Discussion
I wonder if anyone could give me advice on checking the History of a car. I’m about to buy a V8 S from a dealer and for my own piece of mind I need to check if the car has been in an accident etc. I believe that the factory hold details about any major repairs, etc that have been carried out on cars. Is this true and does anyone have a phone number or contact at the factory ? Do the chassis / VIN numbers have any standards for the V8 S and an associated engine number (original). Am I worrying unnecessarily since the dealer should do all these checks? Cheers
I doubt if the factory would hold records of any repairs unless they carried them out? Your best bet is a HPI check. This checks for outstanding finance and insurance write offs. I think 
.
However I could be talking complete B*ll*x. I'm sure someone in here will correct me if so
Tony
. However I could be talking complete B*ll*x. I'm sure someone in here will correct me if so
Tony
This one's slighly underhand, but I've used it before. If you can, have a look at the V5 doc, make a mental note of the previous owner's name and address and then dial 192 for their telephone number. Speak to whomever it was that owned the car before he sold it to the dealer and robert's your dad's brother
chin up said: This one's slighly underhand, but I've used it before. If you can, have a look at the V5 doc, make a mental note of the previous owner's name and address and then dial 192 for their telephone number. Speak to whomever it was that owned the car before he sold it to the dealer and robert's your dad's brother
The Dealer from whom I purchased my S wouldn't let me see the V5 until I handed over the Cash for this very reason, "Apparently he was a very valuable customer, who they did not wish to upset by giving his details to every body who viewed his EX car"
I thought I'd raise a few eyebrows with this one, because it is, as I said, slightly underhand, and thus not to everyone's tastes.
Clearly, it's the dealer's prerogative to look after clients past and present, and he is well within his rights to tell you to poke off, but, I got a fuzzy warm feeling when I got my car knowing that the previous owner had just run it and enjoyed it (as I do now) without having anything go badly wrong with it.
In many ways, he was glad his car was going to someone who cared enough to ask sensible questions.....he was more than happy knowing his old girl would be well looked after. Certainly I would oblige if someone called me asking about an ex-motor of mine......
Take my hint in the sense it's given, ie trying to be helpful, and if it raises your heckles then I sincerely apologise. No doubt there's something written in a data protection act somewhere which says this is a bit naughty, but looking at the big picture, it won't do anyone any harm if you go about things in the right way, and may confirm your potential purchase is sound.
Cheers all, chin up
Clearly, it's the dealer's prerogative to look after clients past and present, and he is well within his rights to tell you to poke off, but, I got a fuzzy warm feeling when I got my car knowing that the previous owner had just run it and enjoyed it (as I do now) without having anything go badly wrong with it.
In many ways, he was glad his car was going to someone who cared enough to ask sensible questions.....he was more than happy knowing his old girl would be well looked after. Certainly I would oblige if someone called me asking about an ex-motor of mine......
Take my hint in the sense it's given, ie trying to be helpful, and if it raises your heckles then I sincerely apologise. No doubt there's something written in a data protection act somewhere which says this is a bit naughty, but looking at the big picture, it won't do anyone any harm if you go about things in the right way, and may confirm your potential purchase is sound.
Cheers all, chin up
The Dealer from whom I purchased my S wouldn't let me see the V5 until I handed over the Cash for this very reason, "Apparently he was a very valuable customer, who they did not wish to upset by giving his details to every body who viewed his EX car"
RUN AWAY !!!
im sure legally, you should beable to see who the registered keeper was, and you have a right to speak to him prior to purchase.
personally, if a dealer couldnt produce a V5, i wouldnt produce the cash.
A Phone call Trading standards usually gets the right response from car dealers .... if they are genuine, they should have nothing to hide.
I phoned the factory but they only check history's by post now and it will take 2 weeks - some excuse about a motor show taking a lot of their time...
The dealer showed me the V5 but I only glanced at the previous owners name - the car's had 3 owners.
Reg no. is J14 JWS and the dealer gave me the VIN no. so I can check this with HPI.
The dealer showed me the V5 but I only glanced at the previous owners name - the car's had 3 owners.
