Service history

No, past service records are still important, to me anyhow. Try to gather past info best you can to make sure the car has been cared for properly. Even though the car may be "current" now the past neglect could be a negative.

Perhaps sharing the model and mileage on the example you are considering would be helpful with seeking advice here on the board?

 

Maybe I've been lucky but, I bought two cars from Algar who sold and serviced them. They gave me copies of all service records which I keep in a folder. If I sell this car (575M), the new owner will have everything since day 1.

 

The service docs are great to have for a number of reasons.

The odometer reading is typically shown on each service doc.
Most owners will at least get an oil change once per year so you have the miles on the car each year.
This gives you a clue on how the car was used, e.g. did the car sit for several years?

Also, the service docs show where the service was performed.
Sometimes the city location of the shop is of interest.
Old documents can show more than a carfax report sometimes.
Also the shop that did the work, was it serviced at the dealer or a reputable shop or somewhere else?

Obviously, most cars do not have a full service history available when they come up for sale so you have to be realistic on what is possible to know.
For me, I'm very interested in the last 3 years of service docs.
If the car has been driven more than 2000 miles per year each of those 3 past years, then this gives me some confidence that the car is frequently used and no major surprises are lurking by being the first one to use the car after years of sitting.

It is even more encouraging when you see small things fixed along with the typical services being done. So, maybe a few switches were sent to sticky-no-more to be redone, maybe the leather seat bolster was fixed by a leather specialist, maybe some wheel rash was fixed, etc. This all indicates that the previous owner wanted to keep his/her car perfect and that you are buying a car that was treated well.

Lack of service docs is not a deal-breaker for me but it does help when they are available.
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service records are for librarians... they confirm the obvious and are nice for historical purposes, but really don't show what went on in the last few thousand miles... they don't show how the car was driven by the current owner or previous owner... pleasant owner and a well detailed car can mask a lot... a comprehensive PPI with a personal understanding of what the results mean would have greater weight than a stack of records... a series of oil analysis including a current one is worth more than a stack of oil change receipts and trips to the detailer... purchasing a pre owned car is about NOW not what happened years ago... given the emphasis that is placed on record keeping I would not pay a premium for the records and use the lack of records as leverage to buy an otherwise good car...

 

You couldn't possibly be more wrong. Then, again, it's your money. BTW, oil analysis on a gasoline engine has a serious purpose. Usually not for a good outcome.

 

Service records will indicate a pattern of problems, like an electronic component that is frequently being replaced. Also, gaps in maintenance and quality of repairs (ie: genuine parts, factory trained mechanic) will show up.