Resurrecting this older thread in hopes of avoiding the usual "you didn't search the forum" type replies to a new thread... I'm wondering how much to value service history on a car (458, 550, etc.) My own 308 had complete history and I've always been taught to look for and value a complete record from new. But many cars just don't have it. There's a one-owner-from-new 550 I'm looking at that, allegedly, has ZERO records aside from its last major done at the behest of the consigning dealer. Is this normal? Should it knock the price down? Then I see folks say things like this: Obviously a PPI is important, but am I wrong in thinking the lack of history (esp on a one owner consignment) is odd? My personal thought is I should be able to pull at least some records (from the digital age at least) from the servicing dealer, assuming it was taken there. Cheers
The paperwork might have stuck with the car at one point but a lot of dealers could care less about it because it can raise more questions during the sales process. In regards to Ferrari helping out with former owner service records……that is usually a dead end. Why? They don’t share a common repair system and the data sent to Maranello is not available to the public. That is why it is on the buyer to get a proper PPI done on the vehicle before they buy it.
If the purchase price of the car is a material amount of money (for most of us it is) then you should do a PPI and get an estimate for the “catch up” items so you really can have a full appreciation for what your actual “buy in” price looks like. I didn’t care if it came with a stack of receipts….thats very nice….i appreciated long term hold and a thoughtful prior owner ps since the belt service was done by Ferrari of Beverly Hills, I’d hope that’s a shop you can rely on for quality of work….id normally be leery of an independent I didn’t know doing a sloppy “lock and swap”, doubtful that was the case here? p.p.s since it’s just over 20k miles and effectively a zero option car id keep that in mind for the price.
In my experience more than anything else presence of records, books, tools etc. reflects 2 things. 1. Is a greater chance of careful caring ownership. 2. A greater chance of the seller having nothing to hide and in possession of some level of integrity. PPIs are all about indicators. Its pretty obvious no one will ever be able to discover 100% about any car. A loved and cared for car is a vastly better option than a rental beater. Does it mean the cared for car cant possibly break a crankshaft tomorrow. No but which is more likely to serve you better? Anyone eschews the process because it is imperfect is an idiot. Very recently due to my inspection the buyer got a six figure discount on a car. I suspect he would tell you my fee was worth it.
From 40 years in both highly respected franchise dealers and independent shops your confidence of one over the other because of the sign on the front is grossly misplaced. That is not based on a singular or a few dealers. Its based on having a pretty good understanding of the entire network over a long period.
@Rifledriver i agree with your comment about blindly trusting a dealer….however i would trust a dealer more than a random independent. If you still lived in the Bay Area I would hope you were my independent. I very specifically used a Ferrari focused independent for my PPI and he did all the work and subsequent items (so to be clear that’s my preferred route).
@Goodspeed there are a handful of SoCal guys that could steer you to a good shop for a PPI but as @Rifledriver has historically noted any good shop is going to have a robust wait. I was SO fortunate that the specific car I most wanted in my search just happened to be local to me….so I could use and invest with a local Ferrari specialist. If you like Grigio Titanio and would consider a 575 then local to you and me is @stevepaa and his very well cared for car. Nothing for me to gain by recommending Steve’s 575 but I’d note he clearly has loved and cared for the car — I’ve seen it at least 2x and he is a genuine and good human being.
