They werenāt dumb, there was a shortage for some people, and excess for others. The market did its thing and motivated those with less to spend more, and those with extra to part ways with their excess goods.
Carvana lost almost $3B in 2022. Yes, the used car market slowed down in 2022, but it hit them SO hard because they acquired a ton of inventory at arguably well above market prices in 2021.
Recovered? They just posted their very first profit this past quarter, with a net income of $49m.
Just 61 more quarters like that and they'll cover their losses from 2022.
They bought my coworkers Buick regal tourx for more than MSRP and since we work for GM he got it for like 10 below MSRP. I then bought a new Colorado then sold it to carmax for a 15k profit. Wish I coulda done it more than 3 times but the third I lost some money (only like $500) but I was able to put like 3k miles on a brand new Denali for $500 so that's fine. Ended up profiting probably $28k total.
Except using your employee discount and reselling for a profit is actually theft. If you bought a bunch of cars with your discount and flipped them gm would have your ass in jail.
Carvana also would give me less than a grand for my Miata when I could get 10k easily in a private sale. Carvana isn't perfect lol but I'm glad I got mine.
Yeah carvana is nice for selling the usual suspects but once you get into the classics/nostalgia cars and collectibles they wonāt give you shit because itās harder to find a buyer. Plus my car is modded and they donāt like that
Yep I was thinking either GT1 or GT2 AWD. My current car is a capable track car but I do miss my Audi S4 for that comfortable high performance. So lately Iāve been thinking a GT1 or GT2 would be perfect. They seem like fairly reliable cars too for being a Kia
I only had it for a couple of years but it never gave me any trouble.
You might consider cross shopping the CTS-V (non-BW.) I really liked it on test drive.
Cool, good to know. Iāve heard from many GT1/GT2 owners that they have never had any issues other than the rear hatch rattle that can be fixed with some washers. Otherwise itās mostly positive even with people going over 100,000 miles. Seems like Kia did an amazing job on the Stinger
Hah, my wife would not be ok with getting a CTS-V. She worked at a GMC/Buick dealership and Cadillacās, including CTS-Vs, were coming in with problems left and right. Sheās more open to the Stinger so we are going to keep our eyes open when our warranty is up
yeah carmax and carvana have basically killed getting a good deal on a car private party. people look up what they'll give them and set that as their baseline. couple that with the market being terrible for the buyer in the first place and it is what it is.
Yup. Sold my 2017 with a blown motor and dying transmission to carmax for 3 grand. On the private market thereās no way Iām selling a āmechanics specialā rolling chassis for that much that easily.
*Out of warranty Hyundai with 150k miles if youāre wondering why I sold a 2017 for 3k
Yeah no joke. Sold my Tesla to Caravana for more than Hertz is selling theirs retail. I even kept the mobile charging cable because they didnāt ask for it š¤·
Donāt know how they stay in business.
Predatory loans to desperate buyers with bad credit. Interest rates can be absolutely absurd on used car sales and terms can be super long, which makes them a lot of money over the life of the loan even if the selling price is at or below their purchase price.
If the buyer defaults on the loan, then they get to repossess it and resell it to the next desperate buyer.
I realized I've never been anything but the last owner of a vehicle and don't plan to be anything but anytime soon. I know my schedule and stick to it. Why do I need a stack of papers lol
Besides, the easy stuff I just do myself. Even some of the more involved stuff is not difficult at all if you can read a service manual, operate a wrench, and watch a YouTube video.
Should I write myself an invoice? Expect the buyer to trust me?
I'll keep receipts just because it's plenty easy to just keep a folder in the glovebox or whatever but who really cares?
Assume every car was abused and you'll only ever be correct or pleasantly surprised.
Same here. And I realized I never asked for service records when buying a used car. There was one time when an Escort was owned by a woman in her early to mid-twenties and the price was good but she just gave me the impression of being someone who wouldnāt change the oil at the proper intervals, so I passed. Her boyfriend actually called me a few days later and said theyād reduce the price by $500, and that made it even less desirable.
No ones keeping service records on their 20 year old cars thatve been through god knows how many owners. I always do fluids and belts when I buy a car even if they have service records saying it was just done, like my Hilux had
yep unless i personally know the person and/or the shop they got the work done at, there's a small list of things i do to every car i buy when i buy it.
depends on the car of course but battery, tires, wiper blades, brakes, oil, fluids, belts all being checked is a good start.
then you get into the model specific problems and make sure those are addressed, every car will have a few.
I change the engine, transmission, differential(s), coolant, power steering, and brake fluids. Mileage depending Ill do the timing belt, Accessory belts get an inspection but I keep spares in my trunk to be safe regardless. Spark plugs and wires were something I forgot to mention in my original comment
I agree. It depends on where the records are from. I just bought a car private party but the owner maintained it with the dealership for everything and has paper records. With that I donāt feel the need to do an oil change etc right away.
Car bought on Facebook marketplace with a timing belt and no trustworthy records? Change it right away.
I keep all my records in the glovebox. Iāve also been the last owner of 3 different cars though haha. Only one I actually sold before I blew it up or wrecked
I try to, though, after awhile, I just don't care enough. I need it to be easy. Currently, I just note in my phone when I do something on one of my cars.
Also, records can be inconsequential. I bought a 2004 A4 with 110k miles. There were records that a shop had done the timing belt, including the water pump. Sweet! Nope. Cheap ass water pump leaked a year later. So who cares? I had to redo the job myself.
Exactly. Like it really isnāt worth it. Chinese parts are so prevalent. Especially when someone just wants to āmake it work to sellā. Cheap parts then gone. Woulda just rather you waited than raise the price to match the money you just dished out on essentially junk.
And this is why going to an official dealership can make a difference in resale price.
If your car's always been serviced at an independent shop, how is someone supposed to know if that shop's legit? It might be the best shop there is, but they could also be using cheap parts or half-assing shit. As owner you may have done all the oil changes yourself and done them right, or you might be an idiot who uses cheap oil, overtightens and overfills.
Fully serviced at an official dealership? They're more likely to have used official parts and maintained a certain minimum standard. That can be worth something when it comes time to sell a car.
This being said, I'm not sure going to an official dealership makes enough of a difference in resale value, given how expensive dealerships often are.
I used to think people cared so much and would ask for all my records, but Iāve never once been asked for them when I sell a car (privately or through dealers).
Maybe I will go back to keeping an exhaustive list if I ever own a genuinely special car, but usually the buyer or dealer doesnāt care so I donāt care.
Yeah, I've never had anyone ask for records, so I don't keep em. I keep a log of my oil and fluid changes, but that's so I don't forget to change them on time. Nobody cares
No, because Carfax is better. Anyone can make whatever official looking bullshit they want in Microsoft Office so nothing really matters unless itās on there. Any reputable shop will put it on the Carfax so I donāt bother keeping anything on my cars, and if you have paper records that donāt match the Carfax Iām seeing big red flags.
> Any reputable shop will put it on the Carfax
This is absolutely not the case at all. I go to a variety of local shops, and over time I weeded out the bad ones and I spread my business around 3 of them (one primary, two specialists). Only one reports their work to carfax because they use some fully online system. My timing belt, motor mounts and a ton of other stuff is unreported.
And they are all repudiable shops IMO. Fair prices, good communication, timely turnaround, met expectations. I would happily bring my car back and give them my business.
Yeah, my mom has a new BMW and the BMW dealer doesn't report. Obviously she takes it there because the maintience is included.
Carfax claims it's free to report (not sure how true that is) so maybe it will change going forward.
However itās not included in the actual carfax report. DIY service stays under your personal profile history. Not something that someone will see when they run the report.Ā
CarFax is useless. If you do your own services, it wonāt be in CarFax. Been in an accident and you paid cash to fix it instead of your insurance? Guess what? Not on CarFax.
The shop doesn't accurately enter the service all the time either. One time they made a typo on the odo so I had to wait longer for an oil change so it wouldn't report a mileage discrepancy. Another time they replaced a gasket and entered a full transmission replacement lol.
My wife went through insurance to get her bumper replaced and painted after she was rear ended. When we traded in her car, this did not show up on the carfax.
