Odometer Tampered With?

[99tjadams]

So I stumble across a 93 lexus LS400 at a kia dealership, sticker price $15999, I am interested, salesman says he'll get me a deal:) $7500(canadian prices) I check the car out, they have to jump start it to get it running its been sitting so long. Test drive is excellent, car looks great, runs great, I notice some residue near power sttering pump filler neck, get girlfriend to turn wheels, no dripping, I guess thats good, the car looks as if an old couple has driven it its whole llife, spotless.

anyway long story short, the only thing wrong is the dash reads 177kilometers. salesman says that it has 133000kilometers. I walk away and find this site, learn about the faulty dash boards. I figure the dash had a problem and someone fixed it, resetting the odometer, I call lexus, they have four service records, 30000kms, 55000kms, 75000kms and the last one from 2004 for battery replacement at 102,000kms, So i figure yah, maybe they only drove it 10000 kms a year for the last 3 years.

Lexus says they cannot set forward odometers, and cannot stamp the door approving it for 133000kms.

Then i search a carfax report, this is what I get.

Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:

07/24/1993 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept.

New Westminster, BC Registration issued or renewed

08/08/1997 50,952 Vehicle Inspection Station

British Columbia Passed emissions inspection

Odometer reported as 82,000 kilometers

05/06/1999 62,758 Vehicle Inspection Station

British Columbia Passed emissions inspection

Odometer reported as 101,000 kilometers

06/05/1999 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

05/16/2000 65,865 Vehicle Inspection Station

British Columbia Passed emissions inspection

Odometer reported as 106,000 kilometers

06/05/2000 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

06/05/2001 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

05/28/2002 British Columbia

Ministry of Transportation Registration issued or renewed

05/06/2003 74,564 Vehicle Inspection Station

British Columbia Passed emissions inspection

Odometer reported as 120,000 kilometers

05/28/2003 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

07/13/2005 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

01/13/2007 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept. Registration issued or renewed

02/03/2007 British Columbia

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Coquitlam, BC Registration issued or renewed

New owner reported

I can't figure out how it could have gone to lexus in 2004 with 102,000kms when in 2003 it had 120,000kms

I'll have to call lexus back tommorow and make sure I heard them right.

I imagine the last transaction in feb 07 was the car being traded in to kia, how come this car has been sitting at the dealership for 2.5 months?

Another thing, in the lovebox were papers of the ownership being transferred in 1998, why didn't carfax pick up this transfer of ownership?

This is a great car, for a reasonable price, should I still buy it if it sounds fishy?

[lexus411]

Its a little heard for me to follow w/ the kilometers. What I see happening alot w/ carfax ALOTis when a dealer services the car and it had 89,000 miles. When it comes time for the tech or service advisor to input the info into the computer they will in most cases work from memory. So 89,000 becomes 98,000 easily. Compare the carfax and service history and if it seems that it is only one time where the miles were reported wrong and it looks like a logical mistake. It may be.

[99tjadams]

I'll keep that in mind, maybe lexus meant to record 120,000kms not 102,000 I guess it also seems funny that the car was driven only 4,000 kms(2400miles) per year for the last seven years, If it was owned by an old couple, who just used it to get groceries is this realistic?

[SKperformance]

Just contact the last owners they will have all the answers.

[TexasLexus94]

Sometimes it's not that easy to contact the previous owners, SK. My Lexus history report stopped at 70,000 miles, and I bought the '94 at 97,000 miles. Since I was wondering about any timing belt changes, as well as a possible radio code, I called the phone number listed on the last service report that I got from Lexus. Anyway, you would have thought I was a telephone predator. The people I called are quite wealthy here in Las Vegas, and were royally rotten to me. I ended up getting 3 calls, one from a security company, wanting to know how I got the owners number.

My point is simply that calling people out of the blue about their old car can be interesting. Oh, when I had the timing belt and water pump changed out, the mechanic said "Did you know that was not the original belt?" I can write it off since the water pump was leaking, and the belt was there for the changing.

The other thought is that the Lexus had been poorly maintained. Bulbs, plugs, wires, filters, antenna, especially brakes and rotors were worn out or broken. Must be nice to be rich......

[SKperformance]

Here the reports are handled by the government so i have always contacted previous owners before purchase to set my mind at ease.

[lexusnutt]

Look for another car. If one has doubts, they're usually justified.

Good luck!

[99tjadams]

I have the name and address of the last owner from reading an old reg. paper left in the glovebox, he lived in a really rich neighborhood, but for the life of me couldn't get the phone #. Timing belt was done at 101,000kms(60,000miles) hood lifters were shot, lightbulb in glovebox burnt out. I decided to walk away unless the dealer lowers the price, where I would then get it inspected by lexus. I kinda wanted a bmw 535 anyway.

[91LexusLS400]

My odometer stopped at around 270K, I noticed it pretty quickly and kept the mileage logged with the digital trip meter. Had it fixed and the repair guy asked me what I wanted the odometer to read. I added up all my logged mileage and he set it to that. So apparently the odometer can be adjusted. If the car is in good mechanical shape, drives and stops well it's probably a good car. Just negociate a better deal and buy it. I'm at 315K now, spent the money this past year to get everything up to par and it's off to drive another 200K or more!

[99tjadams]

I talked to the general manager, he talked to the mechanic who asked "did you jump start the car with a battery or a booster pack?, the high voltage spike of the booster pack could have done something to the circuit board and reset it."

As the salesman did use a booster pack, I asked lexus if this was possible, they said no, it also doesn't seem likely because you would think if it did reset, it would go to zero, not 177.

Im going to ask him to drop the price, otherwise im walking.