Hot Rods Low mileage claims from sellers -WTF?

I bought an old park truck many years ago that showed 23K miles on the odometer which I figured was 123K. It was a 63 F100 and the three speed transmission had a hole in the side that a park worker made when he jammed in reverse while it was still moving forward. The truck was really beat up but otherwise ran good. I got another transmission for it. It was when I went through the brakes, it still had the original clips on the drums as well as the other hardware. There were a few other items that made me figure it really had 23K and not 123K. The truck was around 20 years old when I got it but it was a mess cosmetically from the rough use it got.

 

My 1st job, back in 1972 was at a 3 bay gas station that was one of the best auto repair places in town at the time. Back then, it was pretty unusual to see any car make it to 100,000 miles that was still running well. Most the cars on the road in 1972 were considered high mileage cars when they made it to 80K, probably less then 10-15% made it to that 100K mark.

Low mileage was important then, but how well it was cared for was equally important. A low mileage car that was not well taken care of was less desirable then an average miles car that was taken care of. Cars that were not taken care of deteriorated pretty quickly back then, it was not real unusual to see real 40-50K mile cars in junk yards, and for the most part, it was pretty easy to see why they were there. Don't assume that car per 80s car you are looking at with the odometer reading 40K means 140K, most would have never made it that far and it would be pretty easy to tell the difference.

As much as we may hate to admit it, it really took the fuel injected cars of the mid-late 80s before a 100K car was more or less common. Gene

 

Car in the first post I'd believe 9000 miles if I could see the steering wheel and pedal pads. It looks straight and clean. I wouldn't run it off the gas tank if it's been parked for decades. It's weathered to be sure but it's not beat all to shit.

I go to state surplus auctions a lot and I've seen some legit low miles vehicles that look beat to hell. There was a 1989 Ford Ranger at one in the spring with all of 21,000 miles, it wasn't too awful bad but the wheel arches had rotted and been bonded once and there were some other things. One of the last with a 5 digit odometer but the state claimed it was documented. It still only sold for $500. The next one a 2000 van had 25,000 miles and it actually looked the part, it was clean inside and not rusty. But I've seen others with fairly low miles that went right to the scrapyard, they were junk.

Usually sitting is terrible for a car unless it's climate controlled.

 

The point I was making is unless you owned it from Day #1 or had annual registrations that showed the incremental changes in mileage, you don't know. He is talking about 250 miles per year until it went off the road in 1978. If you can't prove it don't say it. That being said it's a nice start for a rod. When I finish the Buick I want a '36/37 Plymouth or Dodge for a hemi project. That's why I was trolling eBay

 

I fail to see any relevance of mileage on the car in the OP. A car of that age and visual condition is what it is, odometer be damned, even if it is correct. Age alone is a major contributor to deterioration of most complex machines, perhaps more so than accumulated mileage on a regularly driven vehicle.

For a 1936 Plymouth, as pictured, IMO it simply doesn't matter.

 

Ten years ago I bought a 31 Buick with 17,000 miles on it that looked about the same, but had more original paint. The previous owner bought it in 1954 for parts for his 35,000 mile(in 2009) 31 Buick. It was sitting when he bought it, then garaged at his parents house for 30 years, before being parked in an open garage for another 20. It last ran in 1984, but with an external fuel line and a gas can. I got it running and driving in a couple hours. There was documentation to support the miles, it even had a yellow 56 plate on the front. He had passed, so I bought it from his daughter, who I had known since 1985, and had told me about the car in 86 when her dad brought it home. Although deteriorated from sitting, the interior did not show excessive wear on the pedals or seat, and many other factors supported the low miles. Although she was very aware of what she had, and had been very involved with her dad, she never mentioned the miles. it was just her dads car that she had to get rid of, The other 31 Buick is sitting in her garage to this day, but hasn't moved in 8 years.They do exist.

 

I believe the original miles distinction means that the engine has never been cracked open

 

Perhaps, and that would be a good ‘standard definition’ were it understood as such. But for old vehicles it seems more likely that the term is seen by Sellers as a marketing tool without any definition beyond the Buyer’s interpretation.

 

Yeah, but you could fake it for most people. Get a car driven by a salesman so lots of miles in a short time. Seatcovers protect the upholstery, replace the pads on the pedals, clean the engine bay, slightly used tires,stuff like that. Awful lot of effort probably unless you were selling a 6 figure car and then the buyer'd expect detailed receipts. Could be done but easier to find a don't-know-it-all.

 

If it doesn't look like a low mileage original it probably isn't. Very few owners would park a low mileage car and have it weather as the o/p example. It looks like a fair old Plymouth that someone picked up with 09,000 miles on the odometer and an unknown history. That is why they started to have odometers read in the 100,000s rather than the 10,000s, coupled with more strict rollback laws, to show actual accrued miles. Real low mileage usually means very nice condition from my experience.

 

My dad had an OT Ford pick up that he bought new in 72. The odometer stopped at 599.9 miles. 5 years later as he was getting ready to trade it in, he cracked open the speedometer. He rolled it forward to read around 90K miles to reflect something more realistic in relation to the condition it was in. I think it actually started working again on the way to the dealership. I went with him and I don't recall anything being asked about the mileage on his truck, nor anything in the paperwork.

 

I agree here. That car looks dam solid to me. If I wanted that car I wouldn't even pay attention to the odometer.

When advertising on eBay the form that eBay wants completed asks for mileage. I suspect that a person that has been trained in a government run school would feel obliged to fill in every blank on the form without question.