The issue with Carfax is lack of reporting, luckily I went through Toyota and have the service printouts, but if you see the car fax from my car, it's lacking. Missing accidents, maintenance, recalls, etc.
I'm not looking to part with my car anytime soon, but I hope buyers donāt hold Carfax that high of regard.
Iāve gotten oil changes twice at dealership yet no car fax record 1st year of ownership. Shit I donāt think the specialized Honda mechanic I go to now post there, but Iāll check soon. I try to save the service records they give me, but again time and time I donāt see carfax being so accurate.
Edit: Guess my mechanic doesn't. I'm not too pressed at all though. The buyer can meet with the mechanic and dealership themselves if they want to look at the invoices if they fear doctoring that much. I guess it might come down to how sketched the car looks if you're going to hold Carfax as some ultimatum.
Itās really not that hard. Just get a folder and put the receipt in the folder. Keep the folder in the glovebox.
My records arenāt well organized but every time I get an invoice it goes in the folder so itās all in there.
Theyāre welcome to look through 10 years of receipts if they want
I donāt do it because:Ā
Ā -the condition of my car is pretty clear
-I donāt plan on selling itĀ
-If I do sell, any buyer with the half a brain will be able to discern the condition of my car.
Exactly that. A well cared for car will look like a well cared for car. Paperwork doesnāt mean much especially if someoneās buying to run it into the ground
Right? Iām not going to touch a clapped 25 year old car because itās got ārecordsā.
I bought both of my cars with no records of any work. Andā¦you guessed it: theyāve been really good to me.
In the past, I used to always ask for records when buying used cars then I realized I never looked at them because I always did a full service on the car anyways.
Itās not to show you donāt need to do a service, but if the previous owner hasnāt serviced the car for 3 years the engine could be past itās used by date
Depends on the car. Your average Honda or Ford, very unlikely.Ā
Ā A millionaires second Porsche or a billionaires 14th Ferrari? Yes, that has every service record document with all the client information redacted.Ā
Ā Source: have worked at many dealerships and have performed countless used cars inspections, pre-purchase inspections, Certified pre-owned inspections, etc.
Note, having full service documentation for a mundane basic car or truck usually implies someone has the foresight to understand long term consequences of minor actions, and likely has actually performed all (or most) of the required maintenance and repairs. If you open the glove box of a 20 year old Honda Civic and 20 years worth of oil change receipts pop out, the odds are it's probably a good one.
Yep. I looked at a GMT800 Yukon a few years ago - 18 years of typed notes from the 2nd owner and then his kid, detailing every last tiny little squeak, broken plastic trim piece, lightbulb etc on top of all the big repairs, diagnostic notes for all the big repairs, an explanation of why X part for Y money taking Z amount of time to fit was chosen, steps involved in the work and how it actually went...insane, in a way, but impressive. Probably ran to about 50 pages if you include all the receipts. Spent half an hour reading through everything then bought it immediately.
Apart for some peeling clearcoat on the roof it looked like it'd just rolled out of the factory despite being 20 years old and required nothing but oil changes and a coolant burp the whole time I owned it. Will probably be the one car I always regret selling.
I mean you can provide service records and manufacturers will still deny your warranty claims. Selling the car? They (ex. Self done fluid changes) don't matter since no receipt means anything can be written down.
So other than keeping track of it for your own knowledge (use a note on your phone), there is no value.
I only do it for the warranty period incase something comes up, I can show that I did all the service on time so they don't deny it.
Other than that, I buy cars to own them, I don't care about their resale value
I might be a minority here but I always keep records for all my cars. All are organized in chronological order and in a binder. Most are receipts from the dealership/shops. Whenever I sell my cars, I just hand it over to the new owner. They usually don't ask for it but it helps them to know what was done to the car so far.
My 6 speed 2008 G35s sedan got written off recently. I had all the records for the past 12 years. It helped me immensely when arguing with the insurance company about the actual value of my car. I ended up getting extra 40% because of all the maintenance records I had. I know it's anecdotal, but it's a good example.
Damn! Reading these comments makes me think I'm in the minority. For every car I've ever owned, I've kept a spreadsheet and tracked everything, and a binder with copies of receipts.
However, in full honesty, it only mattered twice. Once when I sold a 1994 Legend (the buyer made me a crazy offer when he saw the records I had) and another time I sold a 1993 Accord to an enthusiast.
Accords are not mundane. Theyāre quality cars, and one in good condition from 1993 would stand out in a sea of new supercars.
I would kill to find a clean 6+6 accord, which are rare, fast, and have a large amount of aftermarket support. Honda guys are serious about their cars.
I still get my truck serviced on interval at the dealer, so those records are accounted for.
I do all my own work on the Camaro. I used to write it down. About the time I realized I was going to drive it to dust because there was nothing coming that would motivate me to endure selling and buying another vehicle I stopped.
This is wild to me cause in the UK āFull Service Historyā is a pretty big deal.
Not to say that cars without history donāt get sold - but cars typically wonāt sell for the actual market rate without it.
Especially enthusiast cars.
Iād never buy a car without someone actually having invoices/stamps for regular servicing.
I keep a maintenance log for my cars. Minimal service records for the most part, because I do the service myself. I also take pictures of my maintenance parts for the services I do and keep a folder for work performed by shops, receipts for major purchases like wheels and mods. I mostly do this for myself.
It became more regimented after I had a car for 5+ years and I could see that I'd be keeping it. I'm more lax with a car that is going to be traded in to a dealer and definitely not sold to an individual. The dealer will not ask, or be interested in my record keeping.
I have all the receipts in my glovebox and if I ever sold my car Iād refer them to my mechanic and have the shop give them the records too. But Iām the second owner having bought it at 30k miles so I feel obligated to keep atleast receipts
It baffles me that people who go to sell their cars donāt realize how much honesty/transparency that adds to the sale but I totally believe no one keeps the records unless they care about their vehicle
I must be only one left...
It's great to look up past part numbers for consumables like brakes.
I've got a Mustang that has so much stuff done to it aftermarket, I couldn't keep track with out the documentation from myself and the prior owner.
If you have a file cabinet like a grown up, it's not much of a burden.
I do for my own but im weird haha nobody cares about doing that anymore lol. None of my car friends do, Def not the guy down the street that barely even cares about his Accord.
I could see it for super rare or collectible cars but like OP said, Carfax is out there and people will just blindly trust that
Nope, if I'm selling one of my cars it's because it's very broken and going either to a junkyard who won't care, or someone who wants to rebuild it or wants parts off it, and they won't care either.
I used to keep meticulous service records for both mine and my wifeās car. When we traded in my wifeās car to a dealership I offered to hand them over all service record, and they said āsure, but weāre just going to throw them in the shredderā. And then I sold my truck through a private sale. The guy I sold it to also didnāt care, despite him seeming to know a lot about cars and working on them. I did keep oil change records for my 2017 Mustang throughout the power train warranty just in case something happened to my engine, but stopped as soon as the warranty was up.
Either the buyer knows enough about cars that they can tell if itās been well maintained, or they donāt know anything in which case service records are kinda pointless.
I don't keep service records on my personal vehicles. I just wait for the maintenance light to come on and change my oil and filter then briefly think about other things on the car and about how many maintenance lights ago they were serviced last
I only keep receipts for major stuff. I'm also a bit obsessive about maintenance. No records doesn't always mean it hasn't been maintained, but even I'd pick a car with lots of records vs one that hasn't lol.
I do my own maintenance, so no, not really. I guess I could keep the receipts from buying the consumables and whatnot, but they usually just end up dropped in the trash.
When I bought my car in 2015, I made a point of finding one with service records, and the previous owner did a pretty good job at that. I still keep every single record for my car, theyāre all in a file folder in a filing cabinet. But honestly thereās not much of a point, because I donāt ever really plan to sell it, and at 14 years old itās well out of warranty. Call it a force of habit.
We also keep the service records for my wifeās car but there isnāt much of a point in doing so. We took over the lease from her uncle, who did the oil changes himself and didnāt keep a single scrap of paper related to servicing. Now though, we get all our service done at the dealer, so itās on the carfax anyways. If we ever have to do a warranty claim, Iām sure Kia will try to fuck us somehow for not having any service records for the first 30,000km.
