Is rolling back the Odometer a easy thing to do on the LS430? Reason being I was shopping around for the LS replacement...what else but another LS but a refreshed 2005 ultra model. The car seems good from pics, and price seems ok... OBO, but I ran a carfax and everything checks out ok, except for a variation by about 5k miles one year ago. The car is being sold with approx 47k miles. Could it be a clerical error? If not, do you think if everything else checks out fine, and a real difference in the mileage does exist being only 5k, I should worry, or go ahead and purchase it?

 

Just purchase it. It is also illegal to tamper with the odometer.

 

if someone could turn back the odo, they would turn back more than just 5k miles.

i say clerical typo

 

Have it inspected by Lexus and ask them to specifically look for thsi possibility. Also before inspection use the VIN to check Lexus service history and those dates should jibe with the carfax - if it doesn't I suggest you pass.

 

I can think of two reasons for such a small mileage rollback:

- Excess lease mileage (5K would probably be $1000 or more in excess lease mileage charge).

- Repair need that would have been covered under a recently expired warranty (expired due to miles).

Bobby-with-a-box down the street may have only charged the previous owner a couple hundred bucks to fix his problem. Jabberwock's suggestions are good ones.

 

Caddy -

Excellent point. I had not thought about possible use of a 5k rollback to avoid lease mileage charge - hmm...the nefarious ways of the world.

 

very good reasons to roll back such few miles.

 

sometime is recording error too.
just follow the service record along with your carfax to compare dates, locations, services...

I have seen car with "roll back record" on autocheck, carfax but can pretty much tell the roll back usually happened with new title was issue, loan/lien renewal....

 

All are very interesting possibilities... Thanks guys

 

Typo in my opinion. If not that could be a wrong given mileage as well. L.G.N.M

 

Dyslexia from the filer

 

Maybe the speedo cluster was swapped out for one from a wrecked car with lesser mileage. I don't know if the VIN number and mileage is recorded by one of the car's computers. Maybe someone else knows.

 

Report may be in KM? and car showing miles