How do I find out how many original miles are on an old car?

Question

Some odometers on old cars dont have the one hundred thousandth digit spot to show if the car is over 100k miles. Does the odometer just go back to 00,000 once it reaches 99,999 miles. I am interested in buying a car and the odometer said 67,000, but how do i know its not really 167,000? HELP!!

Answer 1

Yes on older cars it does start all over again. You can do a title search for past owners. Most titles show the mileage. some have a A,B,C A= original mileage B= exceeds mechanical measure C= true mileage unknown. Basic rule if the owner of a classic car can't show well documented mileage--then they don't get the higher value

Answer 2

Well if no records are avaiable Car Fax . D.M.V. etc. Then you have to look real close even if a car has been taken care of well you can still see stuff. Look on the oppiside side of the steering wheel look for wear it takes a long time to wear that side down, look hard at the seat although it can be changed , if it hasnt you can see a break down right where you get in, the outside part of the seat may show more slope then the rest. Look at the floor pedels it takes along time to wear down the rubber caps on the pedels clutch and brake.Check out where somebody usually rests their right arm console wear and discoleration. Check out the carpeting. Women who wear high heels to work will bore a hole through the carpeting, that takes about 80 thousand right there.. If it is a back east car although it wont take long it does take a while from salt on the road, check the rust under the car, check out the trunk look for wear in the carpeting. Just look ,the car will tell you a story good luck.

Answer 3

You don't. You make an educated judgement call on it. If the car is in primo condition and owned by an older person, chances are it has less miles on it than a younger individual driving the same vehicle that was in rougher condition. You look at tire wear, pedal pad wear, carpet wear, just general wear. Besides, what does it matter, if the car is in great shape, no matter what the miles, it is in great shape.
MY car has a fault in it in that there is a gear in the speedo that breaks naturally and the odometer stops around 120000K Speedo still works.

Answer 4

I bought a 1974 F-100 and the mileage said 18,952, at first i thought that those were the original miles but soon checked the titles that had been transftered and found out that the truck had 118,952 miles. but it didn't look like it had rolled over. it had a 5 digit display. you may want to try and find/contact the owners of the car. For me I only had to call my grandfather who bought(1980-1982) the truck then sold it and i found it in the local paper.

I hate to tell you but carfax doesn't always tell you the info you need to hear. they told me that my 74 should have 75,000 miles but it didn't equal out right. so i went to the previous owners and asked them what miles were on when they bought it.

Answer 5

look very closely at the odometer. if the numbers are ever so slightly out of alignment, chances are, it's over 100,000 miles. If you cannot see it for yourself, take it to a reputable mechanic, and/or dealership..they should be able to tell with certain accuracy.

Answer 6

What kind of car, what year, and what kind of shape is it in?? It might also help to know what country you're in. Give me more information. Some cars, 167K miles is no big deal if they've been well maintained. OTHER cars 67K is about as far as they can go without an overhaul if they've been abused-(Police, fire, fleet cars, taxi cabs, military, or government vehicles are driven HARD and not well maintained..)

Answer 7

Try carfax.com just need a VIN number of the car