tampered odometer reading

[socalblue]

Hey guys, new member here currently looking for one always loved them just never had the funds to match it. Anyways I wanted your opinion on this dilemma.
Im lookin at one right now and the carfax report I got shows that the odometer reading had been tampered with.
One year the smog station reported it at (forgot exact #s) like 93k or something liek that. Few years later the odometer was reported as 86k or something rather, odometer set back close to 8000 miles. I guess what I want to know is if there is anything I should be concerned about, or if this is more common than I think it is. I know its not THAT drastic of a change, but...well I guess I can use this for bargaining with the price.

 

[AUSyTyIN]

Re: tampered odometer reading

86k to 8k is drastic, but I'll assume that is a typo. If they are hiding the actual mileage from you, what else are they hiding :?

 

[socalblue]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I always seem to confuse people hahahaha No, the odometer was set back from 93000 to 86000 miles. it was set back -8000 miles or so.

 

[vinnieTy]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I always seem to confuse people hahahaha No, the odometer was set back from 93000 to 86000 miles. it was set back -8000 miles or so.

I bet you the seller is going to say that he has no idea what you mean and play dumb. Keep looking. Look in the for sale section on this board there is one for a low reserve. Good luck but i wouldnt go for it. Just like MHST Guy stated what else can he be hiding. :roll:

 

[socalblue]

Re: tampered odometer reading

from looking at the carfax report though, it seems like it was the previous previous owner that tampered with it...Im losing sleep over this haahaha
I don't want any hidden surprises, especially since if something happens where I have to fork over major funds I wont be able to afford it...
Happened to my last project car big block dodge dart, sold it at a loss of almost half what I bought...now Im paranoid
Thanks for the input guys

 

[SY1616]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I agree, BAIL!!!

 

[Daman]

Re: tampered odometer reading

If a prior owner rolled back the odometer, then the current owner may not be hiding anything. How long has the current owner had the truck? Depending on the miles that the current owner put on the truck, any problems that were hidden by the rollback may have already popped up and were fixed by the current owner. You may be able to base your decision on how well the current owner took care of the truck. Many trucks with well over 100k miles are still in good condition.

However, if he's only had the truck for a short time, then...RUN Forest, RUN!.

 

[socalblue]

Re: tampered odometer reading

Thanks for all the input guys, I definitely need to dig a little deeper into this and question the current owner. The current owner told me he bought it from a car dealership (not saying much hahah)

 

[AUSyTyIN]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I'd jump ship. There are plenty of other trucks for sale. But do what you want. Try to get a local member to go with you to see the truck, and see if you can get a hold of the owner of the truck when the odo was rolled back.

 

[White97SVT]

Re: tampered odometer reading

It is possible also that there was a problem with the cluster and he swapped in used cluster.

 

[ty166]

Re: tampered odometer reading

i think if the guy was trying to pull a fast one that he would have rolled it back more than 8,000 miles with 93,000 on it at the time of the descrepancy(man that looks like its spelled wrong). that and most everyone knows people check carfax when buying a used car so its not that easy to get away with anymore. i'd say there probably a logical explanation for it, like white87svt said maybe a cluster problem. just look in the for sale adds here, theres about three listed, and you can pick your milage also :lol:.
id agree with getting someone from the board to look at it for/with you. ALOT of these guys really know there syty.
also at 93,000 miles is 8,000 miles that big of a deal ?

 

[socalblue]

Re: tampered odometer reading

Definitely could be a logical explanation, and the mileage isn't too off...that's what I was kind of leaning towards.

Any So Cal L.A. area members in here, I've only seen like one sy in my area, a few ty's...Im sure there's more hidden in people's garages.

 

[blackbeast1]

Re: tampered odometer reading

after my debacle with my impala, with nearly 50,000K in extra mileage, from now on here's my rule of thumb:

if someone is selling a vehicle and you catch them in a lie/ you feel they aren't telling the whole truth, run away no matter how good the deal may be.

if i would have followed my gut, my butt wouldn't be hurting from the screwing right now.