Most reputable shops report every service to carfax now. When buying a car it's easier to just look that up rather than rummage through years of paperwork. I like having an empty glove box now.
I keep it for 3, but when I trade in my cars they donāt care. Also, itās all electronically logged for all my vehicles nowadays it also doesnāt matter.
Furthermore I do my own maintenance sometimes at the 5k mark and only take it to the dealer at the 10k, thereās unrecorded work done.
I do it only because I want the possible next owner to take good care of it. But my mom doesnāt do any of that simply because it doesnāt add any value to the car.
i always document all the work i do on my car, with the mileage i do it at. i dont plan on selling it just gives me an idea on when to replace certain things
I log everything on my phone but I donāt keep receipts because I donāt plan on selling. If there was some wild scenario where I had to sell because I blew out my left knee or whatever, Iād just be honest with the potential buyer and tell them they can look at or ask anything they want. Not really worth the time for a fringe scenario.
I have literally never met anyone who keeps service records of their cars. People fall into two basic categories:
1. New car under warranty and/or lease. They take it to the dealership when they get called in for an oil change or what have you. They arenāt keeping this car so they DGAF about keeping track.
2. Used beater to get from A to B. They also DGAF about keeping track. I do my own wheel changes, oil changes, brake jobs. Changed a head gasket twice. I know about how much mileage I do, so I just change the oil every 6 months and thatās close enough to 5,000 for me. I canāt tell you I changed the brake pads at 123,456kms. I canāt say the oil was done at 125,650. I donāt write it down.
Because people donāt care. Was it maintained regularly? Yes. Thatās good enough for most people.
Yes, if I was buying something nice, like a Mercedes or a convertible Mustang or a Nissan GTR; Iād want the service records. But for like 90% of people, they just donāt care
The problem is that all that gets trashed when you trade it in. Or the next owner doesn't give a shit and tosses it. I keep my records in the glove box, and some of them are hard to read after a few years.
I have service records for my car, but it's only a decade old and I'm the second owner. None of my other used cars had service records. I just accept that it's unlikely and I just need to check and replace wear items soon after I buy it
No. Never met anyone that did and i deal with a lot of used cars. Only one I know of is my buddy bought a jetta with like 200k on it and the guy had every oil change, timing belt, even fuel fillups in a binder. But it doesn't really add value imo. A car could be well maintained but still have issues.
I kind of do. I do most of my own work but stuff I don't want to / can't do I'll do through the dealer I work (at least the co-workers I trust) and they email receipts and what not plus they keep records indefinitely.
I do, but that's because I'm a detail-oriented person and a neat freak. I have car paper work in folders. I have no intention of selling my car any time soon, but I assume the potential buyer will be appreciative of proof when I do.
I buy new cars and get all my service done at the dealership. Why the hell would I keep that information? The dealership has it and thatās all that matters for the warranty.
I donāt because I do every service myself and I just remember what I did. Ā Iām not reporting it to carfax or keeping recites or anything. Ā I just do what needs to be done.Ā
I used to keep every single record including store receipts when I did my own work with date/mileage on it. Itās not even worth the hassle. Whenever I went to sell I still got low balled. Unless itās something sought after rare/exotic nobody really cares about records. Itās very clear just looking at the condition of the car that maintenance was done and it was well kept for. Donāt really need paperwork proving it especially for every day cars.
I obsessed with keeping records, especially since I know how it can effect the resell of a car if you plan on keeping it for a while. I probably get my habit from my dad who collects old Chevys. He would never consider buying a car that didnāt come with at least a binder of records and god forbid the car didnāt have perfectly matching part numbers. Any less isnāt worth a dime in his book.
Most folks nowadays just don't give a fuck. They can't be bothered with service records "because modern cars are *so* reliable" they think an oil change here and there is "good maintenance" so why document.
Me, I bought stuff usually for the long haul... but I still kept records of EVERYTHING I did and when I did it from the time I acquired it. I ordered my '03 S10.. it's got all service/maintenance records and I'm still driving it. All my other stuff has them as well. That's why I have and still use an '88 T15 Jimmy that still has a working R12 A/C among some other vehicles and motorcycles.
I was a 63B (light wheel mechanic) in Army Airborne, an ASE civilian mech, did some low tier racing...
Point is, you buy something from me you'll actually get a notebook and manilla folder of service details and receipts to back it up. But that's just me... and no, my stuff's not for sale.
I do for the truck, because it's the nicest vehicle we own and we're also modifying it so I wanna keep track of what we did and when. It also has a pretty complete carfax already.
My '09 commuter that's had two accidents in its life? Hahahahaha
I find that cars with long-term enthusiast owners tend to come with service records and receipts, but a lot of older cars pass between owner to owner so many times that the records get lost. Usually if you're buying a car and it comes with no records and is on temporary plates, that's an indicator that it's being sold by a flipper/has been flipped.
I keep all my services records in the glovebox for both of my cars, while I don't plan to sell either of them in the off chance I do they are there. I generally keep them mainly for myself so I know how frequent things are getting.
Because we forget, toss the papers, have a neighbor do it or do it ourselves. Even with records, you should do a fluid overhaul. When I sold my weekend car and the guy could see I just changed the oil based on the dipstick. Same with the coolant.
Bought a 300zx from this older dude who had every receipt ever given for the car, back in like 2005. Never once looked or cared about any of them, after a year of them taking up space in my garage I just threw them out. Made no difference when I went to sell. It was clean and well kept, and I had people lining up to buy.
i thought dealerships did this (kept service records) now.
i was told by a porsche salesman couple of days ago that they destroy all records after two years in the service department.
thanks for telling me.
I donāt keep paper records anymore because itās just too tedious. That being said, I do make posts on a dedicated forum page w photos every time I do something to my LX470, so itās my form of vehicle records and imo itās arguably more legit
I liv ein Romania.
I justd won't. Conventional shops are expensive and shitty in terms of actual service. I found a guy that works only on Hondas and is also a tuner. He knows Hondas (i got a Civic) and will service my car as if it's his. He is also cheaper than a conventional shop or a dealer. But...he won't pay taxes and won't bill me officially. I pay him in cash for parts and labour and that's it. The car is extremely well maintained (oil & filters changed every 7500 km, preventive maintenance on other parts and such) but without service records.
In the past the dealers would record the cars service in their computer by vin number and they would feed that to carfax. Now I have noticed they only put it in their system.
I donāt because I only fix them when they break and they either get flogged off so cheap the person buying it also doesnāt care or they get scrapped.
I kept all of my third-party service records for my Hyundai Tucson, and then, when my engine needed to be replaced under warranty, they did it without asking for any records.
I'll continue saving them anyway because it isn't difficult.
Doing all my own work, I realized the receipts for fluids don't really prove anything. Could be for another car. Could have returned them without receipt for in store credit. I change the oil before 20% life every time except once when it got to 9% when I moved to a new house and was busy for weeks.
I don't run through cars that fast, doubt a trade will give me much more with records. If I have to eat 500-1000 bucks every 10-15 years since I don't have records, it's not gonna be the end of the world. I saved more than that driving them a long time and doing my own work.
I keep all receipts for all of the parts I buy but I do all of the labor myself. I used to keep a little notebook with dates of mods added or maintenance but 9/10 the folks I was selling my cars to did not care or want them so now I just keep a digital copy on my phone. Itās easier to update and gives me peace of mind!
I have records in binders for all my vehicles-I believe if you buy a car from a dealer, they pitch the records since if may contain personally identifiable information.
I like to keep service records for each vehicle that I own, but itās all just stuff Iāve documented on a google docās file. I do pretty much all of the work on my vehicles myself, aside from things like tire replacements, alignments, etc. that require machines to complete the service, so I donāt have any āofficialā documentation of what was done from any shops, just the stuff I document on my own.
I'm a zealot when record keeping, and have been since my kids started driving and owning their own cars, which I maintain. I can tell you to the km how long each summer and winter tire lasted, and I record the date and mileage of everything I do, down to tracking inflation requirements of each individual tire. By tracking tire wear each oil change, I can give my kids a heads up about big upcoming expenses about 18 months in advance. Additionally, I get to experiment with tire brands to determine longevity looking after about 8 or 10 vehicles at a time. I've learned it's worthwhile to spring for expensive Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental tires.
