car buying: Advice needed.....Do you need a car's full service history?

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car buying: Advice needed.....Do you need a car's full service history?

14 posts & 14 voices | Started 1 year ago by singlespeeddan | Latest reply from s

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yes
you do

singlespeeddan - Member

Looking at getting an 06 plate focus. Getting a good deal on the trade in for my old corsa from the garage. Car has been serviced and MOTed by the dealership. During this it got four new tyres and alloys as the previous alloys had a dent in one of the wheels and were an upgrade from new. There are some scuffs on the door and front and rear bumpers. 42k miles and a price of 4.5k after deducting the trade in. The service history is missing. The dealer have a record of the three most recent services but not the two first ones.

Should I walk away? My gut is telling me yes.
Help?

Posted 1 year ago #
CHB - Member

Though the price sounds high, I would not worry about the service history. Why? Well, when a car was new it would not likely to have missed its services. You are saying its these first ones that are not recorded, but the later three ARE. So it is likely that these are fine.

Main thing at 5 years old and on 40-50 k is brakes and tyres. It's likely that discs/pads and tyres could be worn as brakes do 40-50k before death and the car is probably on its second full set of tyres.

If the car is generally tidy then go for it (if price is OK).

Posted 1 year ago #
Whathaveisaidnow - Member

Is the service history book actually missing?

I once nearly brought a car and they said they hadn't got the service history book and were waiting for it to come in from the garage they had the car from, it never turned up . . . .

Transpired that by doing some research on the net, the car wasn't from that dealership at all, and it had been a hire car somewhere els, obviously the hire company hadn't bothered having it serviced or worse?

Not saying this is the case here, . . . i pulled out and didn't have it, I'd want the service history book at least, if it's been serviced it will be in there, I wouldn't worry too much if it hasn't been service every year as a lot of people won't bother to have a service in the first 2 or 3 years of ownership!

Posted 1 year ago #
Jase - Member

missing history and scuffs and damaged wheels suggests its not been the most well looked after motor in the world!

Posted 1 year ago #
couldashouldawoulda - Member

That would have me very suspicious.

You can check the mot mileage history here with the V5 number: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_10020539

But even that doesnt stop the first owner or subsequent dealer clocking it before the first mot (which is the most common apparently). Most lease & hire companies sell their cars before the first mot is due.

Apparently 1 in 12 cars can be proven to have 'adjusted miles', the actual figure may be higher.

Posted 1 year ago #
speaker2animals - Member

Just had a quick look on eBay - prices range from about £3.5K to £8.5k (for an ST). So seems as though it could be ball aprk with your trade in but even so I'd keep looking personally. If it's scuffed in places now what will it be like when it's time to sell it/trade it?

Posted 1 year ago #
NW Alps Jeyer aka Boz - Member

I wouldnt bother for the risk. Focus's are one of the most popular cars on the road, so there's loads of goods ones (with a FSH) available to choose from and there will be another one around the corner. IMO, etc etc

However if you do buy it, pay for the deposit by credit card - that way you are covered by the credit card company as well if you have any problems with the car in the near future (that applies to anything you buy over £100 actually)

HTH

Posted 1 year ago #
LimboJimbo - Member

As others have said, I'd pass on that one. There are plenty of Focuses out there and a generally shabby car with an incomplete history can probably be taken at face value. Could be ex-rental, ex-motability, anything. Pay a little more and look for something that looks like it's been treated sympathetically and make sure you get a decent warranty. Buy a good car not a good deal! Good luck.

Posted 1 year ago #
ziggy - Member

Also worth noting just because it has a service history doesn't mean it has been serviced, I used to know a dealer who had a Ford, Nissan, Toyota, any car you can name dealer stamps. Fairly common apparently. If you really want to check service history phone the garage who did the services.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tiboy - Member

In my experience hire cars ith the major firms are often serviced in house under an agreement, and will not get stamps in the book or be on record with a dealership. This might not be the case for your car, but if it is a hire car I'd steer well clear, in pretty much every insance they are driven very very hard from 0 miles and redlined regularly, which can't be good for them... not that i'd do such a thing...

Posted 1 year ago #
Basil - Member

As above ,walk away.
The Focus was and is sold by the thousands.
Look for a good one eg spec ,motor, there are so many available you can even be picky about colour.
With regard to the service history. If the car was serviced at a main dealer, any Ford main dealer is able to get a copy of any work carried out.

Posted 1 year ago #
luke - Member

The service intervals should be annually or 12.5k so it shouldn't have had 5 services yet.
Also if it had 5 services and they have a record of 3 how do they know it had 2 before hand?
Some lease cars go to auction without all there paperwork, if that is the case a quick call to the lease company can normally obtain a print out of the service record.

Posted 1 year ago #
uplink - Member

Most lease & hire companies sell their cars before the first mot is due.

Up until this year, I've had a lease car since 1990
Every single time I've had to get the MOT done before it goes back, I suppose that's because it's due a week or so before the 3 year lease runs out

Posted 1 year ago #
s - Member

It will also be a sticky one when you come to sell it on too, that is unless you are planning to run it into the ground!

Posted 1 year ago #

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