Verifying mileage.
Thread Starter
CF Active Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 104
Likes: 3
Verifying mileage.
I've seen quite a few posts regarding the accuracy of the mileage on vehicles that folks are considering buying, and this should help. I read that 15% of used cars have had their mileage tampered with, a percentage that probably climbs upwards dramatically on some shady used car lots. But one would think that a major Chevy dealership would be safe, right? Wrong! A 2 year old Suburban was listed with 40,000 miles, which I thought a believable amount. I mean who would set mileage back to 40,000 rather then say 20,000 or even 30,000? I looked at the tires and they said a mouthful. I won't mention the dealership's name because it probably happens everywhere. First red flag, they didn't match the spare. Second, they didn't have but maybe 20,000 or 25,000 on them which clearly indicated to me that the vehicle had over 60,000 miles on it, not 40,000. A Carfax would have been no help because it commonly shows 0 miles when new, and then what ever it says on the odometer when the vehicle is sold. To improve your odds of getting a vehicle with the true mileage on the odometer look for a one owner vehicle that is being sold by that owner, not on a car lot. Make sure they have all the receipts and records to verify not only the maintenance but to help support a steady progression in mileage leading up to what is on the odometer at the time of sale. Then keep records until you sell to help get top dollar. This may not be an option for many people, so looking at things on a car lot like the tires or the amount of wear and tear on things like the driver's seat may help. Assume that the mileage is not accurate till proven that it is, otherwise walk away and look elsewhere.
CF Monarch
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 4,605
Likes: 269
From: USA
I've seen quite a few posts regarding the accuracy of the mileage on vehicles that folks are considering buying, and this should help. I read that 15% of used cars have had their mileage tampered with, a percentage that probably climbs upwards dramatically on some shady used car lots. But one would think that a major Chevy dealership would be safe, right? Wrong! A 2 year old Suburban was listed with 40,000 miles, which I thought a believable amount. I mean who would set mileage back to 40,000 rather then say 20,000 or even 30,000? I looked at the tires and they said a mouthful. I won't mention the dealership's name because it probably happens everywhere. First red flag, they didn't match the spare. Second, they didn't have but maybe 20,000 or 25,000 on them which clearly indicated to me that the vehicle had over 60,000 miles on it, not 40,000. A Carfax would have been no help because it commonly shows 0 miles when new, and then what ever it says on the odometer when the vehicle is sold. To improve your odds of getting a vehicle with the true mileage on the odometer look for a one owner vehicle that is being sold by that owner, not on a car lot. Make sure they have all the receipts and records to verify not only the maintenance but to help support a steady progression in mileage leading up to what is on the odometer at the time of sale. Then keep records until you sell to help get top dollar. This may not be an option for many people, so looking at things on a car lot like the tires or the amount of wear and tear on things like the driver's seat may help. Assume that the mileage is not accurate till proven that it is, otherwise walk away and look elsewhere.
Thread Starter
CF Active Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 104
Likes: 3
I know of a guy who gets $50 per car to roll back the miles....well, he used to, he's in jail now. Heck, I watched a Youtube video of a guy rolling back the digital odometer from 175,000 to 75,000. He simply plugged this device into the OBD hookup, punched in some numbers and the car was suddenly 100,00 miles newer. Does the computer show differently? I don't know, but how many people would know how to check? I wouldn't, so I rely on the info I mentioned in my post to reduce the risk of getting ripped off.