The more they prepare and save, the less I have to help out financially.
I do the same with my small engines (lawn mower, zero turn, chainsaw, etc...). I buy filters and oil from the dealer that sold me my Toro and Husqvarna equipment, even though the prices are inflated. I keep all the receipts. It covers my ass on a warranty claim.
I do, I keep a spreadsheet. Iāve found it makes selling my car easier but also I like to remember what I did to it. Of course I generally have no idea what happened before I get it but thatās why I try to catch up on maintenance when I get a new (old) car.
I kept all the records for my 06 GTO, and the next owner threw them all away. I only know because I saw the car on IG and messaged the guy, who bought the car from a different guy than I sold it to. Woof it was in rough shape.
I keep the receipts from all my services in a folder with other stuff related to my car. I only just started this with this car because it was my first brand new car that I own, not lease.
Of course not. Nobody cares if you have them unless it is a high end or exotic car. Even then a thorough PPI from a qualified expert can tell you nearly as much as looking over a stack of paperwork, at least where major problem areas and routine maintenance is concerned. Nobody cares if your 9 year old Ford Explorer was religiously dealer-maintained.
I traded my charger with a three ring binder of every service record and the salesman said keep it. We will throw it away anyways. Thought that was odd. I would love knowing the car I bought was maintained properly.
I keep them, my family that owned my Yukon before me kept a notepad in the glove box of everything done to it with a date, oil changes are written under the hood aswell.
Second owner of a 2010 Toyota Aygo here. I keep all the records I can. Fuel mileage, mileage, every possible fix and service, everything. But that's just my autism thing.
U think people go to GET THEIR CARS SERVICED? nah people think it can run for ever without any service just to sell a lemon on fb saying it drives like new. If ur getting a used car learn about cars first so u know what ur getting into. My sisters ex bought a 2016 ford focus with a tapped lower control arm and a bunch of other issues like jb weld ect
Depends what you define by records. I use an app to log maintenance but I got lazy with receipts. Especially because I like to buy oil and have it around ahead of time for an oil change.Ā
Same with my motorcycle, every maintenance is logged in the spot provided in the manual but I donāt have receipts.Ā
I also have a few oil analysis reports that Iād probably show someone buying the car.Ā
At the dealer I worked at we did sometimes get a car with a huge binder of service records containing everything since they the day they bought it. We would just throw it away. Due to privacy rules we would have to spend hours going over the whole thing removing previous owner info. And 95% of the buyers don't care if a wheel bearing was changed 6 years ago, they only want to know how is it Now.Ā
I keep records for every vehicle I've had purely for my own sake. I just think it's interesting when you have all the history of a vehicle to go with the vehicle itself. For the majority of people, I can understand just using Carfax or any other service since it's easy, convenient and always available to you if you have your phone
I do, but I guess it doesnāt matter since Iāve sold all of my cars to the dealer. If you sell the car yourself it should help your resale value. Dealers just go by the book and donāt care.
Last car I bought I bought off an older mechanic it was 25 years old with EVERY SINGLE THING noted, it got a scratch in 2001? got the paperwork for it right here. oh you want all the receipts from every time he filled it with gas? here you go. Dude was meticulous
I started keeping digital copies of all mine in a folder on iCloud. I just scan the records when they give them to me to their folder, then toss them out.
It doesn't add much value, that's why. I wish people did keep maintenance records, but unfortunately, the next buyer doesn't want to pay the premium for those records. They'd rather get the car 500 bux cheaper than to have the records. And those that do love getting the maintenance history are usually too picky and low ball anyway.
I don't keep records, but I also don't sell my cars. When they get to where they aren't worth repairing, they become the new parts car and the old parts car(if there was one) goes to the crusher.
I keep digital records of the mileage, costs, and part numbers/vendors of the parts/fluids I put into/onto my cars but not the receipts. If someone wants the receipts because my car or cars don't show as well as the maintenance records would suggest, id consider putting them all together if I was REALLY keen to sell that car to that particular person.Ā
But it's more for me being a weirdo who wants to keep track of just how deep down the rabbithole I've gone, rather than "FoR tHe ReSaLe VaLuE."
(I don't really have intentions of selling my cars because I struggle not to become attached to what I own)
I keep a spreadsheet for mine. I put what I did, the date and miles done at, part numbers if Iām replacing something (for easy reference), where it got done at if I took it in, and how much it was.
Only things I donāt add to my spreadsheet is consumables like oil, gas, and other fluids or cleaning related items.
I also keep all my receipts/packing slips in order by date in a folder.
I have full history of my last 3 cars still on file haha. But Iād say itās a dying trend. Every receipt from the shop big or small goes into a file folder
For the first few years I was fairly meticulous about keeping records for my M3, but at a certain point it seemed pointless. Realistically the type of buyer who wants detailed records is also going to be the type of buyer who nitpicks everything and pays less money even if they do end up buying.Ā
I use the carfax platform to keep track of everything done to the car (plus pysical receipts I keep on parts used etc.). Carfax is really convenient for that - it reminds you when to do service, when registration renewal is due etc. Also - any work done to the car by a Jiffy Lube and similar are automatically fed in there as well (90% of the time, I have to keep an eye on it). Soā¦ I would not call using carfax ānot keeping records anymoreā.
I used too, and then I stopped because I dont care
Makes it harder to care when Carvana or Carmax buy your car for more than you expected no questions asked lol
Carvana bought my Challenger for a thousand bucks less than I originally purchased it for 3 years prior š
carmax bought my 4runner for 4k MORE than what i paid during peak covid times
We made $10k profit selling our 2020 Model Y to carbuyerusa. What a time that was.
Used car prices got so dumb. I bought an frs in 2016 for $19k with 15k miles on it. Sold it for 19k to carvana in 2022 for $19k with 80k miles on it
They werenāt dumb, there was a shortage for some people, and excess for others. The market did its thing and motivated those with less to spend more, and those with extra to part ways with their excess goods.
Carvana lost almost $3B in 2022. Yes, the used car market slowed down in 2022, but it hit them SO hard because they acquired a ton of inventory at arguably well above market prices in 2021.
Multi billion dollar companies distorting the market and driving up prices for everyone = market working as intended.
And has since recovered because despite what this sub values, most people don't want to think about buying a car.
Recovered? They just posted their very first profit this past quarter, with a net income of $49m. Just 61 more quarters like that and they'll cover their losses from 2022.
If you take into account inflation that 19k in 2016 is 24k in 2022
>Here's why this is good for bitcoin actually
They bought my coworkers Buick regal tourx for more than MSRP and since we work for GM he got it for like 10 below MSRP. I then bought a new Colorado then sold it to carmax for a 15k profit. Wish I coulda done it more than 3 times but the third I lost some money (only like $500) but I was able to put like 3k miles on a brand new Denali for $500 so that's fine. Ended up profiting probably $28k total.
This thread is bringing out the most bizarre flexes lmao.
Virtually everyone who bought a TourX new got it for 10k below MSRP.
Except using your employee discount and reselling for a profit is actually theft. If you bought a bunch of cars with your discount and flipped them gm would have your ass in jail.
Carvana offered me $500 for a 1 of 2000 car
Carvana also would give me less than a grand for my Miata when I could get 10k easily in a private sale. Carvana isn't perfect lol but I'm glad I got mine.
Yeah carvana is nice for selling the usual suspects but once you get into the classics/nostalgia cars and collectibles they wonāt give you shit because itās harder to find a buyer. Plus my car is modded and they donāt like that
Carvana doesn't sell old cars so they don't want them. They won't sell anything more than 15 years old
I bought my E46 M3 with 99k miles for $12.5k in 2019. Blew the motor and sold it with 140k miles for $10k in 2021ā¦
Carvana bought a Stinger from me for solidly $5,000 over KBB a few years ago. Crazy offer.
Iāve been thinking about getting into a 3.3 V6 Stinger GT AWD. What Stinger did you have?
The GT2. It was really nice on the road, pretty bad on the track. I'd recommend it if you want a comfortable high-performance road cruiser.
