was hoping to get an opinion on this situation; on the verge of purchasing a 1970 442 convertible,4 speed with a/c. excellent condition all around, no rot or rot repairs,a couple nicks here or there but overall very good inside,out,underneath.matching #s, runs and drives real good. was told the car had 95k on it, which is showing on the odometer. ready to exchange money and the title comes out with 195k on it. i'm sure it affects the value but how much? the car is $30,000 which i feel is a good price. any input is appreciated,jc

 

IMO it probably doesnt matter as long as the car has been restored, Ill bet 95% of all these 60s cars we see w under 100k on them actually have seen 1, 2 or 300k miles. w only a 5 digit odo and no inspection docs like there are now there is really no way to track actual mileage on these older cars other than the sellers word LOLz

if the car is a well cared for 195k miles w out any major rebuilds etc i would keep looking at 30k

 

What does the owner say about the discrepancy? Was it advertised as a 95k mile car? Was it a typo on the title when it changed hands. If its a typo it can be fixed.

 

the real story isnt available, a used car dealer has it now and he is saying he didn't notice it so he didn't ask.i dont believe this,i figure he bought it cheaper because of it but can't do anything about it. the car is very ,very nice and probably a 20 year old resto. been off the road 14 years. i think $30k is a good price for this car.

 

the title is almost 20 years old,i doubt the mass registry would even entertain that idea. mass rmv(not unlike others) is brutal to deal with. they made a mistake on the vin on a car of mine years ago and i had the paperwork to prove it, they still charged me $15 to amend the title.

 

While I agree that the price is probably fair if it is as nice as you say, the extra 100K miles might be good for a few thousand discount..........
He is in the car business, there is no way he wasn't aware of the mileage on the title. Did he misrepresent the car.........?

 

In most states cars over 10 years old ,the statement about miles is exempt.So accounting for what state the car was titled in,the odometer mileage simply may have not been filled in because of the age of the car. Larry

 

Dealer is bullshitting you. Play hardball.

 

Tough call, you might try waffling on the deal and see if they try to negotiate. I think the ***** in your court on this. Be nice and just hmmm n hummmm, play hard to get. See what they do.

 

X2 good advice.

 

I would not believe a word the salesman says and would inspect it thoroughly. Also like Eric says I would play hard to get and try and get a few bucks knocked off. If it has been fully restored at some point it sounds like a good deal but think if you go to sell in future that mileage may effect your return unless you fabricate information you do not know. Good luck

 

i know he's bullshitting; he's a used car salesman. he's already told me he wont go lower on the price. i see people asking sky hi prices for these cars but you don't know what they actually sell for. i think some of it is psychological,had he told me what the title said in the beginning i might feel different about it. probably overthinking this, it's a real nice car not some shitbox full of bondo that was just painted. someone did a nice job on this car for it to look this good after so many years. thanks for all the input

 

The question is how long has the dealer had it and how much have they discounted it from the original asking price? What is the potential interest in the car from others? You may be the only game at this point and it will be in their best interest to negotiate a bit more. If you are really into this one then by all means buy it. If not take a chance and ride it out a bit. I assure you, if you walk away they will call with offers.

Can you post a link to the ad? Maybe if we see what you see we can put your mind at ease. On the other hand, it will get picked apart and completely talk you out of it.

 

the car wasn't advertised,he's only had it two days. he called me on the car because we have a history and he knows i love oldsmobiles.he managed to weasel it out of some guys garage,i don't know how i didn't know about the car before him.that in itself pisses me off.trying not to let that bother me because i do believe the car is easily worth the money. mileage aside i think it's a great price.

 

I know in Michigan the seller enters the mileage that the odometer reads and then checks one of 3 boxes- 1) actual mileage, 2)exceeds odometer limits, 3)not actual mileage. I don't know the actual miles of my old cars, the previous owners wouldn't say for sure. One of my pet peeves is when a stranger says "nice car" then asks "How many miles are on it?" I answer " 97,000 or 197,000 I don't know for sure." But really how many major components are untouched? The engine and trans have been rebuilt, suspension, brakes,springs all been replaced.... What difference does the odometer reading mean on a collector car?? Unless its super low mile original car.

