Another option I would recommend that you do regardless is to run a Carfax report. At the very least you can get a good history on the car. If you are lucky, you'll see the vast majority of the maintenance done on the car.

 

How does that work. Is that is the maintenance is done by the dealer? I do all my owm maintenance so I guess my car show up as non-maintained?

 

I also do my own maintenance because I've had nothing but negative experiences with body shops and dealerships. I feel that I could do better.

For example, I had an alignment done earlier today. Now I have to hold the steering wheel a good bit to the left so I can stay straight on the road.

 

^ Maybe it's the road that has always been out of alignment, and you've just gotten used to compensating for it.

 

^ lmao

hey gorn what are somethings that would stand out to a mechanic looking over a car to tell if it has been beat on?

 

I always check out the oil dipstick if it looks burnt odds are the po let the oil go also I look into the oil fill hoping I can see the rockers that way you can get an idea of what the rest of the engine looks like

 

It's never been this bad.

 

It is maintenance done by the dealer and most shops. It gets logged in a national database that CarFax pulls from. This is why it is important for owners who maintain their own cars to keep records. Unless you plan on keeping your car forever that is.

 

Yea, I keep all my receipts of all service and parts bought for my cars -- just keep them in a folder, and you always know where it's at!