2008 car, untaxed for 1 year, why?

Kildafornia

Hi folks, looking at a car from a dealer, I did a cartel check and it's all clear, but it says it was untaxed for a year around 2009. It is an ex corporate lease car, so no service history. Just wondering what this might be - I'm thinking was it crashed and repaired - but a full year? What do you make of it?

tom traubert

Perhaps crashed and repaired. The right person will tell you easily enough. It could possibly be that the company went under and it took a while to tease everything out.

Motorcheck

Kildafornia wrote: »

Hi folks, looking at a car from a dealer, I did a cartel check and it's all clear, but it says it was untaxed for a year around 2009. It is an ex corporate lease car, so no service history. Just wondering what this might be - I'm thinking was it crashed and repaired - but a full year? What do you make of it?

Feel free to PM me the reg and I'll check it's history. We might have a condition alert on it. Also if it's a leased car then chances are high we'll have mileage and access to a service history also.

Kildafornia

PM'd you, thanks for the help

Anan1

OP - Remember that a clean history check does not necessarily show whether a car has been crashed, I owned a car that was showing as clean 18 months after it had been written off. If Motorcheck can get a service history then that'd be great, i'd only buy a car without if it was dirt cheap to compensate.

Kildafornia

The funny thing is, a leasing company will include a servicing contract in their fee, but the books still aren't stamped. I always have to hound my mechanic to stamp the book after a service. It's the only proof you have when selling that you spent that money (unless you keep receipts too).

I'm hoping someone has a record of servicing, or even better I can get a duplicate service book stamped with the original service dates. not an easy task but worth pursuing. An unserviced car is damaged good in my opinion.

ps. thanks motorcheck for the help

Kildafornia

OK I'm between two Freelanders, which would you advise:

• basic spec, 50,000 miles, questionable service history, power steering rack & pump replaced.

• top spec, 100,000 miles, good service history, rear axle replaced under warranty.

I would normally avoid high mileage, but I believe diesels are fine for high mileage once maintained properly, and sometime high mileage is better if they are motorway miles, as opposed to low, city mileage. Price & year is similar enough.

Anan1

First question - do you have good reason to believe the 50k miles?

Farmer Pudsey

Kildafornia wrote: »

OK I'm between two Freelanders, which would you advise:

• basic spec, 50,000 miles, questionable service history, power steering rack & pump replaced.

• top spec, 100,000 miles, good service history, rear axle replaced under warranty.

I would normally avoid high mileage, but I believe diesels are fine for high mileage once maintained properly, and sometime high mileage is better if they are motorway miles, as opposed to low, city mileage. Price & year is similar enough.

What year are the jeeps the reason I ask is the 100k abnormally high or the 50k abnormally low. Like earlier poster said it you have to go out of your way to make sure service history is stamped. Is there much of a price difference. When i buy any vehicle I service regularly however as I do basic services myself and get a mechaic to do once yearly check I do not bother with keeping book up to date as I generally keep any car until it is 12+ years of age.

As you can see from the service history of both vehicles freelanders are not the most reliable yoks on the road.

If I was looking for a small 4WD I go for a Suzuki Vitara. However the only reason I would buy a 4WD is if I had the work for it, I do not think I have so I have not got one.

Henry Ford III

Why not just ask the dealer?

Farmer Pudsey

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Why not just ask the dealer?

Would you believe a secondhand car dealer

Henry Ford III

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

Would you believe a secondhand car dealer

Maybe. It's possible the answer is not a cause for concern?

Anan1

Asking the dealer is certainly a good place to start. Although I have to say, no SH and a year untaxed sounds bad.

Kildafornia

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Why not just ask the dealer?

of course I have asked the dealer!

OK you asked for it - the long version (for anyone bothered!). Both cars are ex lease from Hertz. Neither have a service book. Hertz could provide a decent history for the high miler (4 services & a warranty diff replaced - fairly common problem).

They could only provide a history for one service at 45K miles for the low miler, and the garage has done one since. It also had an out of warranty power steering rack & pump replaced. Incidentally this car has a tow bar.

We can't get through to the first owner of the low miler, so we can't see who first serviced it, if at all. I called a few garages around his area and it seems a local back shed mechanic did a lot of work for this guy's company, but the mechanic is now abroad. So maybe it was serviced, maybe not.

Question marks cost money. So do tow bars. Does reasonably maintained high mileage cost money?

Anan1

Kildafornia wrote: »

OK you asked for it - the long version (for anyone bothered!). Both cars are ex lease from Hertz. Neither have a service book. Hertz could provide a decent history for the high miler (4 services & a warranty diff replaced - fairly common problem).

Four services in 100k miles is not a decent service history.

Kildafornia

Anan1 wrote: »

Four services in 100k miles is not a decent service history.

I believe recommended schedule for the FL2 is oil & filters every 24K miles or once a year, whichever comes first, but I might be wrong.

Anan1

Kildafornia wrote: »

I believe recommended schedule for the FL2 is oil & filters every 24K miles or once a year, whichever comes first, but I might be wrong.

It sounds like an awfully long stretch to me, but if it's what they recommend then I suppose it's all you'll get. I'd be worried about turbos at those intervals, though.