Mr Bill wrote:Too bad insurance companies do not use maintenence records to adjust the value of a car.
That can also work to your advantage. When I totaled my old Altima a few years back, I had been debating whether it was worth it to have the transmission looked at (it was behaving strangely in cold weather until it got warmed up). Given that it probably needed a transmission overhaul (and had some pretty serious rust issues on top of that), I was pretty happy with what the insurance company gave me. They gave me more than I would've paid for that car, so I figure I came out ahead if I ignore the hassle of replacing it.