What's a service history worth ??
Discussion
I saw a tvr today that was in vey good nick, the guy that owns it s has a automotive engineering back ground and for the last 10 years done the regular servicing himself ( apart from specialist jobs like diff rebuild).
My worry is , for the last 10 years it has no documented history and it's ok that i have spoken to guy and I'm sure he is fine, when I come to sell it what will people say and how much it could effect the price?
So in effect in reality my question is what's worth more a great car with no history or a average car with full history, and what would people actually buy?
My worry is , for the last 10 years it has no documented history and it's ok that i have spoken to guy and I'm sure he is fine, when I come to sell it what will people say and how much it could effect the price?
So in effect in reality my question is what's worth more a great car with no history or a average car with full history, and what would people actually buy?
It's worth a bit, but it's not the be all and end all as these cars are bought on condition more than provenance.
If it's a good car, I wouldn't be too put off. What's more important is what parts are actually on the car now and how well put together it is. If/when you want to sell, the service history may put some people off but a car someone can look at and agree is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition will be more attractive than a nail with a stamped up service book.
If it's a good car, I wouldn't be too put off. What's more important is what parts are actually on the car now and how well put together it is. If/when you want to sell, the service history may put some people off but a car someone can look at and agree is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition will be more attractive than a nail with a stamped up service book.
Condition is everything. Inside, outside, underneath and engine bay. You can't see inside the engine/gearbox/diff so providing all sounds good, you need the history for work such as cam replacement, clutch, etc. even if this is just receipts for bits. I certainly wouldn't buy without any evidence.
Also, if you ever do come to sell it will be easier and command a higher price with a full history from people that know what are doing rather than a DIY'er, even though some are very competent. You need to factor that into the price you offer.
Also, if you ever do come to sell it will be easier and command a higher price with a full history from people that know what are doing rather than a DIY'er, even though some are very competent. You need to factor that into the price you offer.
Whats a service history worth ??
Bugger all in my book.
Buy from an enthusiatic diy`er any day over garage services. Much more attention to detail will have gone into it. Remember time is money to a garage.
A knowledgeable person will be able to tell a good one from a bad one without any paperwork just by looking, listening and driving. There aint much to these cars.
Bugger all in my book.
Buy from an enthusiatic diy`er any day over garage services. Much more attention to detail will have gone into it. Remember time is money to a garage.
A knowledgeable person will be able to tell a good one from a bad one without any paperwork just by looking, listening and driving. There aint much to these cars.
As above, buy on condition firstly, and ensure that you get a specialist inspection done to verify the condition. As the cars get older, a stamped service book gets less and less important IMHO.
However, a car which has been lashed together by some ham-fisted enthusiastic armature will be just as big a risk as one from a ham-fisted professional. A full service history from a reputable skilled TVR specialist will give a purchaser more confidence than a wad of receipts for parts.
As for putting a value on having that stamped-up service book, if it gives the buyer some confidence it may help to secure a sale but will certainly be one less reason for them to try and chip the price down.
However, a car which has been lashed together by some ham-fisted enthusiastic armature will be just as big a risk as one from a ham-fisted professional. A full service history from a reputable skilled TVR specialist will give a purchaser more confidence than a wad of receipts for parts.
As for putting a value on having that stamped-up service book, if it gives the buyer some confidence it may help to secure a sale but will certainly be one less reason for them to try and chip the price down.
carsy said:
Whats a service history worth ??
Bugger all in my book.
Buy from an enthusiatic diy`er any day over garage services. Much more attention to detail will have gone into it. Remember time is money to a garage.
A knowledgeable person will be able to tell a good one from a bad one without any paperwork just by looking, listening and driving. There aint much to these cars.
^^^^ this in my view too.Bugger all in my book.
Buy from an enthusiatic diy`er any day over garage services. Much more attention to detail will have gone into it. Remember time is money to a garage.
A knowledgeable person will be able to tell a good one from a bad one without any paperwork just by looking, listening and driving. There aint much to these cars.
My car has a full dealer history with all the receipts including a front end paint respray costing some £2,000 with the 6k service. Today I have just booked it in for a complete respray because the paint is contaminated underneath and lifting off.
And remember, just because it has a main dealer service history proves nothing. I bought an X3 twin turbo diesel with 60k miles and stamped with a full BMW service history. On inspection found the air filter, fuel filter and pollen filter had never been changed. Asking the dealer why, he said the customer specified only an oil change at every service. So it was worthless.
Agree with all the above. I 'thought' I'd better have service history with my new T350 some years back and so made a long trip to the Factory at Blackpool for a 6k mile service thinking none better. What a big mistake that was as some numpty completely filled the oil tank and so the airbox was sucking up oil in anything resembling a left hander resulting in a James Bond type smoke screen from the rear 
So, the history is only as good as the bloke who does the work.
So, the history is only as good as the bloke who does the work.
slippery said:
It's a good question. The uninitiated will always look for FSH, but TVRs are one of very few cars where you could easily buy a total dog that had FSH or an A1 car that had none, but had a great DIY owner.
Agree, anyone who has ever serviced a speed6 car will tell you its very time consuming, simple things like belts can take hours, the dealers are in business, its not like a modern car, Also a lot of people with good mechanical knowledge drive them more sympathetically
I'd always prefer to buy a car from an enthusiast with a folder full of parts receipts rather than a book full of stamps. The problem with service history for pretty much every vehicle is the same, how good was the guy on the day doing the job? Was it the garage owner with a brilliant reputation for high quality work or was it the apprentice/new mechanic/etc at the exact same garage!
If you buy a good condition car with loads of receipts and then you keep it up, I don't think you should have any problem selling the car on again.
If you buy a good condition car with loads of receipts and then you keep it up, I don't think you should have any problem selling the car on again.
BIGMIKE1 said:
I'd always prefer to buy a car from an enthusiast with a folder full of parts receipts rather than a book full of stamps. The problem with service history for pretty much every vehicle is the same, how good was the guy on the day doing the job? Was it the garage owner with a brilliant reputation for high quality work or was it the apprentice/new mechanic/etc at the exact same garage!
If you buy a good condition car with loads of receipts and then you keep it up, I don't think you should have any problem selling the car on again.
That seems to be the common view regarding service history and condition, but this thread seams to be comparing highly skilled enthusiasts with poor specialist garages. Whilst there are too many anecdotes about poor service from some specialists, there will be many many more situations where some ham-fisted enthusiasts with a little skill and an oily handbook has messed up basic maintenance tasks, stripped threads, wrong oil, bolts and washers left, cheap parts etc but kept it quiet! If you buy a good condition car with loads of receipts and then you keep it up, I don't think you should have any problem selling the car on again.
Word of mouth is a good measure of a specialists reputation but the one thing that a buyer can't check is how skilled was some random enthusiast?
A full service history from a reputable specialist will give a buyer more confidence than a full service history from a random enthusiast.
...it also means a potential buyer can speak to reputable specialist about a car they have looked after and offer a more accurate, unbiased view of a car. As Paul said it's all about confidence, especially at the higher end of the market I would suggest.
Interesting topic though and not a simple black and white answer covering all situations.
I would say that condition is more important but maybe part of that is a full and known service history and I think it adds value or at the very least makes a car more saleable / attractive?
Interesting topic though and not a simple black and white answer covering all situations.
I would say that condition is more important but maybe part of that is a full and known service history and I think it adds value or at the very least makes a car more saleable / attractive?
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