mileage lies and carfax

[The B]

howdy

i'm trying to buy a new-to-me old truck for work.. being the cash-only kind of guy that i am, i'm looking to stay under $3,000. all the trucks i'm looking at are between 85-95, with a few exceptions. this isn't the first time i've purchased a used older truck... but i'm noticing something disturbing this time around.

last time i was in the market for a used truck (80'-90'), it was incredibly rare to see anything with mileage under 150,000, with most being in the neighborhood of 180,000-220,000...

now, many years later... everything i'm seeing ("everything" being an over-generalization, but not by much) is claiming to be UNDER 100,000 original miles or low 100,000s....

how the crap did that happen? how did all of these previously hidden/un-driven trucks pop to the surface? i've come to the conclusion that in our current state of economic depression and desperation, people are letting their ethics slip a bit, and either allowing themselves to believe the mileage their 5-digit odometer reads is the actual mileage (instead of 100,000 or even 200,000 miles off), or are simply opting to deliberately LIE and claim aaaalllll these 85'-90' trucks actually have 76,000 or 120,000 original miles on them...


end rant

now.... i have never used or looked into Carfax.. but they claim to be able to tell you the actual mileage of vehicles, if you have their VINs.... anybody have any experience with this, or happen to have researched it enough to know if it's even possible that they have accurate info?

thanks

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[MountainBear]

I think a lot of people are selling the vehicles they've had sitting around for a while. My father just sold a 78' pick-up that we'd had for years. We used it for dump runs, hunting trips, etc. When we got it, it had 80,000 original miles. When we sold it a few months ago, it only had 108,000 miles on it. It was our extra truck when I was younger. The couple grand my pop got for it was finally worth more than having the truck just sitting around...

 

[The B]

I think a lot of people are selling the vehicles they've had sitting around for a while. My father just sold a 78' pick-up that we'd had for years. We used it for dump runs, hunting trips, etc. When we got it, it had 80,000 original miles. When we sold it a few months ago, it only had 108,000 miles on it. It was our extra truck when I was younger. The couple grand my pop got for it was finally worth more than having the truck just sitting around...

thats obviously a solid theory, and perhaps i'm just getting jaded over the fact that i still haven't found an appropriate truck... i'm gonna guess it's a mix, though, and this is what concerns me. i'm tempted to buy a truck claiming higher mileage just to increase the odds i'm not being lied to.

 

[MountainBear]

thats obviously a solid theory, and perhaps i'm just getting jaded over the fact that i still haven't found an appropriate truck... i'm gonna guess it's a mix, though, and this is what concerns me. i'm tempted to buy a truck claiming higher mileage just to increase the odds i'm not being lied to.

Isn't it a crime to falsify the odometer reading when selling a vehicle? I only ask because while a person may risk it, I doubt a company like carfax would. I've used their service a few times, and usually appreciated the info I got. Besides mileage reported when vehicles are bought and sold, they also have information like whether or not it has been in a major accident, or whether it was a lease or rental vehicle.

I had to buy a vehicle a year and a half ago. It sucked, because, like you, I was on a budget. I ended up buying a vehicle from a dealership I trusted. I ended up with more mileage than I wanted, but it was alright because I trusted the guys I bought it from. Good luck with your search...

 

[The B]

im sure carfax wouldn't falsify anything- it wouldn't profit them anything to do so, and it is, indeed, a crime to falsify mileage. i don't question the integrity- just the ability to access accurate info.

i don't want to put out the $35 to still not know the correct mileage of a given vehicle..

 

[DERGLOCKINMEISTER]

Federal odometer rules say that any vehicle over ten years old is considered exempt from mileage disclosures so in the price range you are looking
in , most of those vehicles are exempt from odometer disclosure . It's the new thing to have curbers ( unlicensed dealers ) and private sellers to claim
actual miles on a vehicle , but the vehicle is actually sold to be exempt . Ever since cash for clunkers (what a joke ) the used car market has
been extremely tight and clean vehicles are bringing a premium at the auctions as well as from private sellers . Also , with the unemployment
situation as it is , everybody thinks they will try their hand at being an auto dealer to augment their unemployment check . No license , no bond ,
no insurance , no regulation , you buy the car and hope nothing goes wrong .
Carfax can't certify the miles on a vehicle this old because of the federal odometer rules .

 

[locobob]

Carfax may be somewhat useful but keep in mind they are not perfect, they actually cost me a sale once by reporting inaccurate mileage data (higher than actual). When I confronted them on it with actual DMV records they refused to correct their mistake, needless to say I was less than impressed by them.

 

[teflon6string]

I can see it either way...

Some trucks just don't get driven a lot due to the INSANE price of fuel. My 4x4 V8 Dodge gets around 10-13 mpg depending on what I use it for (dump runs, snowy, icy winters, and occasional trips to shoot guns in the quarry when the roads get muddy), so I've put fewer than 3000 miles on it since I bought it used 2-3 years ago. The Outback goes 12-14k per year because it gets twice the mpg.

But I'm suspicious, too, about some of the old beaters I see with "82,000 original miles!" (Whatever "original" means...)

I may be naive about what carfax does. But in the case of a vehicle never repaired under insurance, and without dealer maintenance records, how would carfax (or anyone) know if an old truck had 82k, 182k, or 282k on it?