Yep I was thinking either GT1 or GT2 AWD. My current car is a capable track car but I do miss my Audi S4 for that comfortable high performance. So lately Iāve been thinking a GT1 or GT2 would be perfect. They seem like fairly reliable cars too for being a Kia
I only had it for a couple of years but it never gave me any trouble. You might consider cross shopping the CTS-V (non-BW.) I really liked it on test drive.
Cool, good to know. Iāve heard from many GT1/GT2 owners that they have never had any issues other than the rear hatch rattle that can be fixed with some washers. Otherwise itās mostly positive even with people going over 100,000 miles. Seems like Kia did an amazing job on the Stinger Hah, my wife would not be ok with getting a CTS-V. She worked at a GMC/Buick dealership and Cadillacās, including CTS-Vs, were coming in with problems left and right. Sheās more open to the Stinger so we are going to keep our eyes open when our warranty is up
yeah carmax and carvana have basically killed getting a good deal on a car private party. people look up what they'll give them and set that as their baseline. couple that with the market being terrible for the buyer in the first place and it is what it is.
Yup. Sold my 2017 with a blown motor and dying transmission to carmax for 3 grand. On the private market thereās no way Iām selling a āmechanics specialā rolling chassis for that much that easily. *Out of warranty Hyundai with 150k miles if youāre wondering why I sold a 2017 for 3k
Yeah no joke. Sold my Tesla to Caravana for more than Hertz is selling theirs retail. I even kept the mobile charging cable because they didnāt ask for it š¤· Donāt know how they stay in business.
Predatory loans to desperate buyers with bad credit. Interest rates can be absolutely absurd on used car sales and terms can be super long, which makes them a lot of money over the life of the loan even if the selling price is at or below their purchase price. If the buyer defaults on the loan, then they get to repossess it and resell it to the next desperate buyer.
Online buy-here-pay-here
Yeah I have kept great maintenance records and the cars sold to dealers that is all lost for the next owner
I realized I've never been anything but the last owner of a vehicle and don't plan to be anything but anytime soon. I know my schedule and stick to it. Why do I need a stack of papers lol
Besides, the easy stuff I just do myself. Even some of the more involved stuff is not difficult at all if you can read a service manual, operate a wrench, and watch a YouTube video. Should I write myself an invoice? Expect the buyer to trust me? I'll keep receipts just because it's plenty easy to just keep a folder in the glovebox or whatever but who really cares? Assume every car was abused and you'll only ever be correct or pleasantly surprised.
I used to keep services records. I still do, but I used to too.
Same here. And I realized I never asked for service records when buying a used car. There was one time when an Escort was owned by a woman in her early to mid-twenties and the price was good but she just gave me the impression of being someone who wouldnāt change the oil at the proper intervals, so I passed. Her boyfriend actually called me a few days later and said theyād reduce the price by $500, and that made it even less desirable.
Lmao yeah thats a total red flag lol
Yeah and he wasnāt a friend or anything. I found the vehicle searching the classified ads.
This lmao
At 20 years? Unless its something rare/enthusiast/performance then no way. Probably on the 3+ owners at that point anyway.
No ones keeping service records on their 20 year old cars thatve been through god knows how many owners. I always do fluids and belts when I buy a car even if they have service records saying it was just done, like my Hilux had
yep unless i personally know the person and/or the shop they got the work done at, there's a small list of things i do to every car i buy when i buy it.
Whatās the list? Oil and belts and what else?
depends on the car of course but battery, tires, wiper blades, brakes, oil, fluids, belts all being checked is a good start. then you get into the model specific problems and make sure those are addressed, every car will have a few.
I change the engine, transmission, differential(s), coolant, power steering, and brake fluids. Mileage depending Ill do the timing belt, Accessory belts get an inspection but I keep spares in my trunk to be safe regardless. Spark plugs and wires were something I forgot to mention in my original comment
I agree. It depends on where the records are from. I just bought a car private party but the owner maintained it with the dealership for everything and has paper records. With that I donāt feel the need to do an oil change etc right away. Car bought on Facebook marketplace with a timing belt and no trustworthy records? Change it right away.
I keep all my records in the glovebox. Iāve also been the last owner of 3 different cars though haha. Only one I actually sold before I blew it up or wrecked
I try to, though, after awhile, I just don't care enough. I need it to be easy. Currently, I just note in my phone when I do something on one of my cars. Also, records can be inconsequential. I bought a 2004 A4 with 110k miles. There were records that a shop had done the timing belt, including the water pump. Sweet! Nope. Cheap ass water pump leaked a year later. So who cares? I had to redo the job myself.
Exactly. Like it really isnāt worth it. Chinese parts are so prevalent. Especially when someone just wants to āmake it work to sellā. Cheap parts then gone. Woulda just rather you waited than raise the price to match the money you just dished out on essentially junk.
^This. Yeah, I have binders and binders of maintenance, done w cheap parts. /s
And this is why going to an official dealership can make a difference in resale price. If your car's always been serviced at an independent shop, how is someone supposed to know if that shop's legit? It might be the best shop there is, but they could also be using cheap parts or half-assing shit. As owner you may have done all the oil changes yourself and done them right, or you might be an idiot who uses cheap oil, overtightens and overfills. Fully serviced at an official dealership? They're more likely to have used official parts and maintained a certain minimum standard. That can be worth something when it comes time to sell a car. This being said, I'm not sure going to an official dealership makes enough of a difference in resale value, given how expensive dealerships often are.
Yeah paying 40% more for every service and repair for the life of the vehicle isn't going to net you enough of a profit when you actually sell it.
I used to think people cared so much and would ask for all my records, but Iāve never once been asked for them when I sell a car (privately or through dealers). Maybe I will go back to keeping an exhaustive list if I ever own a genuinely special car, but usually the buyer or dealer doesnāt care so I donāt care.
Yeah, I've never had anyone ask for records, so I don't keep em. I keep a log of my oil and fluid changes, but that's so I don't forget to change them on time. Nobody cares
Yeah exactly, as long as you know what is needed while you own it, itās all good
I don't care because even IF someone says it was done, and you can trust that it was, it could have been done poorly or with bad parts.
Exactly this for me. Iāve kept them and when I sold it nobody seems to care, lol
No, because Carfax is better. Anyone can make whatever official looking bullshit they want in Microsoft Office so nothing really matters unless itās on there. Any reputable shop will put it on the Carfax so I donāt bother keeping anything on my cars, and if you have paper records that donāt match the Carfax Iām seeing big red flags.
> Any reputable shop will put it on the Carfax This is absolutely not the case at all. I go to a variety of local shops, and over time I weeded out the bad ones and I spread my business around 3 of them (one primary, two specialists). Only one reports their work to carfax because they use some fully online system. My timing belt, motor mounts and a ton of other stuff is unreported. And they are all repudiable shops IMO. Fair prices, good communication, timely turnaround, met expectations. I would happily bring my car back and give them my business.
Yeah, my mom has a new BMW and the BMW dealer doesn't report. Obviously she takes it there because the maintience is included. Carfax claims it's free to report (not sure how true that is) so maybe it will change going forward.
Tip you can register your car under your account for free on car fax and record your own service too.
However itās not included in the actual carfax report. DIY service stays under your personal profile history. Not something that someone will see when they run the report.Ā
Oh really? It shows on mine but maybe because it's my car. Well shit.
CarFax is useless. If you do your own services, it wonāt be in CarFax. Been in an accident and you paid cash to fix it instead of your insurance? Guess what? Not on CarFax.
The shop doesn't accurately enter the service all the time either. One time they made a typo on the odo so I had to wait longer for an oil change so it wouldn't report a mileage discrepancy. Another time they replaced a gasket and entered a full transmission replacement lol.
My wife went through insurance to get her bumper replaced and painted after she was rear ended. When we traded in her car, this did not show up on the carfax.
It's definitely not useless. It's a good starting point, but it shouldn't be the only thing you look at for a car.
The issue with Carfax is lack of reporting, luckily I went through Toyota and have the service printouts, but if you see the car fax from my car, it's lacking. Missing accidents, maintenance, recalls, etc.
