Keep your builds documents

I am down to three printed books and zero paper.
My three books are:
Machinery Handbook
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Manual of Steel Construction
They are in my shop.
If the internet dies tomorrow, I have all the formulas and data needed to keep working.
Those three books total about 8,000 pages.
Oh, a solar calculator too lol.
All the sentimental stuff and Momentos of material things are gone. I have tools, those few books and friends and family. My truck is like a favorite tool tho. One I like using!

 

Haha, machinist here too. But I do find original window stickers a cool thing to have.

 

The build sheet is just as cool

 

I tossed my window sticker not thinking much about it as this was the first new vehicle I have ever bought. Kinda wish I had kept it, mainly just for myself to have but oh well.

 

I've had over 30 vehicles. Window sticker on 1st one? Important. On the 30th? Not so much. First new vehicle was a 1984 4Runner lol. Drove it out of the showroom. Kept the sticker for awhile.

 

Keep every piece of documentation you get when buying a new vehicle. Just as, if not more important, keep the paper records of every dealer servicing or other maintenance done. If you maintain the vehicle partly or totally yourself, document that consistently as well. If you ever go to sell or trade in the vehicle these documents will go a long way toward proving your diligence in proper maintenance.

The original window sticker also makes it a lot simpler to prove what features are on the vehicle or not. I.e. it may not be immediately obvious that a truck has the full original factory tow package (inc'l upgraded alternator, extra transmission or oil cooler) just by looking at the bumper. (Maybe someone picked up a used OEM tow hitch and put it on later?) The window sticker documents the full set of factory options.

When I went to buy my current used 2014 Taco w/ 60K miles on it, the private-party first owner having all of that, including the window sticker, met my criterion for a thoroughly-documented history on the vehicle. I was willing to pay him his asking price w/ no bargaining because having all of this stuff present and in neat order is uncommon in private-party transactions. 60K miles with proven 5K oil-change interval is way more valuable than 60K miles and "well, I think had the oil changed maybe 3, 4 times?" from the owner.

 

they can print you a new one, just not the same type of paper but they usually have them as PDFs

 

Damn! This is grounds for calling off the sale lol.

 

But what's the purpose? Do you frame them and hang them on wall above your fireplace or something?

 

No but there is this annoying guy on tik tok that works at a nissan dealership and every trade in he gets, he keeps saying "most people keep window sticker in the glove box" and the proceeds to open the glove box to show it not there... turns out.. in fact... most people DO NOT keep their window sticker in the glove box... so for you to have the window sticker, you can go to that nissan dealership and trade it in and that tik tok salesman is going to have a field day cuz he can finally say it is there

 

Ahhh, gotcha....Well that reason is better than no reason...I suppose...

 

I'll be a dink and say it - it's a Tacoma, not a ferarri (or even some corvette guys do this too). This is overkill, and won't really affect resale like it would on a corvette or rolex.

THAT SAID, I have something LIKE this. I just do it all on digital, instead, using onenote on my computer (and in browser) instead of by paper. I buy oil? Open on phone, "scan document" using camera, add it in as records. Etc etc, everything is saved but it takes up zero square inches in my house/desk, it's all digital. When the time comes, I get to send it to the new buyer OR just "delete" and be done with it. I also do this with my house, THAT one is more organized and to the point of "when someone wants to buy this house, I can send them this as a PDF or as-is, and they have a bunch of information". Like the user manual for the dishwasher, you can usually find those oneline somewhere - just download it and add it to the files. Also makes troubleshooting a lot easier - I can hit ctrl+f and search things

Also - there are apps for this nowadays. I THINK fuelly is used for maintenance too, not sure. I have my own user-made fuel log and maintenance dashboard though that I've come to like.

 

I like having them

 

I do keep everything in a shoebox, but it's probably not gonna get you more when you sell/trade it in.
What matters when you sell? 2nd set of keys/fob, yes, window sticker no.

 

Stopped at McDonalds on the way back from the dealer and wiped my mouth with the window sticker.

In all seriousness, I do keep a record of service intervals and mods with the date. Goes in a little notebook with the Owner's Manual in the glove box.

 

Aside from sentimental does it serve any purpose? it doesnt change what the truck is

 

I've kept detailed size, weight, and photo documentation of every one of my shits for the past 30 years. My proctologist appreciates it, but everyone else thinks that I'm weird. To each their own, I guess.

 

I still have mine...the sticker price was 25,858.81.

but I just tossed them in a drawer in my desk. Maybe I should have em' cryogenically frozen?

 

I have around three boxes of math and physics texts books. They haven’t been out of the boxes for the last three moves. But I can’t bring myself to get rid of them.

 

Yea it is a big deal to me too. Finally, after 30+ years, I threw away my last box and am down to the absolute essential books. Don't think the internet is going to fail but it's comforting to have the tables and formulas if it were ever needed.