 

I worked in power plants for 45 years. The pickups we used to drive around the plants were beat to hell but none, I repeat none of them got over 10,000 miles in 10 years usually less. They were always step sides.

 

As said in post 35, it’s of no relevance to that car !
But I do question the use of the term “all original”, - that I don’t understand.
To me the term all original means as driven out of the factory.

 

That could very well be, however I would simply refer to the engine having been rebuilt and having x number of miles. Say the car has 100 000 miles but the engine was rebuilt at 50 000 are the second 50 000 not original? In my head that is a car with 100 000 on it with a rebuilt engine that has 50 000, that's just how it makes sense in my head. However some scary stuff goes on in there...

 

Agreed. Unless you're just going to flip it that info (if provable) is worthless. Also, If the odometer has been turned over the digits are usually a bit misaligned. It also amazes me on these "reality" shows that folks buy cars without even getting under them. That is a major consideration on condition. Bring a jack, some stands and a flashlight.

 

That is very true. If a car was on a farm it might not be used for weeks. Nobody drove it to work every day. When they went somewhere it was in a truck. Many older cars weren't driven 100,000 miles. When I was little, my dad drove his truck to work and my mother would drive her car once a week to get groceries, maybe 5 miles round trip. If we went somewhere on weekends we would take it but it never got many miles on it.

 

The dealer I worked at had a plow truck that only had about 15,000 miles but it was beat and rusted severely,it was a one year old trade in when they started using it for the plow truck. I went with a friend to look at a car that was real nice for the money (500 dollars I think) and it had a little over 100,000 miles and his parents thought I was nuts for letting him buy that car,he drove it for a few years before getting hit and it totaled.

 

My two trucks are under 40k but no doubt tough roads. Mileage never factored in, just the body. Neither truck had mileage even mentioned when offered for sale

 

Bought a 49 and 50 dodge coupe from 2 separate sellers..one in New Jersey , other in Long Island...Both , Both have around 60,000 miles on the odometer...looks legit to me..ill check speedo cables ...

 

Low miles on a car can also be detrimental if they are never driven enough to warm up. I got my dad's 67 Fairlane that had only about 50000 miles on it. But he only drove it once or twice a week near by in town, never even getting warm. When I got it I had to rebuild the engine because the pistons would move side to side in the bore. The transmission would drain the fluid out the vent because the seals were no longer good, so low mileage didn't help it other than it having a nearly new body/interior.

 

having BEEN AROUND OLD CARS MY WHOLE LIFE, I HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT Model A`s usually have around 10,000 miles on them . Cars from the early 50`s have about an average of 50 thousand miles. Cars from the 80`s have about 100 thousand miles on average. . When parked and not driven since because they were outdated and upgraded for a more modern car. Today, 200 thousand miles is not uncommon. I only drive my modern pickup about 7 thousand miles a year. We put about 5 thousand on the wife van cause lately we`ve been driving the daughters car a lot. Here is a pic of a 65 model with only 17000 miles on the spedo for sale in the classifieds. Bought out of California and had been sitting in Arizona.

 

When I see a 50 year old car, advertised with 30,000 "original" miles, the seller better be able to back it up with proof. Period.

 

and on the other side of thinking, i would rather have a post hamb mercedes with 200k on the odometer than 70k......some [most?] cars are better when driven and maintained than just sitting around.

 

The term "original miles" indicates that to odometer has not gone past 100,000 miles, so the mileage shown on the odometer is the actual or "original" mileage for the car.

 

My '64 Catalina 2+2 has just under 73K miles. Can't prove they are original but interior would indicate it to me.

 

So any miles after 100,000 are not original? What are they called? To me, miles are miles, however this is serving no purpose, just stuff rolling around in my head!!

 

Last December bought an OT '89 F150 with 57k miles to haul old rusty-greasy project stuff, but it looked good inside and out. Engine was dusty but hasn't even leaked a drop. Emailed the company in the company sticker on the doors and their response jived with mileage. Final proof was the mileages listed in CA's database for every-2-years smog test. Bought an OT 1981 Yamaha XS-650 that was pristine with original tires @ 2850 real miles. I like buying low mileage stuff off of Craigslist, but I'm quick to call BS.

 

Here's one for you guys.
My wife's '55. It looks very clean and straight. The odometer shows 43,492.
The car is driven very little. Would you believe it's actually 143,492?
Try 343,492!!!!!
How could we possibly know? Because her Mom bought it new, given to wife 47 years ago. It was a good running car then, and it passed state inspections. Back then if you were lucky it was worth about $150-$200.
Doing the math, that 343,492 actual mileage figures out to about 5400 miles/year.
That same car in 1972 a restaurant manager asked us to "please park that old car on the back lot, not in front". It wasn't until years later that 55,6,7 Chevys became iconic, more that Ford, Nash, Chrysler. Not that it was better, they certainly were less expensive than even the Buick, Olds, Pontiac at the time, even more so than Packard (which was soon to disappear).
In the 1980s our personal property taxes went way up because of that car. I called the Governor's office explaining her Mom paid taxes when new, then a descending amount each year until the 70s when valuation was nothing, then by happenstance valuation started climbing, surpassing price paid when new then surpassing a new car price at the time!!!!!
Soon after, our state passed the no old car tax which holds true today.

 

I have found that YEARS are often harder on a car than MILES (particularly with newer cars).

If you parked two running cars with 9k and 109k next to each other and walked away for 60 years they would both need a lot of the same stuff replaced.