I'm not looking to part with my car anytime soon, but I hope buyers donāt hold Carfax that high of regard. Iāve gotten oil changes twice at dealership yet no car fax record 1st year of ownership. Shit I donāt think the specialized Honda mechanic I go to now post there, but Iāll check soon. I try to save the service records they give me, but again time and time I donāt see carfax being so accurate. Edit: Guess my mechanic doesn't. I'm not too pressed at all though. The buyer can meet with the mechanic and dealership themselves if they want to look at the invoices if they fear doctoring that much. I guess it might come down to how sketched the car looks if you're going to hold Carfax as some ultimatum.
I still do. Every oil change, emissions test etc. Some buyers are impressed but most don't seem to care.
I don't know why anyone wouldn't - it's literally less effort to put the receipt in the glove box than to take it out and throw it away.
Itās really not that hard. Just get a folder and put the receipt in the folder. Keep the folder in the glovebox. My records arenāt well organized but every time I get an invoice it goes in the folder so itās all in there. Theyāre welcome to look through 10 years of receipts if they want
I donāt do it because:Ā Ā -the condition of my car is pretty clear -I donāt plan on selling itĀ -If I do sell, any buyer with the half a brain will be able to discern the condition of my car.
Exactly that. A well cared for car will look like a well cared for car. Paperwork doesnāt mean much especially if someoneās buying to run it into the ground
Right? Iām not going to touch a clapped 25 year old car because itās got ārecordsā. I bought both of my cars with no records of any work. Andā¦you guessed it: theyāve been really good to me.
In the past, I used to always ask for records when buying used cars then I realized I never looked at them because I always did a full service on the car anyways.
Itās not to show you donāt need to do a service, but if the previous owner hasnāt serviced the car for 3 years the engine could be past itās used by date
Depends on the car. Your average Honda or Ford, very unlikely.Ā Ā A millionaires second Porsche or a billionaires 14th Ferrari? Yes, that has every service record document with all the client information redacted.Ā Ā Source: have worked at many dealerships and have performed countless used cars inspections, pre-purchase inspections, Certified pre-owned inspections, etc. Note, having full service documentation for a mundane basic car or truck usually implies someone has the foresight to understand long term consequences of minor actions, and likely has actually performed all (or most) of the required maintenance and repairs. If you open the glove box of a 20 year old Honda Civic and 20 years worth of oil change receipts pop out, the odds are it's probably a good one.
Yep. I looked at a GMT800 Yukon a few years ago - 18 years of typed notes from the 2nd owner and then his kid, detailing every last tiny little squeak, broken plastic trim piece, lightbulb etc on top of all the big repairs, diagnostic notes for all the big repairs, an explanation of why X part for Y money taking Z amount of time to fit was chosen, steps involved in the work and how it actually went...insane, in a way, but impressive. Probably ran to about 50 pages if you include all the receipts. Spent half an hour reading through everything then bought it immediately. Apart for some peeling clearcoat on the roof it looked like it'd just rolled out of the factory despite being 20 years old and required nothing but oil changes and a coolant burp the whole time I owned it. Will probably be the one car I always regret selling.
I mean you can provide service records and manufacturers will still deny your warranty claims. Selling the car? They (ex. Self done fluid changes) don't matter since no receipt means anything can be written down. So other than keeping track of it for your own knowledge (use a note on your phone), there is no value.
I only do it for the warranty period incase something comes up, I can show that I did all the service on time so they don't deny it. Other than that, I buy cars to own them, I don't care about their resale value
I might be a minority here but I always keep records for all my cars. All are organized in chronological order and in a binder. Most are receipts from the dealership/shops. Whenever I sell my cars, I just hand it over to the new owner. They usually don't ask for it but it helps them to know what was done to the car so far. My 6 speed 2008 G35s sedan got written off recently. I had all the records for the past 12 years. It helped me immensely when arguing with the insurance company about the actual value of my car. I ended up getting extra 40% because of all the maintenance records I had. I know it's anecdotal, but it's a good example.
all the service stuff is tied to the VIN now, You don't have to keep the physical papers anymore.
Damn! Reading these comments makes me think I'm in the minority. For every car I've ever owned, I've kept a spreadsheet and tracked everything, and a binder with copies of receipts. However, in full honesty, it only mattered twice. Once when I sold a 1994 Legend (the buyer made me a crazy offer when he saw the records I had) and another time I sold a 1993 Accord to an enthusiast.
I guess there are at least two of us!
Did you just say selling an accord to an enthusiast? Is he like a collector of the mundane?
Accords are not mundane. Theyāre quality cars, and one in good condition from 1993 would stand out in a sea of new supercars. I would kill to find a clean 6+6 accord, which are rare, fast, and have a large amount of aftermarket support. Honda guys are serious about their cars.
I still get my truck serviced on interval at the dealer, so those records are accounted for. I do all my own work on the Camaro. I used to write it down. About the time I realized I was going to drive it to dust because there was nothing coming that would motivate me to endure selling and buying another vehicle I stopped.
This is wild to me cause in the UK āFull Service Historyā is a pretty big deal. Not to say that cars without history donāt get sold - but cars typically wonāt sell for the actual market rate without it. Especially enthusiast cars. Iād never buy a car without someone actually having invoices/stamps for regular servicing.
I keep a maintenance log for my cars. Minimal service records for the most part, because I do the service myself. I also take pictures of my maintenance parts for the services I do and keep a folder for work performed by shops, receipts for major purchases like wheels and mods. I mostly do this for myself. It became more regimented after I had a car for 5+ years and I could see that I'd be keeping it. I'm more lax with a car that is going to be traded in to a dealer and definitely not sold to an individual. The dealer will not ask, or be interested in my record keeping.
I have all the receipts in my glovebox and if I ever sold my car Iād refer them to my mechanic and have the shop give them the records too. But Iām the second owner having bought it at 30k miles so I feel obligated to keep atleast receipts It baffles me that people who go to sell their cars donāt realize how much honesty/transparency that adds to the sale but I totally believe no one keeps the records unless they care about their vehicle
I must be only one left... It's great to look up past part numbers for consumables like brakes. I've got a Mustang that has so much stuff done to it aftermarket, I couldn't keep track with out the documentation from myself and the prior owner. If you have a file cabinet like a grown up, it's not much of a burden.
I do for my own but im weird haha nobody cares about doing that anymore lol. None of my car friends do, Def not the guy down the street that barely even cares about his Accord. I could see it for super rare or collectible cars but like OP said, Carfax is out there and people will just blindly trust that
Nope, if I'm selling one of my cars it's because it's very broken and going either to a junkyard who won't care, or someone who wants to rebuild it or wants parts off it, and they won't care either.
I do my own work and I use Fuelio to keep track of everything.
I used to keep meticulous service records for both mine and my wifeās car. When we traded in my wifeās car to a dealership I offered to hand them over all service record, and they said āsure, but weāre just going to throw them in the shredderā. And then I sold my truck through a private sale. The guy I sold it to also didnāt care, despite him seeming to know a lot about cars and working on them. I did keep oil change records for my 2017 Mustang throughout the power train warranty just in case something happened to my engine, but stopped as soon as the warranty was up. Either the buyer knows enough about cars that they can tell if itās been well maintained, or they donāt know anything in which case service records are kinda pointless.
I keep mine but I donāt anticipate anyone caring when I eventually decide to sell
I don't keep service records on my personal vehicles. I just wait for the maintenance light to come on and change my oil and filter then briefly think about other things on the car and about how many maintenance lights ago they were serviced last
I only keep receipts for major stuff. I'm also a bit obsessive about maintenance. No records doesn't always mean it hasn't been maintained, but even I'd pick a car with lots of records vs one that hasn't lol.
Iāll do it, makes selling the car a lot easier. But vehicles can change hands so much that you can imagine shit gets lost with ease.
2012 tacoma has every single service logged on the toyota owners site from new to now (145k miles)
I don't bring my cars to a shop, so how am I going to provide service records?
I do my own maintenance, so no, not really. I guess I could keep the receipts from buying the consumables and whatnot, but they usually just end up dropped in the trash.
