On the other hand, why would you need to? The plane's logbooks tell the real
story. You have tach hours at annuals, oil changes, and other maintenance. I
think that provides a better and more accurate view into the flying history
of the plane.

If the airplane has a journey log, fine. But if all you have is hours
between annual, that's not very useful. A plane that's flown an hour
twice a month is a better bet than one that's flown 6 hours every 4
months.