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7 tips to make your car last (and increase its resale value)

A new car begins to lose value the minute you drive it off the lot. But with these seven tips, you can limit trips to the mechanic and increase your vehicle's resale value.

5. Save service records

Patrick Kane/The Progress-Index/AP/File
James Rhymes works on a car at the Fort Lee, Va. Auto Craft Shop Feb. 27, 2013. Keeping track of service records can help auto mechanics troubleshoot vehicle problems down the road. (AP Photo/The Progress-Index, Patrick Kane)

  • By Andrew Collins Contributor

If you don’t save receipts and work orders from your mechanic, start doing it!  There are several benefits. For one, you’ll have a record of what maintenance has been performed on your car that you can reference during future maintenance. Mechanics will often make notes on your vehicle’s general condition and other “issues” they noticed while your vehicle was undergoing service. If your car has problems, you can show your mechanic your service records and help solve the mystery of what’s gone wrong and what work has been done recently, which can reduce downtime and diagnostic costs.

Second, service records are a great way to prove to a prospective buyer of your car that you’ve cared for it and documented its life. This is especially important to buyers of “specialty” cars like sport, luxury, and off-road vehicles. While third party services like CARFAX keep some of these records, the level of detail will not approach having the physical mechanic’s invoices on hand.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

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