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Car Forum / Chevrolet / Chevrolet Corvette / July 2004Odometer question
Hopefully this doesn't qualify as a dumb question... Is there any way to tell if an odometer has been run past its mechanical limit? That is, since the odometer in the C3 has a max of 99,999.9 is there a way to know if the car you're buying has 43,000 miles vs. 143,000 miles? I've just always wondered if there is some mechanical way to know if the odometer had been run through the numbers. Of course, I've also wondered why odometers with this limit were ever used in the first place. Ryan  Signature1979 L48 > Hopefully this doesn't qualify as a dumb question... > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Ryan There was a time when 100,000 miles didn't happen very often and if it did the car was long since any good or rusted away. There is no way to "tell" if an odometer has been rolled over if it was done on purpose. Also very few, if any, were setup to make a visible difference when it rolled over from use until the late '80s I think. It didn't take much to dismantle the entire speedometer head and reset the dials. Don't ask, don't tell. SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd Dad spoke thusly... > There was a time when 100,000 miles didn't happen very often and if it did <etc> Yea, what Dad said. Signature-|>|- Diode -|<|- '68 L-79 Coupe '79 Triumph Bonneville Shut up, dave. Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt. Actual mileage may vary. <<..is there a way to know if the car you're buying has 43,000 miles vs. 143,000 miles?>> ------------------------- Forget about trying to figure this out by observing the speedo itself. A better bet is to do some historical research on the car. Depending on what state you are in, you may be able to get some records from DMV. Any annual state inspection records would have dates and mileage. So if the car says 43k, but you discover that the car was inspected once at 89k, then you know the clock flipped around. Check the glove box for any old receipts... the previous owner may have had an oil change done when the car had 95k miles on it.... this would be another tip. Ask questions and do a lot of inspecting... you may find clues. What about "Carfax"...? I don't know much about it but I heard of it. > <<..is there a way to know if the car you're buying has 43,000 miles vs. > 143,000 miles?>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > inspecting... you may find clues. What about "Carfax"...? I don't know > much about it but I heard of it. I used CarFax when I bought my Corvette through eBay. For $20 it's well worth it. The car was in California for 7 years and there were records of every annual inspection, there was a record of when the car was re-titled in Missouri, etc. If the car had ever been wrecked there would have been a record, etc. AJM '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp CardsFan spoke thusly: > I used CarFax when I bought my Corvette through eBay. For $20 it's well > worth it. The car was in California for 7 years and there were records of Yep, CarFax is definitely a good thing. Last year at Carlisle my buddy called his wife at home, she went to the CarFax web site, 15 minutes later we were driving home an LT4. SignatureShut up, Dave. -|>|- Diode -|<|- '68 L-79 Coupe '79 Triumph Bonneville snip > > it.... this would be another tip. Ask questions and do a lot of > > inspecting... you may find clues. What about "Carfax"...? I don't know [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > AJM > '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp I need to take exception here on the statement "If the car had ever been wrecked there would have been a record, etc". I hit a deer with my '98 and all of the places that was supposed to put and estimate on it for the insurance companies will go with the serial number to do so. No estimates, I buy the parts from a dealer, fix the car myself, (new front end). Later I get this bug in my butt for the Commemorative Edition and traded it. A fellow club member saw it on the lot and buys it. When he drives it to the next meeting he sees mine and said he had no idea he just got my old one. He had no information from CarFax that showed any collision damage. CarFax is not always correct and if the insurance doesn't pay a claim or a shop doesn't fix it and put that information on the computer, CarFax is wrong or not complete. Then there is the other side where a dealer will make a blind repair to a customers car and load it to the computer so they will get the manufactures warranty payment. When , in fact, nothing was done to the vehicle at all. Lots of legal issues there that I can't verify with facts, (no longer have the paper trail), only what I've seen happen in the past. To sum it up, there are ways around CarFax and ways that it don't get the correct information it needs to be accurate. Information is still key, and if the responsible person doesn't load it or has no idea where the parts are going, CarFax is not going to have the right information. The statement would be more correct if it had said "If the car had ever been wrecked there's a chance there is a record, etc." Who and what runs CarFax, could it be the same people that set up the computer system for the Flor-duh voters and wiped out all of the records on the first official election last year? SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd > snip > > > it.... this would be another tip. Ask questions and do a lot of [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > computer system for the Flor-duh voters and wiped out all of the records on > the first official election last year? Yes, the statement was too broad. CarFax gets information from lots of places. If a car has flood damage and insurance pays there should be a record. If the car has a "rebuilt" title, there will definitely be a record. Yes, there will be no record if someone really whacks a car and rebuilds it himself from parts bought from a dealer or salvage yard. But in large $ wrecks there is usually insurance involved and if so, CarFax should show a notation of it. Did the police investigate your deer collision and file a report? If so, there should have been a record CarFax could access. I'm not shilling for CarFax, nor am I saying it's perfect. I'm saying it's easily worth 20 bucks. It is also worth $100 or whatever the cost to have an trusted mechanic check out a potential purchase for evidence of things CarFax would never know about. AJM '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp snip >Did the police investigate your deer collision and file a > report? If so, there should have been a record CarFax could access. