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Just had the state inspection done on my 08 Dakota. I had to pay $1600 to drive it away. They were all legitimate repairs. $800 was for two front hub assemblies that were making a humming noise. The rest was for ball joints/tie rods etc. With 93,000 miles I guess that would be expected, but now I am thinking of selling it because I am sure more is on the way. Do buyers look at large repair bills as a positive or negative if I put it in the ad?
I usually tell prospective buyers about any recent repair work that has been done. I have never had a buyer ask for maintenance records or receipts.
By "recent" I mean within the past 6 months. Anything older than that, IMO, is barely worth mentioning, except for major items like the engine replaced or similar.
Vehicle history could be a good or bad thing to a buyer.
I just bought a car that showed an extensive but thorough dealer maintenance record. Knowing all the scheduled service and maintenance was done gave me comfort on the purchase.
If the maintenance records show a maintenance nightmare with unusual things going wrong, it could be read as the vehicle being a lemon.
If your vehicle shows things like the 90K maintenance being done (timing belt, water pump...) a buyer would normally see that as a good thing knowing it's good for awhile.
On my BMW, I was looking for one that had all the large, known repairs taken care of (timing chain guides, cooling system, etc) that higher mileage examples often need. So yeah, receipts for those repairs were a plus and I paid a bit more for the right car that had them done, knowing that I'm good for another hundred thousand miles or so.
In may case, I fixed what was broken. I am not changing timing belts etc (not sure if the 4.7 liter engine has a belt or chain) just because the mileage says so. Overall, it has been a very reliable truck despite all the bad things they say about Dodge. Now, I have to put on my iron man suit and get ready for private sale.
Yeah, any documentation that supports the fact that you do take care of your car does help at sale. However, the overall history of oil changes, tire receipts, and brake wear inspections, has a better overall chance of convincing a buyer that your vehicle may be considered a premium sale for the fact that you do have a well presented look at how the car was treated. Being able to determine that care history is one of the things astute buyers need to consider, for that reason, most good used cars are bought by those who do have the ability to know a good car from one that may be sketchy. If you are at the recommended mileage for belt replacement you'd need to have it done or include that cost in your price write-up..Presenting those things, repair history, receipts for tires and brakes, price allowances for needed work, are considered in "the selling" of a car.
I had all our records on our '03 Accord ready when the sale went through. It showed timing belt, water pump, power steering replacements, transmission oil change , etc. as well as oil changes and tires and batteries. I do think it helps convince buyers that you do take care of the car.
I think it helps to have receipts, it shows that you're responsible. In my head I'm thinking those are things I won't have to worry about replacing anytime soon. I never take a sellers word that they have replaced something unless I see receipts.
In may case, I fixed what was broken. I am not changing timing belts etc (not sure if the 4.7 liter engine has a belt or chain) just because the mileage says so. Overall, it has been a very reliable truck despite all the bad things they say about Dodge. Now, I have to put on my iron man suit and get ready for private sale.
No, this does not qualify it as reliable truck and surely it's just the beginning of a journey. Trucks run easy 200 000 miles without hubs replaced. Some. Not all.
Now you also have it jinxed, so you MUST find out if it's t-belt or chain.
Maintenance record is one thing.
repairs record is different thing. I bought a Mercury Sable once that cost more in repairs and maintenance than its original out the door price.
What does it tell you? Piece of crap. Surely I had to fork for transmission down the road. Guy gave me that folder with pride and I was stupid enough not to actually read through it. Couple months down the road I got to it - and OMG. Typical Ford, just falling apart everywhere.
If purchasing a newer car I probably would pass on one that had been recently repaired without an extensive mx history on it.
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