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Federal odometer rules say that any vehicle over ten years old is considered exempt from mileage disclosures so in the price range you are looking in , most of those vehicles are exempt from odometer disclosure . It's the new thing to have curbers ( unlicensed dealers ) and private sellers to claim
actual miles on a vehicle , but the vehicle is actually sold to be exempt . Ever since cash for clunkers (what a joke ) the used car market has been extremely tight and clean vehicles are bringing a premium at the auctions as well as from private sellers . Also , with the unemployment situation as it is , everybody thinks they will try their hand at being an auto dealer to augment their unemployment check . No license , no bond ,no insurance , no regulation , you buy the car and hope nothing goes wrong .
Carfax can't certify the miles on a vehicle this old because of the federal odometer rules .

^^^This...

I can see it either way...

Some trucks just don't get driven a lot due to the INSANE price of fuel. My 4x4 V8 Dodge gets around 10-13 mpg depending on what I use it for (dump runs, snowy, icy winters, and occasional trips to shoot guns in the quarry when the roads get muddy), so I've put fewer than 3000 miles on it since I bought it used 2-3 years ago. The Outback goes 12-14k per year because it gets twice the mpg.

For muddy roads, ice, and snow, there's nothing I'd take over a good subaru with the right tires.
You could put a few dollars in your pocket by getting an old 4 or 6 cyl 2wd pickup for dump runs. Or, better yet, you could get a small trailer for a few hundred dollars.

A subaru isnt really at home unless it's plowing snow.

 

[donMiguel]

CarFax can only tell the last reported mileage, and if the mileage ever went down. They get the info from transfer records (registration / title), and from service centers. You think Jiffy Lube only wants to remind you when a change is due? They also sell that info. And CarFax can tell you if it was totaled on insurance.

 

[The B]

thanks for the REs... i went ahead and bought a '96 f150 today... straight 6, 5 speed, and a 6 digit odometer. no worries.. at least i'd have to be significantly more paranoid than i am.

 

[elsie]

I don't drive my truck much anymore due to high fuel costs. So now I have a 95 Chevy with about 125K miles on it. Usually only take it for a couple trips a year that might add up to 2-3K miles.


elsie

 

[Grunwald]

^^^This...






For muddy roads, ice, and snow, there's nothing I'd take over a good subaru with the right tires.
You could put a few dollars in your pocket by getting an old 4 or 6 cyl 2wd pickup for dump runs. Or, better yet, you could get a small trailer for a few hundred dollars.

A subaru isnt really at home unless it's plowing snow.

I can't drive a Subaru. I only meet 1/2 of the requirement for owning one:
1) must like women - check
2) is a woman - not

 

[The B]

heh...

in all seriousness, i'd love to have a suburu... i'll probably buy my mother-in-law's forester once she pays it off. GREAT car to take to the mountain- cheap on gas, good on mud/snow. and this is coming from a dude who's only owned manly pickup trucks his whole life.

but for my right-now purposes.... i must have a full size pickup with a long bed. hopefully this straight 6 motor will get me up the mountain cheaply on the weekends too.

 

[Redcap]

heh...

in all seriousness, i'd love to have a suburu... i'll probably buy my mother-in-law's forester once she pays it off. GREAT car to take to the mountain- cheap on gas, good on mud/snow. and this is coming from a dude who's only owned manly pickup trucks his whole life.

Subarus are great little rigs. Got a little red 80s wagon as my current DD and picking up a free Legacy runner with blown HGs next weekend.

 

[NCW Ray]

As far as CARFAX history reporting; I don't trust them. They had my daughters VW Jetta flagged with "Not Actual Mileage". Took me over a week to prove to them it was the correct mileage and for them to correct their mistake. Unfortunately it cost my daughter a sale. After going through this hassle I did some research on CARFAX...seems like there are MANY complaints about CARFAX.

 

[Grunwald]

As far as CARFAX history reporting; I don't trust them. They had my daughters VW Jetta flagged with "Not Actual Mileage". Took me over a week to prove to them it was the correct mileage and for them to correct their mistake. Unfortunately it cost my daughter a sale. After going through this hassle I did some research on CARFAX...seems like there are MANY complaints about CARFAX.

I pretty much almost always run a CARFAX on a vehicle that I am interested in buying. I know that they might not be 100% accurate, but for the big things that I am interested in they are a good source of information.
If the vehicle has been wrecked and gone through the insurance company for repairs, you will see it.
In most states every time there is an official entry (smog test, registration, mandated inspection) that mileage will show up on a Carfax report and it makes it easier to spot some guy who is trying to roll back the odometer.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

I can't drive a Subaru. I only meet 1/2 of the requirement for owning one:
1) must like women - not
2) is a woman - check

I fixed that for you

You couldnt handle the subaru

 

[Grunwald]

I fixed that for you

You couldnt handle the subaru

You can change my post all you want but it does not change the fact that it is the preferred vehicle of short haired women who like to put rainbow stickers on their bumper.
Besides I learned to drive in New England and can outperform most other drivers in the snow, without having the benefit of a four wheel drive.

 

[Siglvr]

The Lesburus have some disadvantages. (Lesbaru owner here) They will get stuck in deep mud and snow before a jacked up pickup truck will. However, a bit of judgment will keep you out of that situation. Killing a deer and tossing it in the back is not as easy either, you need a big sheet of plastic to keep it from bleeding out all over the car. 24 mpg. and great road handling - can't bubblegum on that.

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