Is service history a must?

C

Cracker

Member
 Carlisle
I went to see a MR today, private seller, very nice car, low mileage, present owner has had it for for 3yrs.
The problem being, the paper work side. It's last update in the service book was an oil service in 2010 10000 miles ago.
Previous one to that is an inspection 2 in 2008 14000 miles ago.
The present owner has done all the services himself since then through his work, apart from a few random receipts for filters,plugs etc he's got no proof of work. The oil looks clean, brakes have plenty left just no evidence of any work.
He has all the mot's to back up the millage.
So if the price is right is it worth a punt?
 
Bit bizarre that he would get the service work done but not keep any record
If you are happy with what what he says and can pick it up for absolute steel then fair enough
Because when you come to sell it on you are going to have the same problem
So i'd be knocking at least 20% off the asking price with a poor history like that
Otherwise walk away
 
Agree on the above, whilst the car might be mint you will struggle to sell it on. If it's a keeper then maybe not such an issue. Otherwise look for a decent size discount and build your own history.
 
I agree with the above. You need to be around 20% under normal price and be prepared to have a longer wait if/when you come to sell.

Either way, hope you'll be Zedding soon. :D
 
If the car is genuinely low mileage, which can be confirmed by reference to the MOT, then the lack of much service history for the last few years wouldn't be too much of a concern to me if the car is in excellent condition and it "feels" right and is at the "right" price. The advantage of buying a low-miler from a private seller is that you get to meet the owner and see where he lives which IMO tells you far more about the way the car's been kept than if the same car were in the hands of a dealer on a forecourt. Talking with the owner and and seeing his other possessions and inside his house tells you if he's the sort of person to keep everything ship-shape. When buying anything, just follow your gut instinct and you usually don't go far wrong.

If you buy the car, then get it serviced and record that, then you'll have continued the service history for when you want to sell. :thumbsup:
 
Hmm -well if the owner really looked after the car then you'd expect that person to also keep careful records of exactly what was done IMHO .The lack of such records think tells you a lot about how the owner looked after his car -ie he probably couldn't care less .
Otherwise how are you supposed to know exactly what has been done or not as case may be .
One of the main selling points when i bought mine from a dealer was a nice tidy file with every receipt for work on the car by the previous owner who was to be fair bordering on OCD -so i knew what exactly had been done and when .In fact i rang up said previous owner who was able to tell me in precise detail what was done in chronological order . So if you can negotiate an appropriate proper discount and the seller gives you a nice honest feel and the car drives well with no issues ,then go for it .Surely its worth you speaking to the person who did all the servicing work to get the low down .
 
Found myself in similar situation recently.

A retired owner with a number of cars and a very nice work shop. Had owned the M for 5 years and only done 3k dry miles in it. Last recorded service was in 2010 but had had oil changes and brake fluid done by himself in that time. The car was like a hidden barn find and can't believe I found it! It's worth noting that Synter had already been in and made him a offer, which tells me that they were happy to sell it on as AUC :thumbsup:

Now the one you are looking at it has a few more miles in the time since the last recorded service, but don't let that put you off if the seller holds up to his explanation and the car looks and drives well :driving:
 
I'm with Exdos on this...so much of the buying experience is about who and where telling you a story about the car...go with your gut instinct on the car...the history is important but tie that in with every other aspect of it...
 
Service history "should" be everything with an M car but I picked up mine £3K below the asking price. I have a big file of receipts, MOT's and service history but I would question to what standard the Insp II service was done on mine. There is a log but no evidence that the Vanos system was inspected as the rocker cover looks as if it has had no additional sealant and our local Indy is suspicious of a lack of checking.

Don't get me wrong. The car was a bargain and I don't mind throwing a few hundred quid at checking the car is as good as it could be. Just a word of warning that Indy's (especially around Derby), may not do everything they are supposed to when doing an Insp II.

Car sounds perfect according to the Indy and he knows his stuff. I just want a bit of peace of mind as I have never owned a car like this before.

H.
 
Unfortunately, with ///M vehicles, service history is a must but it depends on what you are planning to do with it. If it's a keeper I guess it's less of an issue - If you want to extend the warranty then I guess you should speak to mondial before buying as they will usually only cover vehicles with a full BMW history (maintained to the schedule). In my case they agreed to cover me if a full insp2 was carried out by the dealer which they did free of charge as it was AUC.

It doesn't sound like the current owner is trying to pass on a lemon as 3 years is quite a long time to have owned it. These cars are quite often 2nd or 3rd cars so just don't do the mileage.
 
if you trust the guy and the car is at the right price then I see no problem, but when you sell the car you will have the same issues trying to explain the service history
 
Buy on condition,price & above all instinct .
Unless i'm seeing this wrong you would get ins 1 done with a stamp after purchase
No mention of current mileage but if ins2 done then could it be around 40k/50k ? whatever the book to the next buyer would read
2008 ins 2
then 4k/2years later
2010 oil service
10k/5years later ( could be less depending on actual dates )
2015 Ins 1
If everything about the car stacked up (mileage verification ) that wouldn't worry me unduly :wink:
 
Lol 20% off for missing 2 stamps vis he did the work himself.. lol, cant stop laughing about this one.. totally agree with exodus..

I maintain my M meticulously, nearly everything usable replaced since new, but my book keeping isnt allotted for time wise.

Lucky if I get a spare moment for a drive
,let alone book keeping my maintenance on my car.
Condition is everything..
 
Again agreeing withe above, and if it's not been said already, the car is only worth what someone is willing to pay. People still buy Cat D cars. But they know full well that it will be harder to sell and be worth less than non-categoried cars.

If you can buy it for less on the basis of no evidence of servicing and are willing to take a punt on it being straight and true, go for it :thumbsup:
 
So the worst case is that the guy hasn't serviced it for 5yrs / 10k miles, but the oil looks fresh and you are happy with the owner and condition of the car. If there is a discount It's not a biggie, but 20% off sounds optimistic, thats the starting point for a re-built Cat D not two missing stamps in 10k miles on a straight car! Buy hey if you can bluff - 20% it could be a bargain :)
 
Buy on condition! Service history minor worry when it could have been an unrecorded write off? At least if car does have a marker on it you know what your buying! :fuelfire:
 
exdos said:
If the car is genuinely low mileage, which can be confirmed by reference to the MOT, then the lack of much service history for the last few years wouldn't be too much of a concern to me if the car is in excellent condition and it "feels" right and is at the "right" price. The advantage of buying a low-miler from a private seller is that you get to meet the owner and see where he lives which IMO tells you far more about the way the car's been kept than if the same car were in the hands of a dealer on a forecourt. Talking with the owner and and seeing his other possessions and inside his house tells you if he's the sort of person to keep everything ship-shape. When buying anything, just follow your gut instinct and you usually don't go far wrong.

If you buy the car, then get it serviced and record that, then you'll have continued the service history for when you want to sell. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


agree with exdos on this, go on gut feeling , condition of car and integrity of seller. as for 20%, there are people selling repaired cat D's and only reducing them by 20% . with only their description of how "minor " the damage was !!! :o
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom