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Perfectlap, surely it depends upon the owner and whether you have a single or double-row bearing, as it dramatically effects the likelihood of failure. You are correct, of course, that the maintenance schedule (and in particular, oil change frequency) also makes a significant difference.
If your clutch is fine and you expect that the current value of your car is quite low (and they certainly seem to be even lower in the UK), many would choose not to install a new clutch and bearing as a prophylactic. Let's face it, if your car is worth only $8-12,000.00, then a clutch/bearing at about $3000.00 is between 25% and 37% of the value of the car. In addition, if you do install it as a prophylactic on a car you expect to sell in the near future, you are still, as you say,' gifting it' to the next owner unless the clutch needs replacement during the course of your ownership. Some original clutches have gone well over 100,000 miles without needing replacement.
Your view makes perfect sense for some, of course. Certainly, if someone is losing sleep over the IMS bearing, by all means either sell the car or get the bearing upgraded. All I and some others have been saying is that, particularly if you have a double-row bearing and, even more so if you have a good maintenance history (and my car has had the oil/filter changed annually at about 5000 miles, or less), then the odds of premature failure are extremely slim.
Brad
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