Agreed but good record keeping can sweeten the deal in a private sale.

 

Hear! Hear!

 

I keep all my auto stuff in excel spreadsheets - one for each vehicle. I put an entry in no matter who does what, small or big, date and mileage, etc. - pretty handy to reference when something was done last, etc. +2 on going into Ford dealer and asking for an OASIS report on your truck , never heard of anyone getting turned down...

Oh and congrats on the truck!

 

I was a service writer for a FORD dealership, and I NEVER turned ANYONE down for a oasis report. I figured it was just good for future business. BESIDES it's not a big deal to get !!

 

OK-in a private sale how much are records worth?
$100/$300/$500.00 MORE?

Everybody likes to tout their record keeping.
Now let's quantify it.

 

As a buyer if I'm looking at a vehicle with records and also one that's pretty much the same vehicle with no records, I'll skip the no records one. As a seller I like my vehicles to go to someone that appears they will maintain it going forward, if they are interested in seeing my records, I like to believe they're likely to maintain it.

That said, I don't know what $ value to place on maintenance records, I do it for me...

 

Not sure what records are worth on their own but I sold my old '88 F-150 to a fella who was looking for that body style. I had all my records for the past 20+ years to include the new engine and all that was done after the engine install. The buyer was amazed that the wiring and plumbing in the engine bay still looked factory along with the records made for a quick full price sale. He didn't even try to dicker because I would have shot him down anyway.

 

To me, records indicate 'pride of ownership'. and that indicates better overall maintenance. I as well record everything on a printed excel sheet, including wiper blades etc. If they only last 6 months, I want to know not to buy that brand again, just sayin.

 

I just purchased a 2018 XLT with 150k. I ran a CARFAX which showed oil changes at consistent 10k intervals. It also showed one minor repair at a local dealership. Based on that information, I bought the truck.

Because of the mileage, I took it into the local dealer for coolant and trans fluid service. They found the typical oil pan leak (although it was minimal) and a tranny/diff seal leak. Again, minimal. Even though it appeared the truck had consistent maintenance according to the records, there can always be an issue.

Fortunately, I was aware of the RTV sealant issue and it didn’t come as a surprise. While I’d prefer to have a complete maintenance history, it’s just a tool to help in the decision-making process.

Would I buy the truck again? Absolutely. While there was a hiccup, I’m confident that the previous owner took good care of the truck and with the money I saved being a high-mileage vehicle, it will suit my needs for a long time.

So maintenance records can affect the sale of a vehicle. But like others here have stated, it seems the dealers round-file them as a matter of prepping the vehicle for sale. Could be dealers may also do that in an attempt to hide the trade-ins from the auction cars. Fortunately, CARFAX had a history of my truck.

 

I just bit the bullet and do a Carfax report. Looks like the maintenance has been kept up. It did show a deferential oil change at 59,000 miles but nothing on transmission so I will get that done here in a next couple of months. I did find out the 20 inch was factory so I am good there. Over all, it was taken care of so any concerns were answered. Thanks guys for answering any questions I had.

 

Next weekend, I have plans to purchase a truck that I'll have to drive 550 miles one way to get. There are 2 trucks that are identical, in as much as the same color, engine transmission etc. Except one has a moon roof, and one don't. NOT a deal breaker to me that the one I'm interested in does NOT have a moon roof.

My point is this. The one I'm going after has personal records with it. (Am buying it off a individual). I wanted to see everything that had/has been done to it. I have a carfax of the vehicle, and I prefer to know what all has happened prior.

 

Personal records or not, my basic philosophy is that there are two kinds of moon roofs: Those that don't leak, and those that will leak.

 

I heard that one a bit differently: moonroofs that leak and those that will leak

 

On 2015+ F150s, there are sunroofs that don’t have mechanisms that break and rattle and those that will.

 

As someone who has privately bought and sold many vehicles, I can not place any monetary value on records. I do see a good set of records as something that gave me a "feeling" for the vehicle; a vehicle that was maintained versus one that was "ridden hard and put away wet."