Would you ever.......
Discussion
Not sure. Only if it were dirt cheep, ie less than a £1.5k for a starter. Depends on why there is no history as well.
Would try to trace it through the system with a few calls to the original dealer. you never know it nmight have been serviced but never stamped in the book.
deffo get someone who knows what they are doing to look it over before parting with the folding.
Would try to trace it through the system with a few calls to the original dealer. you never know it nmight have been serviced but never stamped in the book.
deffo get someone who knows what they are doing to look it over before parting with the folding.
People get really obsessed about FSH, which on older, cheaper cars are almost always pointless. Take a good look at the car, check for accident damage and make sure its not pinched. When you get the car have all the belts changed so you know you're not going to have any expensive engine mishaps. As long as its not big money just make sure it start stops and goes! A load of bits of paper telling you it had new shock in 1986 is hardly likely to mean anything now anyway. Go for it! If you get burned you'll know what not to do next time 
depends upon numerous factors i'm afraid. I would take into account the car, the mileage, the possibility of a ragged history (eg hot hatches etc), the reliabilty of such cars, the number of electrical things that could go wrong and most of all the vendor. is his house in order etc. people always laugh when in the past i have looked at a car and said that i didnt buy it because i got a bad feeling about his house due to things left rusting in the garden etc.
from personal experience, I went to look at a 106 gti with no service history but the vendor was a bit of an arsehole and there were lots of funny noises from the driveshafts! he described the car as mint on the phone but was sweeping leaves from it as i arrived...
from personal experience, I went to look at a 106 gti with no service history but the vendor was a bit of an arsehole and there were lots of funny noises from the driveshafts! he described the car as mint on the phone but was sweeping leaves from it as i arrived...
FSH say bugger all about the car, 'cept the previous owners were ripped off by the dealer.
Your car is only as good as it's last service and if you don't know what/when this was get the car serviced as soon as you buy it. The money you save on the cost you should spend getting it serviced.
I prefer to do my own servicing, because that way a. I understand how my car works and b. I know what has been done has been done competently.
Your car is only as good as it's last service and if you don't know what/when this was get the car serviced as soon as you buy it. The money you save on the cost you should spend getting it serviced.
I prefer to do my own servicing, because that way a. I understand how my car works and b. I know what has been done has been done competently.
JustTheTip said:
....buy a car without a service history? I've found a nice looking xj6 sport for peanuts, but without s s/h. I'm in two minds about it......
Why not fix up an appointment with the nearest dealer or indy? You can tell the seller that you're very interested but just need a check for peace of mind.
Another idea is an AA survey, but that's £100+.
When I bought a BMW 7, my local BMW dealer kindly popped it on the ramps and gave it a quick once-over for free. The seller was happy to go for the 10-mile ride and drink coffee in reception while they did it.
JustTheTip said:
....buy a car without a service history?
I bought a Rover 620 ti with no recent service history but I only paid £400 and it was in mint condition. However, two months later after putting 4500 on the clock, the Head Gasket failed. Just one of those things. It's probably worth having it replaced though.
Depends entirely on the type of car. If it was something so solid there's little chance of it breaking down, I'd see it as a bargain. If it's something specialised or with a reputation for fragility, I wouldn't take anyone's word for it's cambelt servicing, mileage and so on - it would be too much of a gamble to buy something like, say, a Lotus, without a service history.
cosmoschick said:
I bought a Rover 620 ti with no recent service history but I only paid £400 and it was in mint condition. However, two months later after putting 4500 on the clock, the Head Gasket failed. Just one of those things. It's probably worth having it replaced though.
They are very prone to head problems, and no amount of servicing could have prevented it.
I`ve got two now!! How sad is that?
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