If I were going to drop $30-40K+ on an older car I would probably like to see some service records. Then again CarFax's can be fudged right along with service records. I'm not good at all at keeping my service receipts in any order or even knowing where they are. If anyone is looking for them from me they'll be disappointed. That said, I do to my cars whatever they need to have done when they need it done. I would venture to guess that I'm easier on my vehicles than the average.

If a guy keeps meticulous service records, changes the synthetic oil every 2500 miles, keeps the vehicle pristine looking but drives (read beats) the hell out of it are those service records going to reflect the fact that the car may not be anywhere near the condition it appears to be?

While service records can be helpful they can also be over-rated. If it's a big money car, nothing beats a thorough inspection.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)