Hey guys, I'm in the market for an S2000 but I wanted to ask the forums here if something looks fishy to you as well. I pulled a carfax report on a car I've been eyeing and it returns me this..

The seller seems like a legit person. I doubt that he would have put 45k miles on the car in ONE year so right now I'm leaning towards a mistake being made on the part of someone entering the data into a computer.

11/03/2010 44,730
Sometown, Somewhere
xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxxxhonda.com Electrical system checked
12/07/2011 89,076
Sometown
xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxxxxhonda.com Electrical system checked
Brakes checked
Oil and filter changed
Engine/powertrain computer/module checked
04/16/2012 59,733
Sometown, Somewhere
xxx-xxx-xxxx
xxxxxhonda.com New key(s) cut and programmed

MILEAGE INCONSISTENCY


I'm just wondering .. if the owner put in a new dash then will it require a new key? That's why it would be reading this? I don't know anything about the S2000 immobilizer but I'm wondering if they possibly could have..

Ripped out the dash / odo cluster, and then got new keys for it so they can start the car?

 

What does the owner tell you the mileage is currently? If the cluster was replaced from a dealer they would have matched up the milage to what it was supposed to be. He could have easily bought a cluster from someone else that read lower miles and thrown that one on (I believe). I wouldn't think a new cluster would need new keys cut and programmed, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

 

During a potential theft the thief could have damaged the ignition cylinder and than stole the gauge cluster? Only thing I can think of that would keep the seller honest- minus a typographical error.

 

New ECU = New Key.
New Dash = odd mileage.

It is common to see a discrepancy in mileage reports. People misread, mistakes in updating, entering a number from memory, ect. I would imagine then that the only number to be incorrect would be the first one. Making the number 49,076. If those mileages seem right to you and consistent with the wear and tear on the car then don't worry about it. Truth is, you will never know for sure.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys.

The car has a clean no accident/no theft title according to Carfax. I'm pretty sure the car has been garaged so I am not really worried about theft or flooding.

So a new ECU is the reason for new keys... good to know.

The owner did say that he needed an extra set of keys for his car though so I guess if he did that at Honda it would make sense. The owner says there are 60k miles on the car. It is a 2007 so it

is believable too.

HOWEVER, he did say that he had to get the dash touched up because some glue was spilled on it while he was fixing some holes in the top. I guess that's what sparked the caution flag in my mind too since the odo. is right there...

From the pictures it really does look clean.

I haven't seen the car in person yet since he lives quite a distance away but I'm hoping he can get the error fixed and if not.. I will just have to move on.

 

Can the owner show you shop receipts that show the progression of the mileage?
I have a 1988 truck with 65,000 miles on it, and a buyer might think it was 165,000, but I have receipts that show over the years the mileage has been increasing regularly, but slowly. A few years I drove less than 100 miles a month.

 

I personally will stay away. No matter how honest he will be, if I bought it, I would always wonder if he was even telling the truth. And if you did plan on selling it, how can you sell it with all those problems the previous owner had?

Just pass on it and look for something else.

 

Update: Actually the seller went to the Honda dealer and was able to show me the service receipts where the tech most likely keyed in the wrong information. That's why it's reporting as higher miles to Honda. Somehow I get the feeling that this one is a mistake. 45,000 miles on the car in one year sounds ridiculous as well.. but not impossible...

 

I've had an experience like this when buying a car. With my S2000, the carfax said that in one month the mileage went from 60,000 to 280,000... Needless to say, I disregarded that and bought the car because it was a great car with a maintenance history and no mechanical issues. (The car runs great and I haven't had a problem in the last 2 years) My advice is don't trust carfax down to the very letter/number, but make your own educated decision. I have seen a couple strange carfaxes and I am willing to bet in some cases the records are incorrect.

 

Carfax is just there to help, I would base my opinion on how well the car actually runs and etc. BUT, it might be harder for you to sell later on because potential buyers might go through the same thing you are and think there's some fishy stuff going on.

New keys cut and programmed could just be him losing a key or wanting an extra set or something.