Don't trust the odometer on a clean title. Check for rollback signs

Pulled a 2005 Civic last month in Phoenix. Seller showed clean title. Odometer said 118k. But brake pedal was worn at 160k level. Floor mats rubbed through. VIN check came back with a 2009 inspection at 143k. Someone rolled it back 25k. Easy $1500.00 mistake if I did not check. Ask for old emissions or oil change receipts. Any gap in records is a red flag. Those DMV printouts only show recent miles. Anyone else caught a rollback before?

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the_joseph7d ago

Read a story on a car blog about a guy who bought a low mile truck only to find the cluster had been swapped from a junkyard car. Turns out digital odometers are not much harder to mess with than the old mechanical ones. Service records with dates and miles are still the best proof you can get.

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