Does anyone know if there is a website or service here in Switzerland that will provide you with the history of a used car?
In my country (Iceland) you simply type in the vehicle registration number, and up pops all previous owners, when first registered, if the car has been in an accident etc.
I am thinking of buying a Ferrari T355 GTS, year 1999 for 40K (as a Sunday driver) and would like to verify what the owner tells me is actual fact.
Also, do you know any garages that do PPI (pre purchase inspection) on a Ferrari in the Zurich area (is this even done here in CH)?
The seller is an individual, not a garage.
I know 40k is a lot for a Sunday driver, but these cars do not depreciate a lot, and if I can find a good one that does not need 15K in "service" then this is not a bad way to park your money for a year or two.
3) Find out how much they charge for a pre-purchase inspection
4) Pay for it
5) Make sure seller completes all work
Buying a 15 year old Ferrari - privately - without the right support could get VERY VERY expensive.
My advice is buy from a specialist!
AFTER AS Search: I wouldn't be touching the 40k ones - 70k km with the F1 box??? The 47k manual one looks ropey. It looks like that you'll need to spend over 60k to get a good one.
Remember - you'll quite easily chew through 6-8k per year on servicing.
As well, each car will have a service book (normally kept in the glove compartment). Each service that has been done on the car will normally be listed in the book as well as the date and stamp of the garage that did the work. You can learn a fair bit from this. Especially if major work (normally required for the number of km or age) has been done or not.
Also see if the owner(s) have changed garages often or not. Normally if it is always the same garage there will be a continuity of service. Changed garage (especially town) might indicate change of owner.
You can also see what work was done ahead of the required vehicle inspections. And possibly afterwards (eg. redoing brakes etc. if the car did not pass).
Have a look at the last cantonal vehicle inspection sheet. It should be with the grey card. Did the car pass without any comments? Were the comments small things that the garage could do without having to re-show the car? You will see what the recent issues were, if any.
If you are concerned about things like the car being in an accident, you should get the person to guarantee this in the contract. If he is lying, you can then take him to court. You are not allowed to "hide" damage or other major faults from the buyer. However, there is a big dose of buyer beware so it is up to you to ask specific questions and get written answers from the seller.
As others have mentioned, you want the car checked out by a reputable garage so if there are issues, you will hopefully see them before they cost you thousands.