 

Then I would say there is room to negotiate, give it a couple of days if you want to take the chance.

 

Some states automatically assume that the car has at least 100,000 miles on it, and just put in that number plus what was actually written on the title. I purchased a 1963 car with 19K on the odometer. CT wanted to call it 119,000 miles on the registration, but I balked. I invited them outside to look at the car, and they declined, but they also dropped the push for the extra 100,000 miles.
If you like the car, and it is as clean as you say, then don't worry about the mileage. If it really bothers you about the mileage / value, then consult your insurance carrier and see what they say. If it were me, I would just buy it, and when the time comes to sell, I would give the explanation as I posted above.

 

A lot less than the asking prices.

Ebay lets you search on completed auctions. Try it. You'll see that the high-dollar cars almost never sell.

 

Have someone in the know look at it if you are not. There are tel-tail signs if its original. Look at the pedals. Are they worn? If so whats the amount of wear. Is the car overall tight or lose? How do the bushings in the chassis look. If it all looks new dont worry about it. Its been restored. If things look like a 100K car then Id be comfortable in thinking that's original mileage. Of course anyone can turn miles back or disconnect it for long periods back then. 30K clean and tight Id jump at 30K for a 70 stick car. Figure he paid 25 for it so offer 27.5 hell go 29 and you will settle on 28. Thats a deal.

 

No, you don't know. This answer says you just want us to be your justification for putting the money down. I just bought a car for 25% less than "the lowest they said they would go." Decide if you want it, decide if the mileage matters, then decide what you'll pay. If the dealer will not agree, walk.

 

the dealer knows you most likely won't walk away over the mileage discrepancy at that price....and it hardly affects value or resale value. He'll call your bluff. Just buy the car and then post pics.

 

If it were me, I'd walk.

It's only a car. They made millions of them. Getting stuck on buying one particular car is always a recipe for disaster.

The guy lied to you. You know it. You can't trust anything he says, and do not know anything about the prior owner(s).

If he comes down on price, and makes it worthwhile, then good.

If not, then walk away whistling and find another.

- Eric

 

lol viking do you work for your money ? theres no reason to give it away unless you have to much or your doing some good w it.

lets assume for a minute that at 30k these cars arent flying out the door. lets also say just for the sake of argument that maybe the dealer has started high thinking JC is olds centric and looking.

i vote for similar to kodas advice look at it pick it apart offer him 5 k or more less than asking price pointing out every flaw. dealer balks say ok and walk let him know your interested and tell himto call you after the weekend but you want to look at another car, then let him know this is the one your looking at...

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/5148783897.html

is it a 442 ? no is it 18k less? yes! is it the same car? essentially

if you want spend 5k or so for a sweet rebuilt 455 do it your still ahead of the game

every time i told a dealer im interested call me in a day or two they do i make an offer im comfortable w and every time i have come home w a new car on my terms obviously you have to be reasonable in terms of price and the car condition but i have scored some much better than original offered prices offered by the dealer

 

i think this thread got a little off topic,i was curious as to how much the higher mileage on the title would affect the value of the car not about the integrity(none) of the used car salesman.some of the answers addressed my question and some were more towards the salesman. i appreciate all the input and yes i do know he was bullshitting because his lips were moving.

 

This is a 45 year old car forget about the milage. Look at the car in question for the condition and quality. 30K for the car you describe sounds good weather 197 or 97. It's been restored/worked on refinished whatever, You are buying what you see.

 

I'd be more concerned about the fact that it's a 20 year old resto that's been hasn't been used for 14 years. These cars aren't happy sitting idle. For thirty grand you're probably going to have a lot to do.