 

[sy445]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I bought my truck with " odometer rollback" according to carfax. The truck said 46,000 and carfax said 120,000. I build race engines for a living and im always around and working on cars so I feel like id notice the condition of the truck compared to the mileage. I looked for worn steering wheel, brake pedals, shifter handle etc... The interior was immaculate and the engine bay was too. Looked like no more mileage than the odemeter had shown. It had all the performance upgrades i didnt have to buy and install myself which was nice and though i knew it was repainted i said f... it. I have since been told by a car wholesaler that these " odometer rollbacks" quite often happen going through car auctions and such with paperwork mistakes. My trucks rollback also happened after a car auction 7 years ago.

 

[Daron]

Re: tampered odometer reading

Who knows... It could have been rolled back 50,000 miles, then driven 42,000 miles before showing up at the next place that updated the milage. You are just seeing the difference between one report and the next, but you really dont know how much it was rolled back etc...
I would judge the condition on more than the milage report. However, no matter what, the truck's value is diminished because of that report. It should factor into the price you pay because it is going to be an issue if you decide to sell.

If you are the paranoid type, go after a verifiable truck, make a good deal and be happy. Or buy this truck cheap and not care how many miles are on it...

 

[It's just a six]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I did a carfax on my Sy,
it stated the Sy had like 33,000 miles one year then, the following year they read it correct, back to 12,000, the thing is I've had the truck when this happened, & it happened because I was not paying attention to the smog guy reading the Sy's milage.
Last smog check I looked @ what the tech wrote down & it was 112,230 or so, I had to show the guy it says 12,230 ,,,big error on his part, my bad for not seeing the mistake on the prior smog test.

 

[socalblue]

Re: tampered odometer reading

I am semi-paranoid, my last car I bought had issues, don't wanna think about it...
I feel you there, I have to take a deeper look into it this weekend...I didn't get to thoroughly inspect the ty like I wanted. The price sounds too good to be true IF everything turns out okay...what should I look for specifically in the area of drivetrain stuff? I found a buyers guide and it said grab and twist the driveshafts, if it moves a lot it had lots of hard launching really loose is bad, check the propshaft and the boots. Im guessing these are the weak points to these cars Engine sounded good no leaks ran hot but my 94 s-10 runs just as hot. Looks untampered, lots of the OEM stuff there...

By the way thanks for the input guys, should have joined long time ago this place is awesome :tup:

 

[viperman5]

Re: tampered odometer reading

It's just a six - is there anything you can do with Carfax to rectify your situation?

The reason I ask, I am a little afraid to run a carfax on mine. I bought it with 17K has 24K now but my last smog test in IL looks to say 114K.

I can only blame myself but I was more interested in whether I was going to pass smog rather than check something like the tech reading.

My buddy has a TTA with odometer discrepancy. He believes it was smog related because of car condition and small difference in mileage.

 

[It's just a six]

Re: tampered odometer reading

It's just a six - is there anything you can do with Carfax to rectify your situation?

The reason I ask, I am a little afraid to run a carfax on mine. I bought it with 17K has 24K now but my last smog test in IL looks to say 114K.

I can only blame myself but I was more interested in whether I was going to pass smog rather than check something like the tech reading.

My buddy has a TTA with odometer discrepancy. He believes it was smog related because of car condition and small difference in mileage.

I still have to look into it, but maybe call/write up to the DMV & maybe go to the smog place & have them write you a note & sign it?

I'm really not sure ,but I hear it has been a common problem w/smog techs not paying attention on actual vehicle milage.
If you hear any solutions or tips let us know.
Thanks

 

[442typhoondude]

Re: tampered odometer reading

Did the SyTy's have the same features as the other dashes in their time in that the spaces between the mileage numbers (which are normally black) flipped over to a lighter grey color if they were physically rolled back?