Where might that car you are looking at have been a month ago? and it what state? maybe the service books can give you a hint?
DABAS blog post: Mid march 2018,
SERVICING/BOOKS/MANUALS (history)
Why are they very important on a late-model used car?
You may ask.
While it’s easy to be blinded by the pristine clean interior, colourful shine, sparkle and sheen of the glimmering engine bay, of that professionally detailed late-model used car at the car yard, grabbing the lowdown of where your car’s been and gone with previous owners by looking through its service history and books/owner manuals may be one of the smartest moves you’ll make. You won’t be able to discern everything about the car as it is unlikely every scuff, scratch and shopping-centre car-park trolley dent in its previous history would have been recorded in these books but it’s a snapshot you could learn a lot from, and the more research done now at this stage could save you thousands of dollars potentially spent on maintenance and repair bills in the future.
A very brief “hypothetical” example may be as follows:
Solo without using DABAS services: You have found what you think is your ideal late-model used car it’s just within your budget and it’s got 12 months registration plus brand-new Victorian-issued number plates; the salesman says the new plates have been issued because the previous owner had personally named plates and has kept them for their next car. You think nothing of it and buy the car.
With DABAS helping YOU: “on the same scenario as above” DABAS would have looked further for you into the ownership service book’s history and found a few services missed and others not stamped by an accredited-by-the-manufacturer or dealer-authorised mechanic and all the car’s services done at far North Queensland addresses with the last registered owner living in Ingham North Queensland . . . without even going further DABAS would have recommended you by-pass this car totally and together we find another of the same type/model etc.
Why? YOU may ask
Answer: To begin with: what’s left of your new-car warranty may be void due to the incomplete specified manufacturer’s service schedule, leaving you potentially uncovered if anything were to go wrong. Also l would be suspicious of the very recent change of state ownership addresses: from far North Queensland to its recent re-registration in Victoria, this would alert DABAS to the most recent cyclones, huge floods and storms in recent weeks in the township of Ingham and the Nth Queensland area in March 2018, potentially leaving this car to be a victim of storm flood damage “cleaned-up” and repaired “enough” for sale in another state.
In short: apart from the headaches of water damage on a modern-day car in general, late model car engine computers plus safety technology electronics and sensors, wiring solder connectors, etc, etc all hate getting flooded and if exposed to such happenings it can lead to many problems now and into the future, costing you lots in repair bills and in some cases leaving the car unroadworthy and dangerous to all occupants, other pedestrians and the road using public.
Flooded cars from interstate sometimes re-registered in another state . . . it’s more common than you would think!
At DABAS we know that buying a car can be one of the biggest purchases in your life. We look forward to having a chat to assess your personal car buying needs to suit your lifestyle . . . and you’re budget we hope this blog page has been helpful in showing you a scenario where our advocacy service fees are minuscule in comparison to the money and headaches we can save you with your late-model used-car search.
Contact DABAS today through our contact tab on the homepage to see how our advocacy services can help YOU find your next new or late model used car.
Thanks for visiting our website, cheers, Tim