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > AJM > '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp You give the reporting procedure, and the police, way to much credit. First off the crime rates and the accident rates have been going down because they are reporting less of those that happen. Man power shortages, gets the blame most of the time, but lazy and political pressure would be more correct. I was involved in an accident in Toledo Ohio with a friend as the driver. Moving violation on his part and he wanted a report for insurance reasons, damage under $2,000 on his vehicle. He couldn't beg a report out of the police and he (we) even went to the station to get one and they said "forget it, we ain't writing a report". As far as a police report on hitting a deer, they won't even talk to you. Let alone drive out to the scene. Now if you shoot it, cut it's throat, or choke it to death, to get it out of it's misery, you'll be arrested for poaching, illegal use of a firearm, or any other firearms, hunting, violation they can get you for. That is politically correct and makes all of the soccer moms, PETA, wimps, Brady, and Barbara Finestine happy. The trusted mechanic is your only bet, CarFax is only a guess at best, but it sure is making money for CarFax. Hummmm, could that be its purpose? Both the mechanic and the CarFax are used for people that want to blame someone else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do anymore. SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd Snip > The trusted mechanic is your only bet, CarFax is only a guess at best, but > it sure is making money for CarFax. Hummmm, could that be its purpose? Both > the mechanic and the CarFax are used for people that want to blame someone > else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do > anymore. Just wanted to add that's it's getting harder to get a mechanic to give you an opinion that has any paper work included with it. I won't anymore because it gives the person the license to do what ever they want with the car and if it breaks it's your fault, not theirs, and then expect you to fix it, no charge. Used auto buyers are shooting themselves in the foot and they will have to pay the piper sooner or later. Hope there are some competent mechanics left when they wake up. SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd > snip > >Did the police investigate your deer collision and file a [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > AJM > > '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp <snip> > The trusted mechanic is your only bet, CarFax is only a guess at best, but > it sure is making money for CarFax. Hummmm, could that be its purpose? Something wrong with making money now? They provide a guarantee on odometer problems under which, if they miss any DMV report, they will pay 110% of KBB value of the vehicle. The guarantee also applies to vehicles that had been totaled, returned under lemon laws, or had fire/flood damage. After which I would hope they would go after the seller who knowingly had an inaccurate title notarized. > Both the mechanic and the CarFax are used for people that want to blame someone > else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do > anymore. Your last statement is as inaccurate as mine was about vehicle damage. Not everyone is a car expert. There are a lot of disreputable people and dealers. The things I mentioned are cheap insurance. AJM '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp Snip > > else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do > > anymore. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > AJM > '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp Sorry your opinion is inaccurate, have you been in court lately. I took a jerk to court to prove he was at fault while he was driving his car and damage it. I didn't win but I got it settled without to much cost and no way for him to come back on me for the total damages. My last statement stands, the court decides that, you don't. There are a lot of disreputable people buying cars also. Cheap insurance is just that, cheap, try to get a settlement. Yes, there is something wrong with making money the insurance way. SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd > Snip > > > else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > settlement. Yes, there is something wrong with making money the insurance > way. But your argument is circular. You're deriding people for not taking responsibility for making good buying decisions But when they try to use methods available to avoid bad decisions, you deride that. People are going to buy used cars, some out of necessity, and not every buyer knows enough about cars to make a good decision independently. So they look around for help. Even if they think they know a lot, there are still some that will be taken in by "operators". It's a lot worse in other areas than autos - antiques come to mind. Heck, there are arguments among experts over the authenticity of million-dollar paintings. Here's an example. I wanted to buy a Civil War musket. I went to some auctions and looked at some guns, decided I didn't know enough. I knew the auction company to have a good reputation, but how much did THEY know about 140-year-old guns? I did some research, in a University library, on the web. I thought I knew enough, and was ready to buy. But then a librarian at the University told me about a local Civil War re-enactors organization and suggested I sit in on one of their meetings. They were eager to help, and I then found out I still didn't know much at all. It can be almost as complicated as "numbers-matching" Corvettes. Eventually I bought a gun. Not the greatest gun, but it is genuine, and it is good enough for me to use as a display piece in the den. I have to buy some parts (ramrod, rear sight, a bayonet) to finish it off, but thanks to advice from people who REALLY knew, I got a decent example at a decent price at the auction. There's no way everyone can be expert enough not to get taken. Things like CarFax and an independent mechanic's inspection are tools that can help people make better decisions. AJM '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp > > Snip > > > > else for a bad buying decision. Nobody is responsible for what they do [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > to buy used cars, some out of necessity, and not every buyer knows enough > about cars to make a good decision independently. Snipped> AJM > '93 Ruby coupe, 6 sp We disagree again, it's not an argument, but just some more information to allow someone to make a more informed decision. Yes, I will always look poorly on people that won't accept their reasonability for the decision they make. If they were making good buying decisions everything is fine, if it turns out bad, it isn't their fault. That's what I'm talking about, an adult has to accept both the good and bad decision he makes. Not revel in the good ones and blame someone for the bad ones. SignatureDad 04 C5 CE Z51 72 Shark Black/Black/4spd So, the answer to my question was "no, there is not a way to tell if the odometer has surpassed its mechanical limit." hee hee Seriously, thanks for the responses and the additional information. Ryan > > Blah Blah argue argue |
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