Why doesn't anyone have complete record

to some people these are just cars, cars they will only own a year or two before they get something newer or different, they don't care about record keeping.

Some cars have all their records but they get sold through a dealer or auction who throws them away and the car with perfect maintenance now has no records.

Others like mine came with pretty complete records and now are incomplete since I didn't keep all the work i have done in the 3 ring binder that came with the car, I might not even be able to find that binder now if I sold the car, records are not important to me. I actually didn't put and lost the first 2 repair/maintenance jobs receipts (luckily they were dealer done so I should be able to get copies), put the 3rd job in and not the 4th which was a belt job and major. I could build it all if i had to, but the car is not for sale.

What is important to me is CURRENT condition of the car, not how the previous 9 owners maintained it, but how I maintain it.

I doubt there are many cars how there with full records, the garage queens still with the original owner maybe, but drivers like mine, not many have complete records.

 

People can't be bothered. It's just too much trouble. I have had a number of long time clients ask me to reprint their records when they sell their cars. I have one guy who, if I go to the trouble to print one out just tosses it in the can as soon as I hand it to him.

 

Laziness is probably the main reason.. You can also look at it this way.. Maybe the car had so many problems that if they start showing some receipts youll be scared off.. They may give you some but I always call and make sure none were left out.. Be patient.. One will come along that will have all the paperwork your looking for..

R

 

You are rare person who does it for their DD. Mike put it well as to why there are not many records kept

 

Usually the person who thinks everyone else strange, is the strange one.

 

That's strange in itself.

 

People here are concerned. The general population of Ferrari owners doesn’t care.
Don’t mistake one for the other.

 

In my recent search for a 430, I spoke with a few very very reputable independent dealerships and 3 authorized dealerships, and I asked the same question, do they have ALL the service records, and I got the same answer from all of them, you will never find a car with all their service records. Find one with the most complete records you can, is what they all told me. When I had my 550, I would say that I had 90% of the records, and then I kept very detailed records, but again, I was an outlier in the Ferrari world. If you find one, that you like at a reputable dealer, and they have the most recent records, I think you can feel good about them & the car. Like the 360 Gary Bobilef has, even if it doesn't have a full service history, he could give you a very accurate description of the car. Also, if a car has service records from half it's life or whatever, and the most recent come from someone like Dave Helms, you can look at the records and talk with the tech and know how the car is going to be. The hard part is knowing that if you plan on keeping a Ferrari for any extended period of time, at some point you will have a malfunction, it's just part of the brand. It's a lot of info to wade through when looking for a Ferrari, but I think thats part of the fun. Not nearly as fun as walking out to your garage and having one parked there. Now that is awesome. Good luck

 

Did you learn nothing from the responses to your original thread !!

 

Records would be great if owners new what the contents mean or pros read them. Since neither happen there is not much point. That said records can have value and be a source of entertainment.

 

"I've only slept with 3 men before you."

You're taking a lot on someones word. How does the car look now? If it was taken for every service and the Ferrari schedule was done to a "T".. but the owner revved the car to redline every day when he started the car, drove in puddles of salt water, drank and spilled coffee in the car.. would those records still matter so much to you?

Clearly you want a well kept car. That's the best record of ownership. Expecting everyone to keep every record isn't going to happen. I personally keep a maintenance log on all my cars for repairs and oil changes, but I don't keep a sorted binder. I'm not that anal.

There is no perfect car.

 

You find your dream car and it has a filled binder from day one ....

But you are not aware that some repairs were intentionally left out .... (crash repairs/dents etc) And the dealer will say; " We are not aware of any accident damage" ...

So what now ?

It is still just a car ... how well do you trust the carsalebranche ?

 

Apart from serious previous body damage, when you check out a second hand car to buy, you expect it to be in good working order, everything should do what it says on the can.

Do you really want to know, "Oh, by the way the alternator stopped working two years ago and I changed it!"

 

Wait...at the same time?

OP, I had to put mine together but I am that "guy" that has a perfect record or darn near. I treat my car like it is a airplane or space craft but I am in the minority. My car was a one owner car and even though he didn't care to save records I was able to find the indy that he used and also get records from the dealership he bought the car from and started "The Book".

You may need to find a one or very low number of owners car that was serviced at the selling dealership. You know a "checkbook" mechanic who really could afford the car and everything that went wrong was just a trip to the dealer away. IMO these cars stay in the dealer network since the dealer knows how nice the car is and it's service history adn often they are traded in for a new Ferrari... or Bentley in my case. Guess who charges the most for a nice car? Yup, the dealership.

Maybe it's worth discussing if these cars could also be the ones that show up at auctions as tastes change and the 360 is down in the popularity polls they just wholesale them off and they end up at auctions. Every time I get in my car I cant believe how much car it is for the money.

 

While I agree with your last single sentence paragraph, I will say this. Whomever buys my '03 575M will have complete records from day one including the name of the first owner, original window sticker and every service, and inspection since. The condition of the car interior and exterior reflects that much anal retention as you put it. Naturally, that and a couple of bucks will get me a cup of coffee. On the other hand, if a prospective seller cannot provide two keys, tools, books and service records on a 599 I am currently seeking, I do not need that car.

 

Thats why you need to be careful, not all cars are for risk averse people. I was that way about my search too....I couldn't afford to buy a maintenance deferred mistake

 

Geez, what guy told you that? He sounds like a slut.