The problem with buying a car with no service history is when the time comes to sell.  People tend to be very wary (with good reason).

[Anonymous]

Depends How much I was spending.
For an old little runaround that was otherwise clean - wouldn't worry but would use it as a bargaining tool.

Buying an expensive car. Would definately walk away. As said above even if it was straight would be a total PITA to sell on later.

[spit]

I might walk away and might not  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  Its a personal thing. I've never had a car that has been officially serviced & there's enough examples of dealer incompetence flying around to convince me not to get hung up on it.

But maybe that's foolish. I fully respect that to other folk its regarded as essential, and there's nothing wrong with that. Jez is right though - think of the long game and how this'd look when you come to sell.

If there's nothing to hide, you have every right to expect the seller to be able to demonstrate that. In addition to the advice given by others, maybe ask for any invoices/receipts for parts & labour etc? And discuss the period of ownership - have they had it from new, or does it have a string of previous owners attached? If its a J-Spec, does the seller have the original auction report and import details?

Of course you can always use what you find to drive down the asking price if you feel its worth the punt.

[Anonymous]

I agree with Roger (mutual appreciation society here  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  )
Worth a call to the seller asking for details of the garage that has been doing the servicing, then phone the garage and ask them to confirm.
If the seller can't supply these details, keep walking and looking.  s:) s:)

[andywood]

I think any Toyota dealer can access all service and warranty info on any Toyota car worked on at a main dealer from the reg no.
Got all info on mine over the phone before buying it, even found out that 2 wheels had been replaced under warranty a year earlier   s:D s:D  All other info supported what was shown in the service book.

Worth a trip to your local dealer and offer to buy one of the service guys a coffee  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[uktotty]

Have called a dealer and they have no record of any service on this reg number!
Oh well back to the ford cortina then!

[philster_d]

Its even typical on the imports, unless you are very lucky (and can read Japanese)

[Liz]

Much of what I would say has been said already - but I would question what sort of care an owner had taken of a car if they have no service book or hadn't tried to get a copy of it. How do you know they lost it - are they telling the truth or just hiding they never had any servicing done? How many owners has it had... When I part ex'd my first car there was a massive folder full of bills for what I had spent on it - along with the service book and I bet that the same would be true for the majority of owners on here.

[Anonymous]

Agree with Liz. I have a folder full of service receipts, MOT's, original purchase agreement. Hell - even old tax discs.
I know not everyone will be quite as anal as me but to have no documentation or receipts at all - would make me think hard about what sort of person owned the car before.

I.E If they don't look after their service history then I believe they are a lot less likely to properly look after their car as well.

[SimonC_Here]

I've not got a service book for mine.
The dealer *lost* it.   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  
Turns out it was someones company car before I got it, still at only 13,000 miles I wasn't too worried, and getting hold of those service books is a pain.

I have a paper trail of services by Toyota dealers until Silverstone got hold of it and the last few services have been done by them.

As to this one, if you're questioning if you should buy it without a log book, think about the people who would be doing the same if/when you sell it.

Simon

[Anonymous]

Got to say, the first time i looked at the service history of my car was after i had bought it! not something that concerned me, maybe im lucky in that sense that i got a good 2, depends where/who youre buying from but for me as long as its got new tax, MOT, and has a service before i buy, that would do me!

[Anonymous]

I've bought cars with no history at all!!   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

But the selling price was well below book price and i had it checked out by someone i trust.

As long as the car's condition reflects it's mileage, selling price is very good and you have someone with knowledge check it out then i would buy it.

If you buy it cheap you can afford to sell it cheap for the same reason.

[Chris_h]

You need to establish

1) How long has he owned it?
2) Has it been serviced? where? how often? (just verbal conf)

If the above are satisfactory, maybe worth a look and buy on condition. Lets face it, a T service is really just an expensive oil change and a stamp in the book. This car could have been lovely cared for by a retired gent who pampered it for 5 years from new and loving changed the oil himself every 2k. This story may have been lost over the past few years and owners.

Alternatively, it may have done 70k in the first 3 years (before MOT) sh destroyed, new clock fitted and be dodgy as hell.

OR

If not on the computer, was it imported from the EU / Ireland at a later date? seems a bit fishy that it has NEVER seen a T dealer, not even for warranty work.

PS - how much is it?

[uktotty]

Did an HPI, its a Cat C Total loss.
End of story

[Liz]

The wheels were a bit yukky anyway and I bet had the wrong sized tyres on them - lucky escape - there is one out there for you..good luck.  s:) s:)

[philster_d]

Did an HPI, its a Cat C Total loss.
End of story

thats pretty outrageous

[uktotty]

Pretty outrageous as he never put it on his advert.
Said he was leaving the country and needed to sell fast.

Yeah Liz, I will keep looking, hopefully Redditch tomorrow will get me a result.