Need buying advice, odometer rollback!!
05-02-2006, 11:29 PM
#1
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Need buying advice, odometer rollback!! Hey guys, new to the LS1 world. I've been looking at alot of Camaros and Trans Am's and have come across a 00 T/A that is perfect in EVERY way, all the options I was looking for. I did a CarFax a few days ago on the car and this is what it came up with.
The car is currently on the 3rd owner. On the CarFax, I found that when the car was purchased by the 2nd owner it was recorded as having 27k miles. 2 1/2 years later, that car went in for inspection and was recorded @ 20k miles. Carfax says the following:
9 months later the car was clocked @ 64k miles, and sold to an auction, where the current owner purchased the car.
What's going on here, is this a rollback issue or an error made my someone somewhere?? 43k miles put on the vehicle in 9 months seems impossible. What to do??
The car is currently on the 3rd owner. On the CarFax, I found that when the car was purchased by the 2nd owner it was recorded as having 27k miles. 2 1/2 years later, that car went in for inspection and was recorded @ 20k miles. Carfax says the following:
INCONSISTENT ODOMETER READING
CARFAX AdvisorTM
CARFAX analyzed this mileage history and is uncertain whether this reading represents a rollback or a clerical error. Please verify the mileage with your dealer or a qualified mechanic.
CARFAX AdvisorTM
CARFAX analyzed this mileage history and is uncertain whether this reading represents a rollback or a clerical error. Please verify the mileage with your dealer or a qualified mechanic.
What's going on here, is this a rollback issue or an error made my someone somewhere?? 43k miles put on the vehicle in 9 months seems impossible. What to do??
05-03-2006, 12:22 AM
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The guy whos selling it has had it for almost a year with no problems whatsoever. If thats the case and its a mechanically sound car, if it checks out by a mechanic and if I can get a good price on it would it be a good deal? Would a mechanic be able to tell if it was a rollback or an error? Or would that still be a bad decision? Is it hard to re-sell a car like with a small incident in the history like that?
Thanks.
Thanks.
05-03-2006, 07:36 AM
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Simple as this: no matter what you decide, if it makes you worry, it will make anyone you try to sell it to worry. If you never intend to sell the car and have it really checked out by a mechanic, maybe then.
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05-03-2006, 08:32 PM
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Aside from the 20k reading the mileage seems consistent. I would not worry about it except for the resale value. I don't know what it takes to have carfax corrected. You would need to find the dummy that clocked it at 20k when it was actually 30k and have an affidavit signed?
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
buy it 
05-04-2006, 12:20 AM
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Originally Posted by fasteddyss
Aside from the 20k reading the mileage seems consistent. I would not worry about it except for the resale value. I don't know what it takes to have carfax corrected. You would need to find the dummy that clocked it at 20k when it was actually 30k and have an affidavit signed?
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
the OD read 20k as if some idiot missread it at 30k or 40k. Because when you look, 9 MONTHS LATER the OD is at 63k. Thats 43k in a matter or 9 months. Nobody would roll an odometer FORWARD, which is why it looks like a mistake.
05-04-2006, 01:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Tuk
That's exactly my point and the REASON why I made this thread..
the OD read 20k as if some idiot missread it at 30k or 40k. Because when you look, 9 MONTHS LATER the OD is at 63k. Thats 43k in a matter or 9 months. Nobody would roll an odometer FORWARD, which is why it looks like a mistake.
the OD read 20k as if some idiot missread it at 30k or 40k. Because when you look, 9 MONTHS LATER the OD is at 63k. Thats 43k in a matter or 9 months. Nobody would roll an odometer FORWARD, which is why it looks like a mistake.
Over that 39 months (2.5 plus 0.75 years) between the 27k and the 64k, a difference of 37k miles, that would average out to about 950 miles per month.
So over the 30 months (2.5 years) between the 27k and the false 20k, that would be about 28k miles that should have been covered, meaning the reading would've been about 55k then instead of 20k.
If they were a bit inconsistent off of the average, it could come out to 50k then. And 50, 20... the 5 and the 2 are right next to each other on the number pad.
05-04-2006, 03:04 AM
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Originally Posted by ACW
Yep. I have seen mechanics record incorrect mileage quite a few times. (Usually in situations where it doesn't end up on carfax like it does with inspections, so you don't run into this on carfaxes as often as you would otherwise.)
Over that 39 months (2.5 plus 0.75 years) between the 27k and the 64k, a difference of 37k miles, that would average out to about 950 miles per month.
So over the 30 months (2.5 years) between the 27k and the false 20k, that would be about 28k miles that should have been covered, meaning the reading would've been about 55k then instead of 20k.
If they were a bit inconsistent off of the average, it could come out to 50k then. And 50, 20... the 5 and the 2 are right next to each other on the number pad.
Over that 39 months (2.5 plus 0.75 years) between the 27k and the 64k, a difference of 37k miles, that would average out to about 950 miles per month.
So over the 30 months (2.5 years) between the 27k and the false 20k, that would be about 28k miles that should have been covered, meaning the reading would've been about 55k then instead of 20k.
If they were a bit inconsistent off of the average, it could come out to 50k then. And 50, 20... the 5 and the 2 are right next to each other on the number pad.
Thank you for the reply ACW, this is the kind of rationalization I was hoping for, instead of dismissing it as an odometer rollback. According to CarFax, the car was sold 8 months AFTER the 67k reading to an auto auction, where the current owner purchased the car, if that makes any difference.
