Very low mileage older car - should I be suspicious?

[Jonathan M]

Having totalled my car yesterday (whilst travelling at 30-35mph on an A road, an ultra-sudden obstacle in the form of a SUV shot out almost immediately in front of me - big bang, airbag inflation, write-off job, other guy's insurance paying out and funding the hire car), going to look at an identical make/model/year vehicle to my own now-dead 2002 120k car, but with a claimed 40k on the clock!?

Is it feasible, firstly that a 15 year old car can only have averaged 2,700 miles per year over three owners, and secondly for a modern digital odometer to be tampered with, either during its life or just before sale?

Cheers

Jon

PS yes, I'm fine, thanks - safety belt, airbag, head-support all worked correctly.

PPS the Acrowot needs a minor repair to the fin!

[Jon H]

That sounds pretty nasty. Note that your bmfa insurance will also cover you in this case as you had the model in the car and i assume were doing something model flying related. If so you are covered twice, isnt that nice!

Anyway i would be suspicious too but if the car looks tidy then it could be genuine. I bought my 2005 almera 5 years ago with only 38k on it. A check through the servicing history and MOT certificates revealed a few years of almost total inactivity. I suspect it belonged to an elderly person who only drove it to bingo once a week.

In any case if you can find some sort of evidence to backup the claim you should be fine. All modern MOT tests record mileage, as do kwik fit etc when they do any kind of servicing. ats euromaster noted my mileage on my service sheet even though i only dropped it in for an air con recharge (lovely and cool now by the way) so there must be something somewhere. If you have no paperwork or history i would walk away

[Dave Hopkin]

Also take a good look at the drivers seat and compare to the passenger seat - if its only done 40k there should be very little wear or sagging on the drivers seat - if its been clocked the seat may well show more wear that you would expect .... likewise look at the rubbers on the pedals they should show very little wear

[IanR]

I heard someone bragging, once, about how easy it was to tamper with the odometer with a laptop with suitable software. He had had his car done - dropped the mileage from 30 odd thousand to 18000 prior to selling.

I would get an experienced mechanic - perhaps someone from the garage where you have your cars serviced - to give the car the once-over. He might be able to tell from wear and tear how much use the car has had. Even little things like wear on the pedals, steering wheel, carpets, seats etc not to mention mechanical parts.

[Frank Skilbeck]

My wifes 04 Mitsubishi Colt has just passed 27,000 miles , as John says check the service and MOT records, if it hasn't got them then it will depend on the overall conditions, if it looks like a 40,000 mile car then it probably is

[John Helling]

Depends on make and model of car.

I bought a Rover 25 on a 52 plate with 24000 on the clock, I had the car for over 5 years and only spent money on 2 tyres and a middle box.

I now have another 2005 on a 54 plate with only 39800 and it is a dream to drive.

They never were a boy racers car, and they never were bought by attention seekers, usually second car and not abused.

So there are still bargains in private sales but doo your homework.

John H

[Denis Watkins]

Same here guys, one of my cars is 2002 reg and is 43k, but like Jon says, I have the MOTs with mileages recorded.

Sadly, odometers can be messed with, but records do exist now for many years as insurance and MOT went online, and now Road Tax.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Cuban8]

TBH, I wouldn't be overly bothered by mileage. In my experience, cars that have had the 'little old lady treatment' i.e 2000 miles PA, never raced or rallied etc etc can turn out to be the worst pigs when you start to drive them normally. Cars are best used regularly and around 10-15K (genuine) miles per year about the ideal. Sympathetic use and regular servicing are the key, but how you might judge those characteristics in an older inexpensive second hand car with several owners is going to be difficult.

Don't discount higher mileage, newer cars - providing you can trace their MOT and service/repair history and use common sense, there are some very good buys around.

Edited By Cuban8 on 15/06/2017 15:51:56

[Neil67]

I am just about to change my car for an eight year old car with just over 35,000 miles on the clock. It's from a local, independent, reputable (allegedly) garage which has been in business on the same site since 1926. I asked for a double check on the mileage and was shown the MOT history and also a Car Passport which shows all the relevant agencies are happy that the mileage is correct. Checks, which others have suggested look ok - fingers crossed!

It's an estate for obvious reasons, but I don't do a lot of mileage as we have another car, but my trusty VW Passat Estate has a failing Dual Mass Flywheel (£1,800), faulty electrical hand brake which cost £69 to diagnose,plus a quote of £560 to fix, and to top it all when I indicate right or left it quite often operates the opposite indicators. Oh and VW have had three attempts at fixing a water leak in the front drivers foot well.

Good luck with your potential purchase.

Neil

[Chuck Plains]

I would say it still needs to be cheap due to it's age. But you haven't mentioned the make or model or the price. Those are always to be considered when the actual value of a vehicle is in question.

[Braddock, VC]

I bought a 51 plate car with 44000 miles on it. No problems.

A giveaway for a car with the mileage clocked is the headlamp lens, if plastic they should stay clear for at least 60 - 70 thousand miles, after that the shotblasting of rain and dust really clouds the lens. also www.gov.uk/check-mot-history should list all the mileages plus any failures and advisories, good for reference purposes.

[Cuban8]

Episodes of 'Can't pay? we'll take it away' regularly  have the high court enforcement officers serving writs on some appallingly dodgy car dealers. An education in where not to buy a car and they give decent traders (most are of course) a very bad name. Caveat Emptor.

Edited By Cuban8 on 15/06/2017 16:08:20

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[ken anderson.]

hello Johnathan.... don't let your head rule your heart...if you aren't 100% have a look around its a buyers market.....your dosh-spend wisely ...

ken Anderson...ne..1.... financial dept.