Reg no. is J14 JWS and the dealer gave me the VIN no. so I can check this with HPI.
interesting one on HPI checks, happened when I bought my S3.
Drove the car, loved it, looked over the car (sound as a pound imho), agreed a price with the then owner (cracking chap!), V5 to chassis/engine check etc and contacted AA's car check service on-line.
Result mailled back to me was of a total insurance loss. I was naturally a bit peeved to say the least and contacted owner to say that this was a bit off and he should have mentioned it. He said it wasn't true but couldn't explain it!
I contacted AA to enquire if there was a possiblilty that this was incorrect and they asked for the details again, and the informed me that the car had never been a total loss, rather been exported by a previous owner and therefore 'lost' for a year from the DVLA system!
Aparently a glitch in their system that anything that causes the car to be removed (ie the legal export of a car by military personel to a foreign posting) from the DVLA records was being reported as a total loss.
All ends in smiles however, got the car, as reliable and fun as promised, everything I'd dreamed of for about 10 years!
Check it certainly, but check the findings if they don't seem to add up!
Rgds
Mike
Drove the car, loved it, looked over the car (sound as a pound imho), agreed a price with the then owner (cracking chap!), V5 to chassis/engine check etc and contacted AA's car check service on-line.
Result mailled back to me was of a total insurance loss. I was naturally a bit peeved to say the least and contacted owner to say that this was a bit off and he should have mentioned it. He said it wasn't true but couldn't explain it!
I contacted AA to enquire if there was a possiblilty that this was incorrect and they asked for the details again, and the informed me that the car had never been a total loss, rather been exported by a previous owner and therefore 'lost' for a year from the DVLA system!
Aparently a glitch in their system that anything that causes the car to be removed (ie the legal export of a car by military personel to a foreign posting) from the DVLA records was being reported as a total loss.
All ends in smiles however, got the car, as reliable and fun as promised, everything I'd dreamed of for about 10 years!
Check it certainly, but check the findings if they don't seem to add up!
Rgds
Mike
My experience.
1. TVR factory. Only ask for specific information such as what model is it from chassis number to get anywhere and then take it from there, asking ‘for the history’ only results in the shutters coming down.
2. TVR Car club – don’t hold any info on cars of this era, but did give advice that if the factory tell you there is no history for the car, don’t give up as there is but they don’t have resources to give it to you.
3. HPI – very useful if you need to find out any bad info ! This turned up a bit of an anomaly in the form of the model designation being a ‘290 S’ which was a bit of fright soon put to bed by the factory, by the way the factory said the engine was ‘big valve’ don’t know what it means but it sounds good !
4. Servicing agents – fantastic, the bloke I spoke to could remember the car from new, what had happened from new, what repairs had been carried out such as a slight bump at the front and warranty engine work at 20,000 miles.
Thanks for all your guidance guys !
1. TVR factory. Only ask for specific information such as what model is it from chassis number to get anywhere and then take it from there, asking ‘for the history’ only results in the shutters coming down.
2. TVR Car club – don’t hold any info on cars of this era, but did give advice that if the factory tell you there is no history for the car, don’t give up as there is but they don’t have resources to give it to you.
3. HPI – very useful if you need to find out any bad info ! This turned up a bit of an anomaly in the form of the model designation being a ‘290 S’ which was a bit of fright soon put to bed by the factory, by the way the factory said the engine was ‘big valve’ don’t know what it means but it sounds good !
4. Servicing agents – fantastic, the bloke I spoke to could remember the car from new, what had happened from new, what repairs had been carried out such as a slight bump at the front and warranty engine work at 20,000 miles.
Thanks for all your guidance guys !
sclub8 - oddly enough my V5 says Model/Type 280S but its definatly an S2 2.9.
When I recently had it rolling road/tuned, the specialist said "this doesn't seem to be a standard V6 - its pushing out more power than the usual" -another "big valve" model I wonder. Were TVR putting out a few breathed on engines over the normal ???
When I recently had it rolling road/tuned, the specialist said "this doesn't seem to be a standard V6 - its pushing out more power than the usual" -another "big valve" model I wonder. Were TVR putting out a few breathed on engines over the normal ???
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