Should I buy a used car without timing belt receipt?

[Charles_T]

I'm looking at a used car and the seller says the timing belt was changed "a while ago" but doesn't have a receipt. The car has higher mileage and I know this is a critical service item, but I'm not sure how to proceed without that proof. It feels like a big gamble to just take their word for it.

[Joshua_T]

Had a similar situation last year. No receipt for the timing belt change, the car had high miles and the seller swore it was done. It felt like a gamble. I asked for the shop name and tried to call them to confirm, and I looked for a service sticker under the hood. When there was no proof, I priced the risk into the offer and walked away if the seller couldn’t verify. If they can’t prove it with a reputable shop, it’s hard to feel good about the risk.

[BrianHG]

Same belt thing happened to me once. Seller said it was done recently but there was nothing to show. I doubted it and decided not to buy. The car ran fine for a while, sure, but I’d rather not gamble with a critical maintenance item. I wish I’d done a proper pre purchase inspection even for a cheap car.

[Paul70]

I actually bought one with no paper trail. The belt was said to be changed a while ago. I drove it for a couple of months and nothing obvious happened, but there was a faint squeak at startup that didn’t go away. I never got a receipt, and I still don’t know for sure. If you had to pick, would you push for a pre purchase inspection before deciding? I’m not confident that solves it.

[Addison41]

Sometimes I get off topic and think about other noises I’ve chased on old cars. Then I go back to this: the timing belt thing is the real stress point, but without proof it’s hard to trust the seller. I’d want an independent check or a steep price discount, not a warm handshake.