RyanFink

I just got the title to my '62 F-85 from the PA DMV. All good except the mileage if off by 13000 miles! Car has under 35k, title says over 48k miles. I know what happened. It got screwed up at the Notary. The mileage had not changed since the previous owner bought it 5 years ago. The notary said the mileage cannot be same as the previous title. Owner said, "well, then add around fifteen to it." I knew he meant 15 miles, but apparently the notary assumed around 15 thousand miles. Mileage is not listed on the pink slip, so I didn't see the error until today. I actually did not know the mileage when we went to transfer the title, I only knew it was under 50k, so I signed everything.
Given that I am getting classic plates, and matching insurance, I'll be limited to 2k a year, so if I need to sell this in the next 8 years, it's going to indicate a mileage rollover, or odo tampering.
I have receipts from 2004 with 32000 miles, and 2007 with 34800. But nothing between then and now, other than the odometer reading of 34815.
Not even sure where to start, or if it can even be changed now. I guess I'll give the notary a call first.
I don't plan on selling, but sh*t happens. If I need cash fast it'll have to go, and I don't need complications causing me to lose a sale, or money in that situation. The car has been painted, and interior replaced, so it's not all original, but being 50yrs old with 35k vs 48k makes a difference in value (does it?).
Has anyone had the mileage changed on a title? Or should I just let it go?

sixty9olds

Let it go. Most states don't keep track of milage on a car that old. Besides, how do you know it doesn't have 135,000 miles on it?
Just drive it and have fun. If I were buying it from you, I would assume that it has at least 135k miles on it, even if you presented receipts for 2004. Just my 02 cents.

AZ455

I agree. When I went and got the title switched over to me for my Olds, the woman at the MVD said they really don't care about mileage for cars this old. I told her it said 80,000 and she added a 1 in front. I really have no idea, speedometer wasn't functional when I got it, and who knows how long it had been sitting at the same mileage. That's in Arizona anyway.

hurst68olds

Get it straightened out if you can. ASAP While all parties are familiar with the transaction. Either you will have issues with insurance for the limited mileage or the next registration will have issues with the need for more than the indicated mileage.

Dave Siltman

Absolutely FIX the problem!!!!!!!!! One of the biggest factors in determining a car's value is documented mileage. If the car DOES have true and documented low miles such as you say yours does, then that car sure is worth more than one that has signficantly more miles, or miles that are unknown. The FEDERAL odometer act was put in place to keep "less than honest" people from turning the miles back on a car---they did this for one reason and one reason only----to make it more desirable and seemingly worth more money. If when you bought the car the title was transferred into your name and the mileage was described as "exempt", "inaccurate", or "not actual miles" by different codes on that title, I would say leave it alone because it was already TMU (true miles unknown), BUT if the title shows "ACCURATE" or "ORIGINAL" miles, by ALL MEANS NECESSARY fix the problem. If you don't--- you can be ( not saying you will be) guilty of a FEDERAL crime----ODOMETER FRAUD.
I'm in the automobile business (and have been for a loooooong time----even before this law was enforced) and am merely trying to shed some light on this touchy situation. As always, until next time..... Dave.

vette442

Totally agree. It has nothing to do with the state's requirements, it has to do with the potential future value of the car based on the actual mileage. If the mileage was actual without the "Exceeds mechanical odometer limits" box checked, get it corrected ASAP. I had that happen with an 18K mile '85 Corvette that I bought and the notary just blindly checked the box since the car was 20+ years sold. She had to jump through some hoops to fix it but that was not my problem....
Terry

jaunty75

I'm on the side of "get this fixed if you can, but it probably doesn't matter." When I got my '67 Delta 88, the mileage on the odometer was 29,000, which the seller told me was actually 129,000. But when I got the car titled (in Ohio), the DMV office didn't bother to put the mileage at all in the slot where that goes. They just wrote, because it's only a 5-digit odometer, "exceeds mechanical limits". So my title is no indication at all of the mileage on the car at the time of purchase. If I want to document its mileage, I have to find some other way to do so.

In your case, you want the correct mileage because your car really is low mileage. But, both because the odometer has only five digits and because the car is so old, regardless of what the odometer says, there will likely always be some doubt in some people's minds as to what the true mileage really is. You should find other ways to document its low mileage, such as low wear to mechanical parts, seats, pedals, etc. that would normally be well-worn on a car with more miles on it.