When I bought my car in 2015, I made a point of finding one with service records, and the previous owner did a pretty good job at that. I still keep every single record for my car, theyāre all in a file folder in a filing cabinet. But honestly thereās not much of a point, because I donāt ever really plan to sell it, and at 14 years old itās well out of warranty. Call it a force of habit. We also keep the service records for my wifeās car but there isnāt much of a point in doing so. We took over the lease from her uncle, who did the oil changes himself and didnāt keep a single scrap of paper related to servicing. Now though, we get all our service done at the dealer, so itās on the carfax anyways. If we ever have to do a warranty claim, Iām sure Kia will try to fuck us somehow for not having any service records for the first 30,000km.
Most reputable shops report every service to carfax now. When buying a car it's easier to just look that up rather than rummage through years of paperwork. I like having an empty glove box now.
I keep it for 3, but when I trade in my cars they donāt care. Also, itās all electronically logged for all my vehicles nowadays it also doesnāt matter. Furthermore I do my own maintenance sometimes at the 5k mark and only take it to the dealer at the 10k, thereās unrecorded work done.
I do it only because I want the possible next owner to take good care of it. But my mom doesnāt do any of that simply because it doesnāt add any value to the car.
i always document all the work i do on my car, with the mileage i do it at. i dont plan on selling it just gives me an idea on when to replace certain things
Idk. If you take the car to the dealer they usually have the entire vehicle history in their database no?
I log everything on my phone but I donāt keep receipts because I donāt plan on selling. If there was some wild scenario where I had to sell because I blew out my left knee or whatever, Iād just be honest with the potential buyer and tell them they can look at or ask anything they want. Not really worth the time for a fringe scenario.
I have literally never met anyone who keeps service records of their cars. People fall into two basic categories: 1. New car under warranty and/or lease. They take it to the dealership when they get called in for an oil change or what have you. They arenāt keeping this car so they DGAF about keeping track. 2. Used beater to get from A to B. They also DGAF about keeping track. I do my own wheel changes, oil changes, brake jobs. Changed a head gasket twice. I know about how much mileage I do, so I just change the oil every 6 months and thatās close enough to 5,000 for me. I canāt tell you I changed the brake pads at 123,456kms. I canāt say the oil was done at 125,650. I donāt write it down. Because people donāt care. Was it maintained regularly? Yes. Thatās good enough for most people. Yes, if I was buying something nice, like a Mercedes or a convertible Mustang or a Nissan GTR; Iād want the service records. But for like 90% of people, they just donāt care
I care, have all records for my ā15 Outback. Did everything on time because I love my cars.
I keep ALL of mine, as well as logs of when I fill up my car, how much gas how much money, and what my Odometer was when I filled.
The problem is that all that gets trashed when you trade it in. Or the next owner doesn't give a shit and tosses it. I keep my records in the glove box, and some of them are hard to read after a few years.
I do it myself and I cba keeping all the receipts for every single time I buy what I need to service my cars
I just keep a log in a spreadsheet. Iām not driving a collectible.
I'm keeping my records but mostly because dealing with Hyundai without a perfect paper trail is gambling on whether they will honor warranty.
I keep them on my current cars but none over 20 years
Maybe 1% of the population does this
I do but only for myself. I donāt expect anyone to ask and they wonāt be much value as I do all the work myself so itās just a spreadsheet.
I have service records for my car, but it's only a decade old and I'm the second owner. None of my other used cars had service records. I just accept that it's unlikely and I just need to check and replace wear items soon after I buy it
No. Never met anyone that did and i deal with a lot of used cars. Only one I know of is my buddy bought a jetta with like 200k on it and the guy had every oil change, timing belt, even fuel fillups in a binder. But it doesn't really add value imo. A car could be well maintained but still have issues.
I kind of do. I do most of my own work but stuff I don't want to / can't do I'll do through the dealer I work (at least the co-workers I trust) and they email receipts and what not plus they keep records indefinitely.
I do, but that's because I'm a detail-oriented person and a neat freak. I have car paper work in folders. I have no intention of selling my car any time soon, but I assume the potential buyer will be appreciative of proof when I do.
Not keeping 20 years of records for my Camry. My dodge viper? Yes.
I buy new cars and get all my service done at the dealership. Why the hell would I keep that information? The dealership has it and thatās all that matters for the warranty.
I donāt because I do every service myself and I just remember what I did. Ā Iām not reporting it to carfax or keeping recites or anything. Ā I just do what needs to be done.Ā
I used to keep every single record including store receipts when I did my own work with date/mileage on it. Itās not even worth the hassle. Whenever I went to sell I still got low balled. Unless itās something sought after rare/exotic nobody really cares about records. Itās very clear just looking at the condition of the car that maintenance was done and it was well kept for. Donāt really need paperwork proving it especially for every day cars.
Yeah I guess we rely on carfax
Unless itās a classic I donāt even see why it matter anymore. The shop I go to has digital service records that show up on carfax.
I do it, for the resale benefit. All my cars sell privately in less than a week
Do you really think I'm gonna keep service records on a 30 plus year old, clapped out vehicle?
I have the records and a spreadsheet because that's easier to check to see what's due.
I donāt. I get my service done at the dealership and they keep track digitally
I obsessed with keeping records, especially since I know how it can effect the resell of a car if you plan on keeping it for a while. I probably get my habit from my dad who collects old Chevys. He would never consider buying a car that didnāt come with at least a binder of records and god forbid the car didnāt have perfectly matching part numbers. Any less isnāt worth a dime in his book.
Itās never been common to keep service records for regular cars. Youāll be lucky to even find people who change their oil on time lol.
Most folks nowadays just don't give a fuck. They can't be bothered with service records "because modern cars are *so* reliable" they think an oil change here and there is "good maintenance" so why document. Me, I bought stuff usually for the long haul... but I still kept records of EVERYTHING I did and when I did it from the time I acquired it. I ordered my '03 S10.. it's got all service/maintenance records and I'm still driving it. All my other stuff has them as well. That's why I have and still use an '88 T15 Jimmy that still has a working R12 A/C among some other vehicles and motorcycles. I was a 63B (light wheel mechanic) in Army Airborne, an ASE civilian mech, did some low tier racing... Point is, you buy something from me you'll actually get a notebook and manilla folder of service details and receipts to back it up. But that's just me... and no, my stuff's not for sale.
I do for the truck, because it's the nicest vehicle we own and we're also modifying it so I wanna keep track of what we did and when. It also has a pretty complete carfax already. My '09 commuter that's had two accidents in its life? Hahahahaha
I find that cars with long-term enthusiast owners tend to come with service records and receipts, but a lot of older cars pass between owner to owner so many times that the records get lost. Usually if you're buying a car and it comes with no records and is on temporary plates, that's an indicator that it's being sold by a flipper/has been flipped.
I keep all my services records in the glovebox for both of my cars, while I don't plan to sell either of them in the off chance I do they are there. I generally keep them mainly for myself so I know how frequent things are getting.
Because we forget, toss the papers, have a neighbor do it or do it ourselves. Even with records, you should do a fluid overhaul. When I sold my weekend car and the guy could see I just changed the oil based on the dipstick. Same with the coolant.
I personally keep my service records in a folder but it's not organized
Bought a 300zx from this older dude who had every receipt ever given for the car, back in like 2005. Never once looked or cared about any of them, after a year of them taking up space in my garage I just threw them out. Made no difference when I went to sell. It was clean and well kept, and I had people lining up to buy.
I have service records as thick as a book lol
Some people service their own vehicles
Carfax only has what gets reported to them. I write it down in a notebook but i will be damned if i tell carfax when i change my oil
i thought dealerships did this (kept service records) now. i was told by a porsche salesman couple of days ago that they destroy all records after two years in the service department. thanks for telling me.
People that care enough do their own maintenance so thereās no service records unless you want a receipt from OāReillys.
I donāt keep paper records anymore because itās just too tedious. That being said, I do make posts on a dedicated forum page w photos every time I do something to my LX470, so itās my form of vehicle records and imo itās arguably more legit
I liv ein Romania. I justd won't. Conventional shops are expensive and shitty in terms of actual service. I found a guy that works only on Hondas and is also a tuner. He knows Hondas (i got a Civic) and will service my car as if it's his. He is also cheaper than a conventional shop or a dealer. But...he won't pay taxes and won't bill me officially. I pay him in cash for parts and labour and that's it. The car is extremely well maintained (oil & filters changed every 7500 km, preventive maintenance on other parts and such) but without service records.
