Original Miles?
Thread Starter
1967 Pedal Car Champion
Joined: Mar 2020
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From: US-PNW
Original Miles?
I see folks posting all the time about having "original miles" and am wondering about my cars. I don't think anyone has put in reproduction or aftermarket miles, but I really don't know... How much do reproduction miles affect the value of the car? Any way to tell if I have the original miles or not?
BTW, HAF!
BTW, HAF!
Team Owner
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From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
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2015 C2 of Year Finalist
I like the adds that say driven xxxx amount of miles. As opposed to what to gain the miles? Unless the car has iron clad docs that prove the miles I see no real effect after 50 years a restoration and rebuilds of everything
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 3,976
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From: Eastern MA
Mileage. People go nuts over it.
High mileage? Oh noes no not that! It's junk!
Low mileage? Exxxcellent it must be like new!
LOL yeah right. I can ruin a brand new car in five minutes. And I can find a high mileage car that has had all the wear and tear items replaced and all ills corrected. I love the way some folks go crazy over low mileage modern cars, as if that means the car "needs nothing".
High mileage? Oh noes no not that! It's junk!
Low mileage? Exxxcellent it must be like new!
LOL yeah right. I can ruin a brand new car in five minutes. And I can find a high mileage car that has had all the wear and tear items replaced and all ills corrected. I love the way some folks go crazy over low mileage modern cars, as if that means the car "needs nothing".
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Oviedo Florida
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I dont put much faith in mileage figures.
It is hard to tamper with modern car odometers,easy
with old odometers.
It is hard to tamper with modern car odometers,easy
with old odometers.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,837
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From: Florida
I went the extra MILE and got NOS miles, found them on eBay.....
In actuality, my ODO is reading 20,000+ miles. I was able to guesstimate the miles from previous titles. So, it's about 60,000 +/-.
A previous owner told me they reset the ODO when the engine was rebuilt.
In actuality, my ODO is reading 20,000+ miles. I was able to guesstimate the miles from previous titles. So, it's about 60,000 +/-.
A previous owner told me they reset the ODO when the engine was rebuilt.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
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Race Director
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: northern california
C2 of Year Finalist (track prepared) 2019
I see folks posting all the time about having "original miles" and am wondering about my cars. I don't think anyone has put in reproduction or aftermarket miles, but I really don't know... How much do reproduction miles affect the value of the car? Any way to tell if I have the original miles or not?
BTW, HAF!
BTW, HAF!
My '63 roadster odo shows about 44K miles. There is NFW that's right. There are too many contraindications for me to believe that.
OTOH, the ~72K miles on my unrestored '54, #3300, is compleately believable. I met the original owner.
So too are the 34K miles showing on my metal '57. I knew the original owner, a lady who survived the '06 San Francisco earthquake.
Point being that you have to look beyond just what the odo sez to know the actual, original miles of an olde car.
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From: NorCal
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From: northern california
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Thread Starter
1967 Pedal Car Champion
Joined: Mar 2020
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From: US-PNW
Just 02:05 to go...
How do you go about identifying the original miles vs the non-original? Seems to me only the first several miles on the odo before first purchase are the true "original miles" though I guess one could argue that any miles after rolling out of the assembly shop doors are added miles and not factory original.
How do you go about identifying the original miles vs the non-original? Seems to me only the first several miles on the odo before first purchase are the true "original miles" though I guess one could argue that any miles after rolling out of the assembly shop doors are added miles and not factory original.
I think I could believe the odometer on my previous 08 more. LOL
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,458
Likes: 331
From: Indy Indiana
divide 60,000 miles by 60 years = 1000 miles a year thruout its entire life. sure it may have sat for a decade, so divide 60,000 miles by 50 years = 1250 per year...
then decide if it makes sense.
i agree if you want to pay a premium for low miles, then you have to have the faith, because the proof rarely exists.
originality, condition, options, and provenance are all valid characteristics that value a car.
then decide if it makes sense.
i agree if you want to pay a premium for low miles, then you have to have the faith, because the proof rarely exists.
originality, condition, options, and provenance are all valid characteristics that value a car.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,094
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From: WV
There will always be skeptics no matter what. My 66 has 26k original miles and that is 100% without a doubt a fact. I bought it off the original owner and he was a mpg nut! He kept track of mileage every time he filled up from day 1.
I’m not a current member of NCRS but was asked to bring the car to a meet. I still had skeptics even though I have the logs and the original owner was with me that day. Not until some guy climbed under the dash and inspected the firewall insulation was I believed. He said at around 80k miles or something like that the insulation would start to deteriorate or something fluke that. He came out from under the dash and said, “that mileage is accurate.”
I’m not a current member of NCRS but was asked to bring the car to a meet. I still had skeptics even though I have the logs and the original owner was with me that day. Not until some guy climbed under the dash and inspected the firewall insulation was I believed. He said at around 80k miles or something like that the insulation would start to deteriorate or something fluke that. He came out from under the dash and said, “that mileage is accurate.”
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2022
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From: Eastern MA
I will confess that with previous cars I added unoriginal miles all the time. The frame of the car, front control arms, convertible roof frame, rear piston panels, rear seat back, rear quarter glass, steering column...that might have been the only things installed at Flint in October of 1969 by the time I was done.