Possibility of a rolled back odo?

[CMW403]

Hey guys,

New to the site, in the process of buying my first GTR.

One of the cars I am looking at is really clean, no rust excellent paint and body, owner claims 51,000km on original engine. The car is in a different city and I noticed in a picture that was sent to me that he has an aftermarket NISMO gauge cluster. Is there any possibility that the km's on the odo aren't true?

[Shane_Sawatzki]

its very possible. what is the mileage on the nismo cluster? did he install it brand new with 0000000 KM on it? what happened to the original cluster and how many miles were on that one? ask him those questions. if the nismo cluster reads 51 000 and he says thats all the car has, I would suspect it does have more than that.

Most people when installing a new nismo cluster will take photos before and after so they have proof of the mileage before swapping in the nismo cluster.

[Snake556]

Very possible. I'd check for documentation to back up the KM's. A lot of the time, the KMs will not be advanced to where they should be, but you never know. An owner wanting to take care of everything could have rolled them forward.

[Dragon Humper]

My ODO says 66000 but I got the orig. auction paperwork with my car and know that 82000 was the true milage. Nismo 320km/h speedo was put in at aprox 16000km. Always assume that the milage will be off if an aftermarket speedo is installed, it's up to the seller to prove otherwise.



Jon.

[archaeic_bloke]

Skylines and Odometers are a big joke, 90% of skylines have incorrect mileage showing on the clock.

It's not because people are mischievous and want to lie about miles though... MOST skylines in Canada have around 100,000 km's on them.

usually you can tell if the miles are accurate by comparing the stated mileage to the condition of the interior. if the seats, shift knob, e brake, leather trim, steering wheel, carpets look worn.. Id bet over 100,000 km... if they're in good shape then it's more likely a low km true car.

For vehicles with aftermarket gauge clusters - Like the Nismo you mention - (oem cluster reads up to 180 km/hr only) when those are purchased they come with 0km on the dial, so the most you can say about the car you're considering is it has AT LEAST 50,000 km... as thats what its been driven since the nismo gauge was installed. probably between 20,000 - 50,000 on the original cluster before the swap was made.

Some things that you should check when buying a skyline.

Look for a sticker on the front of the engine, this usually indicates the timing belt has been changed, which is usually done at 98,000 km

other then that, it's hit and miss buying a skyline sometime, you basiclaly just wanna make sure its in good condition, has no rust, and was properly maintained... service history is KEY. Also most important is a compression test, and a test drive.

Post up pictures, our keen eyes can catch details which may tell more of a story if you have pics?

Edit: as D.H said... Japanese Auction sheet usually shows mileage, but it won't help if the gauges was changed out prior to auction anyways.

[Woodly]

Ask him if he has the yearly(not sure if it's yearly or not actually, but something like that?) inspections from japan. It will show the mileage each time the vehicle was looked at or maintained etc. up to when the vehicle had the inspection to leave the country. This is the only way I know of actually knowing.

[CMW403]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The guy is now claiming that the new NISMO odo was correctly adjusted to the correct original kms when it was put in. Is this a load of bs?

[Snake556]

Hard to know without knowing the history of the car. I'd ask to see any service history/documentation the car might have. Also, check on the inside of the driver side door and/or on the front of the engine. Might be service stickers showing KM's on the vehicle at different times. If one says 97,975 from 2001 and then the next one from 2004 says 48,863, then you know there's an issue

[Bugsly17]

On my gts I could drive in reverse to roll it back, or use a square screw driver if the cluster was out.

[Snake556]

On my gts I could drive in reverse to roll it back

Ferris Bueller wishes he had your GTS :P

[archaeic_bloke]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The guy is now claiming that the new NISMO odo was correctly adjusted to the correct original kms when it was put in. Is this a load of bs?

not likely... it's UBER time consuming to roll the odometer forward by hand, and doing it with a drill usually makes the numbers not line up properly as they spin round too quickly for the gears inside the meter or something.

for anyone who doesn't know this yet... heres an actual "how To Roll Back Your Odometer" from GTRPWR:http://www.gtrpwr.com/showthread.php?t=455

its "informational only"... so people understand how its done, and what to look for when checking.

As I said before, if the car looks nice, is well maintained, has service history, good compression and drives perfectly.. don't worry about the reading on the odometer, very few skylines have accurate odometers anyways.

EDIT: ALSO oil Pressure is REALLY important... good oil pressure on startup and through-out the rev range

[Snake556]

not likely... it's UBER time consuming to roll the odometer forward by hand, and doing it with a drill usually makes the numbers not line up properly as they spin round too quickly for the gears inside the meter or something.

for anyone who doesn't know this yet... heres an actual "how To Roll Back Your Odometer" from GTRPWR:http://www.gtrpwr.com/showthread.php?t=455

its "informational only"... so people understand how its done, and what to look for when checking.

As I said before, if the car looks nice, is well maintained, has service history, good compression and drives perfectly.. don't worry about the reading on the odometer, very few skylines have accurate odometers anyways.

EDIT: ALSO oil Pressure is REALLY important... good oil pressure on startup and through-out the rev range

^ Basically listen to everything he just pointed out

[Bruizer]

In the end, if the condition of the car is good, nothing else really changes. Insurance doesn't go up or down.

EX:

My R32 GTR's insurance (1991, 130,000km) costs the same as my 1990 240sx (46,000km), well within $10 a month.

[Dragon Humper]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The guy is now claiming that the new NISMO odo was correctly adjusted to the correct original kms when it was put in. Is this a load of bs?

It is if he has no proof what-so-ever that the adjustment was actually made. If the milage claim is pumping the price up by $5000 then walk away, he's been gouged and is trying to get his money back out of it. A true 50,000km cream puff IS worth about $15,000 if it's in really nice cond., but not much more.

The only way low km cranks up the price on a GTR is if it is under 10,000km. I saw a '94 VspecII with only 3200km on it a ZELE International in Kanagawa when it was still there and it was $34,000.......but it was absolutely perfect and bone stock.



Jon.

[archaeic_bloke]

It is if he has no proof what-so-ever that the adjustment was actually made. If the milage claim is pumping the price up by $5000 then walk away, he's been gouged and is trying to get his money back out of it. A true 50,000km cream puff IS worth about $15,000 if it's in really nice cond., but not much more.

The only way low km cranks up the price on a GTR is if it is under 10,000km. I saw a '94 VspecII with only 3200km on it a ZELE International in Kanagawa when it was still there and it was $34,000.......but it was absolutely perfect and bone stock.



Jon.

Stunning!!! I didn't even know there were any left with such low mileage, I think RightDrive had one that had around 12,000 km or so and I was super impressed with that!