Posted in Older Vehicles on September 18, 2015
How do Appleton auto owners know if an odometer is telling the truth?
Well, back in '86, Congress passed the Truth-in-Mileage Act to protect Wisconsin consumers against mileage fraud. It says a Wisconsin seller must certify the mileage reported is the Actual Mileage.
To have your odometer checked in Appleton Wisconsin, stop by Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Appleton:
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Appleton
Appleton, Wisconsin 54915 920-954-8500
If it isn't, the seller must say why; like maybe the odometer is past its mechanical limits. Some older odometers only go to 99,999 miles and then start over at 0. Or, the odometer has been tampered with, broken or replaced.
If the seller tells you the mileage isn’t accurate, there’s not much chance of putting a good number to it; And there’s the unscrupulous seller who claims the reading is true, but it’s not so. What can Appleton motorists do?
First, you can go to www.CarFax.com, where for a small fee, they’ll give you a comprehensive vehicle history search on your SUV, showing local Appleton, Wisconsin ownership history, accident reports, total-loss events, manufacturer buybacks, Lemon reports and warranty status.
Appleton auto owners can get a mileage history by checking with the local Wisconsin DMV (or wherever you happen to be) and other verified sources looking for inconsistencies in the mileage reported when the car’s bought and sold. If there are signs odometer rollback, now you’ll now.
If so, proceed with caution. Or, negotiate a lower price. Or just walk away. There’s always another.