would you buy a car without service/maintenance records?

To be fair, just because a car does have service records doesn't necessarily mean the work was done properly or even done either...... I've seen a few cars that had service records for work that was never carried out. Not saying it happens all the time, but it does happen.

I've also seen some of the worst work I've seen done on a car on my car from FNA. And that's just the stuff I can prove with documentation and not accounting for some of the things I can't prove but am 95% sure of. I hear lots of FNA horror stories.

At the end of the day, there are no guarantees. I don't think a car without service records is necessarily a bad car nor is a car with service records necessarily a good car. A lot of early service records get lost and are hard to track down.

That all being said, generally a car with good service records from a good shop will be a good car. Get a Ppi. A good one. Look for signs of neglect. The more issues you are able to find right away often means the more issues you will find later.

 

Hi Ed call me
Mike 973-610-7111

 

I did... and I wish I hadn't...

I passed on a well sorted car that was about $15K more - then I spent $30K on the one I bought getting it sorted...

Your mileage may vary!

Kevin

 

Hi Ed I didn’t get a voice mail can you call me now
Thanks 973-610-7111

 

I have bought three Ferrari’s (575,599,CS)and one Maserati Gran sportin the last 15 years and in my pursuit, each one has had every record from day one. I’ve been fortunate in my hunt to find that kind of vehicle and having had that experience-I’d be hard-pressed to go any other way. They have been gems as far as expectations and just routine maintenance

 

If it's a Ferrari Dealer price the extended warranty (if available) through them. See if they'll pick up some of the tab.

If not, I'd spend more to get a car with more complete records. It's not a guarantee the car is better, but at least you'll know if it was well cared for by it's prior owner(s)

However, the 2000 360 Modena I bought used many moons ago came with very complete service records and a 90 day warranty from Algar Ferrari. Within those 90 days I had about $10K of free service performed by them. Suspension actuators, brakes all around, door locks, some other odds and ends. The kind of stuff that would probably be normal wear and tear items, but they picked up the tab. Having complete service records didn't head these issues off. After the initial run of repairs, I drove the car for 4 years without incident, just standard maintenance.

D

 

Its not the kiss of death but its no longer a top dollar car either. dm_n_stuff made some great suggestions. Great owners who care about their car keep records. Its not so much what they say as the fact they have been kept.

Also as pointed out records can be a false sense of security. I actually had one client who came to me to rewrite some of his records to make the car more attractive.
If in every other way its the car you want make them give you a killer deal on it.

If the records were available they would have already have them. They are just saying that to keep you interested. Dont waste any time there. Make them give you a great deal or keep looking.

 

You keep saying FNA. FNA does not fix cars and they do not operate the dealerships. You are lumping all the franchise dealers into one pot and its not only inaccurate, its very unfair. Dealers are like any other business, some plumbers are great, some are idiots and some are crooks. Same goes with Ferrari dealers. Each one is an independent entity that is allowed to put up the Ferrari sign and they have very little else in common. One of the very best places to take a later model Ferrari in the entire state of Texas is one of our dealers. I refer work to them all the time and they certainly do not deserve to be painted with your school bus sized brush.

 

I can agree with that. The point of my post was not to say all official Ferrari dealers do bad work. My point was moreso that just because they are official Ferrari dealerships doesn't mean they automatically do amazing work.

 

Then why use the term FNA? It in no way indicates you are talking about a dealer. FNA is in one place. 250 Sylvan Ave Englewood Cliffs NJ.
Saying what you mean is a vastly better way to communicate.

 

I prefer a car with records, but when a Ford GT came up at an unbelievably low price.....I just had to buy the damn thing records or not.

 

I was under the impression that FNA meant Ferrari of North America and included all of the franchised dealerships. Am I mistaken?

 

Yes you are. FNA is a corporation wholly owned by Ferrari Spa. Ferrari franchised dealers are independent businesses.

Is your neighborhood Chevy dealer General Motors? No.

 

Then I stand corrected and will word that properly going forward.

 

Service records are one thing, a thorough inspection would be part of any purchase process.

I’d also spend some time looking up the vin, and perhaps posting it here, it may have been owned by a member.

I’d be wary of too many owners, or if it was ever in a rental pool, or located in a state with flooding during the time of ownership.

 

Look, you may have been wrong, but the general population completely understood what you meant. @Rifledriver you kind of derailed the thread going after the wrong point imo.

 

Not at all. Very valid point.

 

In many cases, the lack of records indicates an auction car. This is not a kiss of death. It means the prior seller had to dump the car to get rid of it. There can be good and bad reasons for this. There are five million stories in the naked city.

 

Lots of auction cars are trade ins that did not fit the profile of the dealer who took it in. At the Ferrari store we sent lots to auction and some pretty cool stuff.

 

It's not always the kiss of death. Sometimes a customer hangs onto a consignment car too long before accepting reality.

 

If the headers have been done and stickies have been done... There isn't a lot to worry about. Just have a ppi performed to understand the currently condition better.


Once you know where you stand on the current condition mechanically... You can make your own maintenance schedule on what needs to be done and when.

The headers are super expensive so if that's been done you are ahead of the game.

To me... If the car has had 14 oil changes instead of 20 means little to me. Im the grand scheme many of these are over service and as long as you aren't buying a track car or a car that's been smashed up and out back together... Your going to have maintenance to do regardless.


I mean it's always nice to have a full history file. It's nice to know that 2 years ago a major was done... Ball joints and wheel bearings were all done... But if you out the car on a lift... And you have it inspected you should be able to tell if these items are in near need of repair.

Again it's lovely to have them but some cars are driven hard and out away wet... And still service... And some are babied and serviced every other year or two.

 

It's all about providence, if that is important to you. 430's have timing chains, so not much to worry about. It's like a BMW or Porsche. If the previous owners loved shifting at red line, it's going to need a throwout bearing sooner than later. Service records won't have that info (how it was driven). Clutch life may be fine, but if they shifted at red line every time, you might need one next month. I always feel that the overall condition of the car is the best indicator of how it was cared for.

Timing belts really get people's feathers riled up. Did they get replaced in 3, 5, 10 years? If the car runs good, what difference does it make? People like to say if they didn't get replaced in 3 years it was "neglected"! How many years has it been? How many miles has it been?

The bottom line with a timing belt is that if it didn't break, it didn't break and it all still works fine.