Originally posted by Wiser:
Maintenance is very important but if you had to choose between two used cars that have been equally maintained and one was driven very hard and the other was driven conservatively, which would you pick? Why do people pay the top dollar for a used car that has been babied? I think a car driven hard will have a greater chance developing problems earlier than one that has been babied. I became a member to help me look for a SVT Contour. At least for me, I will not consider a car that has been driven hard.
Some members recommend dropping the car into first gear at 4,000 RPM to gain better off the line acceleration. This can't be good, especially when it done frequently! You can do all the maintenance you like but increased wear or damage (which ever you prefer) has been done.
I disagree completely, I know of plenty of SVT's driven "hard" by reputable owners; I would not hesitate to buy their car. Such a broad view of "wear" and "hard" is foolish. What about the owner who didn't drive their SVT like a banshee, yet neglected to perform timely oil changes, never allowed the engine to reach operating temps, learned to drive a mtx on a SVT, etc. etc.
