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phantomlake1 · 04-30-2007, 08:17 AM

Just recently bought a 1971 Cutlass Supreme from out of State. First vintage car we've owned, as neither of us are "car" people, but wanted a fun car for the summer. The car was advertised to have just over 30,000 miles on it. The interior had some dry rot (we were okay with that) and it needed a little body work although it had a fresh paint job.

We took the car to a show this weekend and a guy came up and talked to us about it. He looked the car over up and down, inside and out. We told him we knew it needed a little work, but were okay with that because the mileage is so low.

He said "I think I have some bad news. I believe the car has many more miles on it". He showed us the lower right corner of the brake pedal was worn, the ignition key was quite warn, the chrome edge on the steering wheel was worn, and the engine and transmission DON'T MATCH!!!

I contacted the seller, and he says he believes the car to have 30,000 original miles. He also has a 1969 Cutlass of his own. He said he's going to talk to the guy he got it from, etc. and will get back to me.

We contacted a Goodyear garage this morning and asked if they would have someone that could look at it, and certify that it was their opinion the mileage reflected on the odometer wasn't accurate. They said their technicians could look at components of the car (brakes, etc) and give their opinion, but would be difficult to certify their thoughts.

Does anyone have other ideas on what else we can do? Are there other more telltale things on the car that would indicate the mileage is more than the odometer shows? It is a 5 digit odometer. I don't believe it to be rolled back, but think it may be 130,000 real miles. There are no oil change stickers or other documentation, and the title for the car exempts mileage reporting because of the age of it.

Would really appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks.

04-30-2007, 08:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
phantomlake1 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2	Signs of inaccurate mileage? Ideas? Just recently bought a 1971 Cutlass Supreme from out of State. First vintage car we've owned, as neither of us are "car" people, but wanted a fun car for the summer. The car was advertised to have just over 30,000 miles on it. The interior had some dry rot (we were okay with that) and it needed a little body work although it had a fresh paint job. We took the car to a show this weekend and a guy came up and talked to us about it. He looked the car over up and down, inside and out. We told him we knew it needed a little work, but were okay with that because the mileage is so low. He said "I think I have some bad news. I believe the car has many more miles on it". He showed us the lower right corner of the brake pedal was worn, the ignition key was quite warn, the chrome edge on the steering wheel was worn, and the engine and transmission DON'T MATCH!!! I contacted the seller, and he says he believes the car to have 30,000 original miles. He also has a 1969 Cutlass of his own. He said he's going to talk to the guy he got it from, etc. and will get back to me. We contacted a Goodyear garage this morning and asked if they would have someone that could look at it, and certify that it was their opinion the mileage reflected on the odometer wasn't accurate. They said their technicians could look at components of the car (brakes, etc) and give their opinion, but would be difficult to certify their thoughts. Does anyone have other ideas on what else we can do? Are there other more telltale things on the car that would indicate the mileage is more than the odometer shows? It is a 5 digit odometer. I don't believe it to be rolled back, but think it may be 130,000 real miles. There are no oil change stickers or other documentation, and the title for the car exempts mileage reporting because of the age of it. Would really appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.