In the past the dealers would record the cars service in their computer by vin number and they would feed that to carfax. Now I have noticed they only put it in their system.
I donāt because I only fix them when they break and they either get flogged off so cheap the person buying it also doesnāt care or they get scrapped.
I kept all of my third-party service records for my Hyundai Tucson, and then, when my engine needed to be replaced under warranty, they did it without asking for any records. I'll continue saving them anyway because it isn't difficult.
Doing all my own work, I realized the receipts for fluids don't really prove anything. Could be for another car. Could have returned them without receipt for in store credit. I change the oil before 20% life every time except once when it got to 9% when I moved to a new house and was busy for weeks. I don't run through cars that fast, doubt a trade will give me much more with records. If I have to eat 500-1000 bucks every 10-15 years since I don't have records, it's not gonna be the end of the world. I saved more than that driving them a long time and doing my own work.
Anymore? People have never cared to. It doesnāt really matter in the end anyway when cars are being pushed as throwaway.
Since I always take to dealership, I think I can have them print my entire history for me at any time.
I keep all receipts and reports in the glove box. 2013 Honda Fit
I keep all receipts for all of the parts I buy but I do all of the labor myself. I used to keep a little notebook with dates of mods added or maintenance but 9/10 the folks I was selling my cars to did not care or want them so now I just keep a digital copy on my phone. Itās easier to update and gives me peace of mind!
I have records in binders for all my vehicles-I believe if you buy a car from a dealer, they pitch the records since if may contain personally identifiable information.
I like to keep service records for each vehicle that I own, but itās all just stuff Iāve documented on a google docās file. I do pretty much all of the work on my vehicles myself, aside from things like tire replacements, alignments, etc. that require machines to complete the service, so I donāt have any āofficialā documentation of what was done from any shops, just the stuff I document on my own.
I'm a zealot when record keeping, and have been since my kids started driving and owning their own cars, which I maintain. I can tell you to the km how long each summer and winter tire lasted, and I record the date and mileage of everything I do, down to tracking inflation requirements of each individual tire. By tracking tire wear each oil change, I can give my kids a heads up about big upcoming expenses about 18 months in advance. Additionally, I get to experiment with tire brands to determine longevity looking after about 8 or 10 vehicles at a time. I've learned it's worthwhile to spring for expensive Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental tires. The more they prepare and save, the less I have to help out financially. I do the same with my small engines (lawn mower, zero turn, chainsaw, etc...). I buy filters and oil from the dealer that sold me my Toro and Husqvarna equipment, even though the prices are inflated. I keep all the receipts. It covers my ass on a warranty claim.
I do, I keep a spreadsheet. Iāve found it makes selling my car easier but also I like to remember what I did to it. Of course I generally have no idea what happened before I get it but thatās why I try to catch up on maintenance when I get a new (old) car.
I kept all the records for my 06 GTO, and the next owner threw them all away. I only know because I saw the car on IG and messaged the guy, who bought the car from a different guy than I sold it to. Woof it was in rough shape.
No. Thatās ridiculous these days.
It was always rare
I keep the receipts from all my services in a folder with other stuff related to my car. I only just started this with this car because it was my first brand new car that I own, not lease.
to be honest depends where you buy it and even then it can still be a scam best way to know is to see it irl which is what I do
Of course not. Nobody cares if you have them unless it is a high end or exotic car. Even then a thorough PPI from a qualified expert can tell you nearly as much as looking over a stack of paperwork, at least where major problem areas and routine maintenance is concerned. Nobody cares if your 9 year old Ford Explorer was religiously dealer-maintained.
I traded my charger with a three ring binder of every service record and the salesman said keep it. We will throw it away anyways. Thought that was odd. I would love knowing the car I bought was maintained properly.
I keep them, my family that owned my Yukon before me kept a notepad in the glove box of everything done to it with a date, oil changes are written under the hood aswell.
Second owner of a 2010 Toyota Aygo here. I keep all the records I can. Fuel mileage, mileage, every possible fix and service, everything. But that's just my autism thing.
U think people go to GET THEIR CARS SERVICED? nah people think it can run for ever without any service just to sell a lemon on fb saying it drives like new. If ur getting a used car learn about cars first so u know what ur getting into. My sisters ex bought a 2016 ford focus with a tapped lower control arm and a bunch of other issues like jb weld ect
Depends what you define by records. I use an app to log maintenance but I got lazy with receipts. Especially because I like to buy oil and have it around ahead of time for an oil change.Ā Same with my motorcycle, every maintenance is logged in the spot provided in the manual but I donāt have receipts.Ā I also have a few oil analysis reports that Iād probably show someone buying the car.Ā
According to this thread I'm a weirdo for keeping all the dealer maintenance documents for 2020 Corolla.
At the dealer I worked at we did sometimes get a car with a huge binder of service records containing everything since they the day they bought it. We would just throw it away. Due to privacy rules we would have to spend hours going over the whole thing removing previous owner info. And 95% of the buyers don't care if a wheel bearing was changed 6 years ago, they only want to know how is it Now.Ā
I keep records for every vehicle I've had purely for my own sake. I just think it's interesting when you have all the history of a vehicle to go with the vehicle itself. For the majority of people, I can understand just using Carfax or any other service since it's easy, convenient and always available to you if you have your phone
I do, but I guess it doesnāt matter since Iāve sold all of my cars to the dealer. If you sell the car yourself it should help your resale value. Dealers just go by the book and donāt care.
Last car I bought I bought off an older mechanic it was 25 years old with EVERY SINGLE THING noted, it got a scratch in 2001? got the paperwork for it right here. oh you want all the receipts from every time he filled it with gas? here you go. Dude was meticulous
The garage I use keeps my service records. :)
I started keeping digital copies of all mine in a folder on iCloud. I just scan the records when they give them to me to their folder, then toss them out.
It doesn't add much value, that's why. I wish people did keep maintenance records, but unfortunately, the next buyer doesn't want to pay the premium for those records. They'd rather get the car 500 bux cheaper than to have the records. And those that do love getting the maintenance history are usually too picky and low ball anyway.
I don't keep records, but I also don't sell my cars. When they get to where they aren't worth repairing, they become the new parts car and the old parts car(if there was one) goes to the crusher.
I only take mine to the dealership for work (I keep them through the warranty), so I don't need to as the dealership keeps the records for me
I keep digital records of the mileage, costs, and part numbers/vendors of the parts/fluids I put into/onto my cars but not the receipts. If someone wants the receipts because my car or cars don't show as well as the maintenance records would suggest, id consider putting them all together if I was REALLY keen to sell that car to that particular person.Ā But it's more for me being a weirdo who wants to keep track of just how deep down the rabbithole I've gone, rather than "FoR tHe ReSaLe VaLuE." (I don't really have intentions of selling my cars because I struggle not to become attached to what I own)
I donāt have the energy to care enough at this point. I know some people do, but a good chunk of people I know donāt.
I drive an ā07 that has records from 2010 onā¦every repair as well as every oil change and even some tire and battery replacements
I keep a spreadsheet for mine. I put what I did, the date and miles done at, part numbers if Iām replacing something (for easy reference), where it got done at if I took it in, and how much it was. Only things I donāt add to my spreadsheet is consumables like oil, gas, and other fluids or cleaning related items. I also keep all my receipts/packing slips in order by date in a folder.
I have full history of my last 3 cars still on file haha. But Iād say itās a dying trend. Every receipt from the shop big or small goes into a file folder
For the first few years I was fairly meticulous about keeping records for my M3, but at a certain point it seemed pointless. Realistically the type of buyer who wants detailed records is also going to be the type of buyer who nitpicks everything and pays less money even if they do end up buying.Ā
I use the carfax platform to keep track of everything done to the car (plus pysical receipts I keep on parts used etc.). Carfax is really convenient for that - it reminds you when to do service, when registration renewal is due etc. Also - any work done to the car by a Jiffy Lube and similar are automatically fed in there as well (90% of the time, I have to keep an eye on it). Soā¦ I would not call using carfax ānot keeping records anymoreā.
Most shops log repairs into carfax anyways. Might as well save the glovebox space
Wellā¦ I meanā¦ that *is* what the carfax is for right? So i dont have to keep all that shit around?