Is BITOG syndrome relevant to short term owners?

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Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
You would be correct however the "trade in" value or "time to sell" and resale value might be impacted by the lack of maintenance.

I'm afraid you are giving that too much weight. How many times have you or anyone seen this actually apply ? If the car is washed, interior vacuumed, has usable tires, etc, 90% of buyers are impressed. Only a tiny, tiny percentage of shoppers pull the dipstick, ask for service records, and so on. Someone that hasn't had the ATF serviced isn't going to get a lower price for a trade-in vs someone that changes it every 25k miles.

People here post about selling their immaculately maintained vehicles and trying to hand the buyer their notebook or folder full of service records, receipts, etc and are told they can keep it, the buyer doesn't want it.



I said "might" and I mentioned "time to sell". For example, which used car with 50k miles on the odometer and priced the same will get more looks and/or sell faster? The one which had the ATF serviced and has all maintenance records or the one which is advertised with none of those? In addition there's more to maintenance than just mechanical. It's also cosmetic and general wear-n-tear on interior/paint. It entirely depends on the vehicle one is selling. Is it a run of the mill F150, Camry, Corolla or is it a Audi, Mercedes, Lexus?
 
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Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
I said "might" and I mentioned "time to sell". For example, which used car with 50k miles on the odometer and priced the same will get more looks and/or sell faster? The one which had the ATF serviced and has all maintenance records or the one which is advertised with none of those?

Yes, I'll acknowledge you said "might" but I believe very strongly that it's a really, really big "might" !
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In your scenario, if we stick to under the hood maintenance, there will be no difference in getting looks and/or selling faster. Not in the real world. On paper, sure. I also pointed out just making the car look nice (visually, outside appearance) will sadly have as much if not more impact than anything else to the average buyer.

Wait, are you talking about selling a car (or trading it in) locally or via BITOG's classified section, targeting members here ??
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well, I'll give you a real world example: I just sold my Alltrack, which was about 2 1/2 years old, and had 26K miles on it. It had a few modifications on it, but nothing crazy. I sold it for 2K less than the purchase price, and about 3K less than you could get a new one.

A big part of the reason I was able to get that sort of price for it was the obsessive maintenance I did on it. Obviously, it took finding the right buyer, but the car really was better than new--and I was able to command a top price for it. Without the service history that it had, I wouldn't have gotten that price.

This has been the case with higher-mileage cars I've sold as well. And note: this is all with service that I've done myself. I keep records and receipts, and that's always been enough.

If you're leasing or trading in, it will not make a difference to you. That said, at a minimum I would still follow the OEM recommendations, since it's just the right thing to do. Someone else is going to own the car after you.
 
OP, I believe you made a good argument. If only keeping the vehicle for 3 or 4 years, basic scheduled maintenance should suffice. I don't see this as neglect. I've yet to meet someone outside the auto industry that knows what IVD, CAFE, HT/HS or E10 even mean.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
I just believe in taking care of my stuff. I make my bed every day.
It's about basic respect. Respect for stuff. Respect for myself.
If I use a car for 3 years, it is gonna go to someone else afterwards.

My kind of guy JeffK. If I own it, it gets regular maintenance. From clocks to vacuums to toilets.
 
Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
I just believe in taking care of my stuff. I make my bed every day.
It's about basic respect. Respect for stuff. Respect for myself.
If I use a car for 3 years, it is gonna go to someone else afterwards.

My kind of guy JeffK. If I own it, it gets regular maintenance. From clocks to vacuums to toilets.


I "Maintained" my toilet earlier today
 
Originally Posted by Astro14
One of my best friends simply doesn't care about oil or maintenance.

He finds the very existence of this site/board bizarre.

He leases a new car through his company. Trades it in every three years. Car, insurance, even gas, are paid through his business.

He hasn't worried about an oil change, or tires, or any of the things that we discuss for a long time. He brings it in for service when required, but doesn't really care what they do to it, because he's driving a loaner that day. Never worries about maintenance details, or longevity.

He picks a car he likes. Negotiates the deal. Enjoys it for a few years.

Then gets a new one.

he is not a car guy thats all most of the people aren't.i rent a car on vacation and go to a car wash even tho it's not my car,if u love cars u love cars it's simple but soo complecated.somtimes I truly envy those people.
 
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Originally Posted by JOD
well, I'll give you a real world example: I just sold my Alltrack, which was about 2 1/2 years old, and had 26K miles on it. It had a few modifications on it, but nothing crazy. I sold it for 2K less than the purchase price, and about 3K less than you could get a new one.

A big part of the reason I was able to get that sort of price for it was the obsessive maintenance I did on it. Obviously, it took finding the right buyer, but the car really was better than new--and I was able to command a top price for it. Without the service history that it had, I wouldn't have gotten that price.

This has been the case with higher-mileage cars I've sold as well. And note: this is all with service that I've done myself. I keep records and receipts, and that's always been enough.

If you're leasing or trading in, it will not make a difference to you. That said, at a minimum I would still follow the OEM recommendations, since it's just the right thing to do. Someone else is going to own the car after you.


Your example is a very rare exception. Plus-the buyer "pool" for a car like yours is pretty small too.
 
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I feel better and have more confidence in our cars when I know they are maintained right. Little high strung turbo engines don't take much neglect to cook a turbo. My hatch is tuned as well and making considerable more power than stock, so its not even really an option.

Plus I like knowing they are doing the best they can be while we are operating them. I like the feeling of being out on the road with a perfectly maintained car, I feel good about myself.
 
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