Why the folder says more than the paint
A freshly painted car with no file is a risk. An unremarkable car with a complete service book, invoices and old MFK reports is often the better one. The checklist therefore starts with the papers, not with the underside.
The vehicle registration certificate
The Swiss certificate shows the Stammnummer (master number), the vehicle identification, any conditions and, where it exists, the entry veteran vehicle. The Stammnummer must belong to the car. Differences between the certificate, the type plate and the stamped number are a stop, not a negotiating detail.
With an import, the foreign certificate is added, plus form 13.20 A. If the customs clearance certificate is missing, the car is not cleanly in traffic in Switzerland; see Import and customs clearance.
Service book, invoices, photos
Stamps alone are not enough. Invoices with a date, a mileage and work you can follow are what count. A restoration without photos of the metalwork counts as suspiciously unrestored, especially on imports from Italy or « painted and finished » US auction cars.
An order that builds trust:
- maintenance in chronological order
- larger work (engine, gearbox, rust) with before and after
- old MFK reports and defect lists
- correspondence on modifications and entries
Gaps of several years need an explanation. « Always in the family, never driven », without evidence, is not one.
Matching Numbers and identity
« Matching Numbers » means: the engine, often the gearbox and the body, carry the numbers the factory assigned to this vehicle. On some model lines that is a difference in wealth; on others it is ordinary. The buying advice for that model line says what counts.
Checking means: stamped numbers against the papers and, where they exist, against factory documents (data card, Heritage Certificate, Build Sheet). Numbers that have been re-stamped, are untidy, or sit in the « wrong » place are an alarm. An honestly declared replacement engine with an invoice is better than a faked originality.
Previous keepers and where it stood
The number of keepers is on the certificate, but it does not tell the whole story. Periods standing still, imports, accident repairs and « brought over from Germany » belong in the account and in the evidence. A car serviced for twenty years in the same Swiss garage is, for the MFK and for resale, usually the simpler object.
What you clarify before you travel
If the certificate, the last MFK or any form of history is missing without a good reason, that is a price argument, or a reason not to go. The checklist lists the points; this article explains why they sit so far up.