Checking Service History When Buying A Car
Discussion
Does everyone on hear do a thorough check of a used cars service history before purchase?
I’ve been looking for a new car for a while, and struggling to find the car I’m after that’s been serviced to manufacturer spec.
I’m after a Land Rover Discovery 5, 3.0 Petrol (Si6). They were only produced between 2017 - 2018 in the UK, so are rare by normal Disco standards.
The ones I’ve looked at don’t seem to have been serviced as much as they should have. Some seemed to have missed years, some late.
Just wondering if everyone is as anal as me when looking for used cars?
My D4 which I’m looking to replace, which I’ve owned for the last 11 years has been serviced bang on to spec and on time.
Really frustrating, but most seem to sell, so obviously lots of people don’t seem to care, or check!
I’ve been looking for a new car for a while, and struggling to find the car I’m after that’s been serviced to manufacturer spec.
I’m after a Land Rover Discovery 5, 3.0 Petrol (Si6). They were only produced between 2017 - 2018 in the UK, so are rare by normal Disco standards.
The ones I’ve looked at don’t seem to have been serviced as much as they should have. Some seemed to have missed years, some late.
Just wondering if everyone is as anal as me when looking for used cars?
My D4 which I’m looking to replace, which I’ve owned for the last 11 years has been serviced bang on to spec and on time.
Really frustrating, but most seem to sell, so obviously lots of people don’t seem to care, or check!
CornishRob said:
Does everyone on hear do a thorough check of a used cars service history before purchase?
I ve been looking for a new car for a while, and struggling to find the car I m after that s been serviced to manufacturer spec.
I m after a Land Rover Discovery 5, 3.0 Petrol (Si6). They were only produced between 2017 - 2018 in the UK, so are rare by normal Disco standards.
The ones I ve looked at don t seem to have been serviced as much as they should have. Some seemed to have missed years, some late.
Just wondering if everyone is as anal as me when looking for used cars?
My D4 which I m looking to replace, which I ve owned for the last 11 years has been serviced bang on to spec and on time.
Really frustrating, but most seem to sell, so obviously lots of people don t seem to care, or check!
Not everyone running older cars (like your D4) takes care of them like you do. That's commendable. I ve been looking for a new car for a while, and struggling to find the car I m after that s been serviced to manufacturer spec.
I m after a Land Rover Discovery 5, 3.0 Petrol (Si6). They were only produced between 2017 - 2018 in the UK, so are rare by normal Disco standards.
The ones I ve looked at don t seem to have been serviced as much as they should have. Some seemed to have missed years, some late.
Just wondering if everyone is as anal as me when looking for used cars?
My D4 which I m looking to replace, which I ve owned for the last 11 years has been serviced bang on to spec and on time.
Really frustrating, but most seem to sell, so obviously lots of people don t seem to care, or check!
A lot of people just don't care, especially with rising living costs in general over the last few years.
I also check a car's service history before I buy it, although for a few of my cars in the last 10 years, they were leased, and it was rather liberating to take delivery of a brand new car and not have to think about whether the previous owner(s) abused it or clocked the mileage!
With Land Rovers especially, there are so many story’s of engines blowing up, or people having issues. Are these because people are not maintain them properly? No idea.
I guess I need to decide if I need to relax my approach somewhat to secure a car.
I wouldn’t if I had a bigger pool to choose from!
I guess I need to decide if I need to relax my approach somewhat to secure a car.
I wouldn’t if I had a bigger pool to choose from!
I'm generally quite picky. I comb through the service history to look for things like gearbox oil etc, the things that people often ignore becausethey'renot compulsory. It won't stop me buying the car if i want it, as i look at doing catchup maintenance within the first 6 months of ownership. The bigger deal for me is that when shortlisting, I forensically examine the MOT history and the photos, looking at how long advisories are left undone, do the tyres match, is there evidence of structural rust and corresponding paintwork.
Things break and wear on cars, thats not the test. I'm looking to see an owner who deals with things when they arise.
Things break and wear on cars, thats not the test. I'm looking to see an owner who deals with things when they arise.
The service history is important but it's only part of the whole picture.
I look for evidence that the car has been run by a caring private owner.
We bought a car for our son last year, and there was no service book at all, but there were three invoices for services, including tyres and gear oil, and - get this - the purchase invoice for the previous sale - all in the service pack.
That all shows that the owner keeps stuff that is generally useless but is worth a lot in this scenario. With that I could accept some scratches on the bodywork. The interior was good.
Much rather have all of that than a fully stamped book with nothing else but loads of scratches in the boot, and a stain on a seat.
I look for evidence that the car has been run by a caring private owner.
We bought a car for our son last year, and there was no service book at all, but there were three invoices for services, including tyres and gear oil, and - get this - the purchase invoice for the previous sale - all in the service pack.
That all shows that the owner keeps stuff that is generally useless but is worth a lot in this scenario. With that I could accept some scratches on the bodywork. The interior was good.
Much rather have all of that than a fully stamped book with nothing else but loads of scratches in the boot, and a stain on a seat.
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