[Michael Ramsay-Fraser]

As stated above, don't consider it without checking the MOT history. It's highly unlikely to have been clocked within the first 3 years and every year thereafter, provided it's been MOT'd, the mileage should be recorded unless its been SORNED.

I've just bought a 13 year old car with 30k on the clock and it's an absolute beaut. If you're still unsure, ask for an RAC inspection.

[Andrew Dunn 1]

an MOT history check can be done here .... https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history will list mileages and failures/advisories

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Geoff S]

We have a 12 year old Mitsubishi Spacestar we've owned for 10 years and it has fewer than 40k miles on the clock. It's rarely used for short runs because we either walk, cycle or use the bus. We were going to replace it this year but the guy who does our MoT tests said we may as well carry on with it.

The annual mileage is recorded on the MoT certificates, which we have on file so we have proof that it's genuine. So yes, with reasonable evidence, an old car could well have done fewer miles than you'd expect.

Sounds a horrendous accident btw. Glad that the combined effects of the airbag and seat belt saved you from serious injury.

Geoff

Edited By Geoff Sleath on 15/06/2017 19:59:13

[Jonathan M]

Guys, that's all brilliant advice, thanks! How much a car has been actually driven is easily estimated by the state of the driver's side.

In the past my worst experiences have been with cars that have been 'stood' and higher-mileage examples (125k plus), even so-called 'long-life' makes like the older Merc estates, which failed much earlier than they should have and got very expensive when they did.

The best older car I've ever had was my 2002 Honda CRV 2.0 petrol, the very mount which is now in the knacker's yard. I bought it at 60k aged 10 in very good condition from a retired farmer, and put another 60k on it over 5 years, and my only major expense was a new front brake disk! While it lacked the long boot-space of an estate, its got good airy capacity and a versatile cavity in the back.

I like its upright sitting position (weak lower-back), good head-room (I'm tallish), and the slightly higher poise of a small AWD (better vision and less night-time glare on my local country roads). Petrol is fine for me despite its 28mpg average (I've loathed diesel ever since I was a cyclist in London and a motorcyclist everywhere else).

Which is why I want to replace it with exactly the same model of a similar age!

[Jonathan M]

The reason I had the Acrowot and accompanying gear in the back was because I was driving back from a three-hour RC aerobatics lesson with Colin Chapman in the Midlands.

There is only minor damage to the fin/rudder which is easily fixed. I had the fuselage secured down, nose-backwards with a bungee, and the flight-box etc was also secure in the back.

[Engine Doctor]

Sorry to hear about your crash .Its possible to find the low mileage cars now and again . General condition will tell you if its genuine . Get an HPI check from RAC or similar if your suspicious . On the negative side low mileage cars are not always such a bargain . Standing idle can have serious impact on things like brake discs , calipers and seals . Check for a good service record and that its has actually been serviced . Many owners ignore the oil changes as they think that standing idle it doesn't need an oil change. Also physically check the oil as I know of garages leaving oil in car if they know its only done a few miles since the last service . Look for any sludge in and around the oil filler etc .

I bought an old car with a friend many years ago that had one owner for over 20 years ,an Austin A40 Somerset. It had done less than 10,000 miles and for all intents and purposes was immaculate . It had also been serviced by the same garage all those years. The reason I'm telling this as follows . We decided to give it an oil change as soon as we got it home . The oil filter was a solid lump and had to be dug out of the canister .. Luckily the oil if you could call it that was being bypassed somehow to the engine. The sump plug was removed and no oil came out as it was full of sludge. We took the sump off and found nearly an inch of black sticky sludge in e bottom . The garage who had serviced it had not changed the oil in years and had ripped of the owner for the cost of the oil. With fresh oil the engine now smoked and rattled ! Not such a bargain.

This is not uncommon as a club mate recently bought a VW golf that had suffered similar abused at a main dealer.

So do a proper check and if OK enjoy.But do remember the saying"If it looks too good to be true it probably is "

[Jonathan M]

Good anecdote ED

I fitted a new diesel inboard to my wee old boat six years ago. I service it myself fully, including oil and oil-filter changes each year. Engine hours are now about 450, so that's an average of 75 hours a year (most of the time on passage is spent under sail if possible). That's very little useage in car terms, equivalent of driving for an hour a day for about ten days, but the acids etc in the oil still do damage if its not changed annually.

Although I've now got a courtesy hire car, I'm feeling a bit rubbish still, so won't go look at anything until next week.

[Robin Colbourne]

Jonathan M, I'm glad you got out of that in one piece. Did you get a bruised foot fro the brake pedal? A similar thing happend to me and my foot was sore for a few weeks.

With regard to low mileage older cars, we've had a few. A 19 year old Peugeot 205 diesel with 31000 miles is now 24 years old and has done another 50K, I put new pads and discs on it a year ago, and various tyres along the way. When we got it, I'm pretty sure one of the Michelin tyres on the back was an original. The MOT tester recommended changing it, and a nail a short while later made the decision for me. The car had had two elderly owners who each did very low mileages, but had it serviced fairly regularly. The comment about checking the condition of the upholstery made me smile. This one has denim, which Peugeot must have thought was a good idea at the time. The seat squabs now look like the knees of worn out jeans.

A Rover 45 was not such a great investment. It was about 14 years old with 36000miles, but then it did the usual K series thing of the head gasket going, just after getting a set of decent new tyres all round.

If you are in any doubt, get someone who's opinion you trust about cars to go with you to look at it. Print out the MOT History and use any advisories on them for haggling. Ultimately you have to take a few gambles in life, so if the car you have seen looks nice and the price is ok for the age and mileage, go for it.