Y2K_Frenzy

I think most don’t keep records for serval reasons. I bet the main reason is because for the masses cars are just a thing that takes you from point A to B. They only think about their cars when they’re broken. They’re not “enthusiast” like us car folk. Another reason is sort of related to the first, and that’s most people aren’t buying what they think is a “collectors car.” The collector car guy feels the need to try and retain as much value as they can. Where as someone with a Kia Forte probably just drives it. Those that actually do get their car serviced probably go to the dealership to have it done so it’s on file. Also I don’t think all that many people sell their old car on the private market anyway prior to getting a new one. I bet most go trade their old Forte on a newer one and dealerships will probably give the same with or without records.
Keeping records on cars that we don’t plan on selling until we die or keeping records at all really, is part of the hobby. That’s why some do it and most don’t. How many records can a 19k car have anyway? Three to four? 😂
What about the glass half-empty point of view on keeping record? Say I hand a guy a big bunch of receipts of parts purchases and such and he’s like, “dang this thing has had that many problems!?” 🤣

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

You're not wrong, there's only a handful of actual hard parts replacements in my records for that car, mostly it's various fluid and filter changes or other stuff that isn't related to any actual "failure".

But I think most enthusiasts love to get a stack of historical paperwork or information on an "old" car that they buy. I was ecstatic when I bought my '74 and every scrap of paperwork had been saved going back to the original dealer invoice and assembly line broadcast ticket. Decades of records and interesting paperwork that filled in so many of the blanks that we often never get to know when we buy an antique. This was a one-family car (aunt and two nephews), and they all made an effort to keep these records intact and add to them. It certainly made the story of this car more interesting to me, and therefore made me more interested in buying the car. Even still, I knew it would need a ton of maintenance related work because there was a ~15 year period where the car only got driven about 300 miles. So, at least the records made it pretty obvious what I was getting myself into (guess I was a glutton for punishment! )

NC01TA

That was me and my old 2007 Mustang GT/CS in Aug '22. I ended up trading it in and the dealership didn't give one thought about keeping my records. I threw all the index cards in the trunk anyway. The dealership probably threw them away.

LS1 TJ

My current LS swap project is a 80 RS Camaro. An original RS with the really hot V6/3speed engine trans combo. BUT it had 28K original miles and not one speck of rust. Pretty cool for a MN car.
The son of the original owner had all the paper work from the purchase. Invoice, window sticker, two build sheets and the sales brochure. Very cool to be second owner of a 1980 RS Camaro with now a LS3/4L60E combo.
When I build a project car I keep all the parts receipts. I don't ever add then up. That would be too scary. But when I sell a car/truck I give the new owner all the receipts so if something like a water pump fails it can be replaced at no cost since most parts stores have a life time warranty on stuff like that.

Don.Frijole

Well this has given me a new perspective on it, so thanks for the input. If I should be looking for a well maintained car under 100k miles, what do y'all reckon is a good price range? I don't want to lowball anyone but I also don't want to jump the gun and pay way more than I should. Would not having service records give me any haggling leeway? And on that note, it's probably something I should start doing if I ever get an "enthusiast car" lol

Y2K_Frenzy

Yeah that’s how they do it. They pretty much tell you what they’re going to give you before they even look at it. Prior to Covid I think most of the trade ins got sold at auctions. The ones that had some mile on them for sure did. They weren’t putting them on their lot to sell.

Y2K_Frenzy

I think the lifetime warranties might only apply to the original purchaser.

Y2K_Frenzy

You’re over thinking this. Records or no records the seller is going to ask what they want and you can buy it or not. Approach this like any ofher 20 year old used car. What I mean by that is no matter how nice the one you get is realize that you’re going to have to have some money to fix something. If you’re a wanting to make it “fast” start shopping parts to see what you’ll be getting into. The parts aren’t all that cheap really.

NC01TA

That's too vague as so many factors come into play, from condition to number of owners to mileage, etc.... In today's market you may find a real deal due to the economy so you have to look hard and expand your search area. I see you live in NC like me and outside of buying 'new' cars I have never found a used one n this state that I was looking for. Maybe bad timing but I'll go anywhere in the US to get that special car that checks all the boxes. I've bought two in PA and my last one was the GT that I found up in Wisconsin. Not exactly close. One weekend road trip is worth getting a car you want.
When you find a particular car, post about it here for proper guesstimates on pricing. We like helping if you can provide the details.

Y2K_Frenzy

Buy the lowest mileage that you can afford. Like I said earlier, whether it has 10k miles or 100k miles you’ll be fixing things.
$16k. The lowest so far that wasn’t a convertible

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I don't think mileage means much unless we are talking over 150K or 200K miles. These cars are at an age that every part with rubber in it (anything with a gasket or seal) is rotten. There are many members on this site with sub-50K mile cars dealing with squeaks, drips, and oozes. Purchasing a 20-25 year old car should come with the expectation that 1/2 of the time you'll spend with it will be on a creeper or under the hood.

I would look for a clean car with a good interior over mileage. The engine is solid and parts are bountiful for it. Interior and trim parts are much harder to find. I would rather have a clean 150K mile from a garage in Tucson than a 25K mile car driven on the roads of Pittsburgh. (Salt + cinders)