Bought a 2008 with "low miles" awhile back...NOT!

Hi all...I've been lurking here for quite awhile after buying a used 2008 earlier last year (2015). Long story short...I was a victim of a Craigslist scam. Here's what happened: (I've tried to condense my story and the "turn of events").

I purchased my Prius from a guy in northern Chicago that had advertised it as a 1 owner with 55,000 miles. The price was good and the car appeared to be in great shape. He stated that he and his wife had moved to Chicago a few months earlier from Michigan for a new job and were expecting their first child. He claimed that they wanted a larger vehicle and were selling the Prius. He said that he had only had a short commute to work with the car when in Michigan with an occasional trip...hence the low miles. I got the VIN# and checked out the Carfax...which stated the car was a 1 owner vehicle with no known accident repairs...and got a "superior" rating. Strangely, there was no maintenance history at ALL on the Carfax report. I accepted that as proof that the car was "straight up". I arranged to meet him at a strip mall close to his "home" with my brother on the way back from Chicago in a few days if the car was still available (I arranged to bring cash with me but told him that I could "get the money" locally if I decided to buy the car). If someone else came along with the cash and bought the car in the meantime then I would just look for another vehicle.

On the way home I called him and the car was still available (maybe the price wasn't as good as I thought?)...I met him at the mall and the car was really nice. I took it for a drive and was impressed...in really great shape. He had the title which was already signed ( I told him he should NEVER sign the title until the deal is completed and in the presence of the buyer...should have taken my own advice). I asked about maintenance records and he said the car had been dealer serviced (gave me the name of the dealership) and would send me what he had when he located them in the "moving boxes"...I was OK with that as the car was really nice. I drove the car home (in Michigan you have 48 hours to drive a vehicle to its destination from the date on the title...so I was legal). The car ran and drove flawlessly for the 5 hour drive home...I loved it.

After I got home I went online and found the Toyota website which had all the maintenance information for dealer-service vehicles. He was right...the car had been regularly serviced by a dealership. Problem was the last service was done at 173,000 MILES!. Here's when I KNEW I'd been had. I called he "owner" on the cell phone number I had for him and left a message. After 2 days with no response I tried again...and sure enough...the phone number was no longer "in service".

Not to be defeated I looked him up online and found a number in the White Pages...indicating a Michigan address...now I'm REALLY getting concerned. I called he number and heard a message...in a voice older than the "owner" I dealt with. Two days later I get a call from the actual owner. He had already figured out that I must have been scammed. He informed me that he had sold the vehicle to a younger guy who brought cash and was in a big hurry to get the car. He also agreed to just sign the title and put his address on it (big mistake). Apparently the new owner completed the title, knocked 120K miles off the actual mileage and resold the car to me. I now had a "jumped" title with incorrect mileage indicated...no way I could even present it for transfer as there was proof that the mileage was a lot higher on Toyota's website (can you say odometer fraud?). At this point my only hope was to convince the actual owner to request a duplicate title indicating the correct mileage (he had written the ending mileage down before the "buyer" told him he'd "take care of it"). He also said that he would have to speak to his attorney before getting another title. A couple of days later he called and said his attorney advised him NOT to "get involved". He said he would do whatever he could to help short of getting a new title. In fact, that was the ONLY way to fix this problem. After a couple of follow-up conversations and me convincing him that I had no other options and would have to hire an attorney to try to obtain ownership...after I went to the police...he relented and got a duplicate title. I was then able to register he car. I didn't bother trying to catch the guy who "title jumped" the car...he's surely long gone ( I also learned how easy it is to alter an electronic odometer with a small computer designed for that purpose...which was obviously done...this is a huge and ongoing problem...I'm not alone).

I've put 25,000 miles on the car (use it for work as a field rep....I drive a LOT) and it has run flawlessly...if you didnt' know (which most people don't), you'd believe that the car had the indicated 80k miles...not the 200k that it actually has. The car is quiet and tight and has been returning 45-52 mpg (down to about 42 in this colder weather).

I had to replace the 12v battery in August (still had the original), I ran a dose of Kreen through the crankcase and switched it over to Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage synthetic oil which I've been changing every 6,000 miles...have to add 1/2 to 3/4 quart between changes which I think is excellent considering the miles. I also purchased a set of Continental True Contact tires (went with 195 65 15...really liking the better ride and more accurate speedo...currently running a set of Nitto winter tires which I've barely needed.) The actual owner did take great care of the car....5,000 mile regular oil changes....completed inverter coolant pump and steering shaft recalls and a service at 159k which included front brakes and brake fluid flush, coolant replacement (both systems), plugs and pcv, trans fluid drain and fill and a new serpentine belt. The car really runs well.

At this point I have a title that reads the (approximately) correct mileage though the odometer reads 120k less. I have a couple of choices. If I go to a dealership for any kind of service, they'll know the odometer has been altered when they check the system (to which I can simply explain what happened) or consider finding a shop that can turn the mileage AHEAD 120k miles which would get it close to the actual mileage (I estimate right at or just over 200k miles). In the meantime my plan is to simply drive it...probably for a long time and deal with the mileage issue when I have to. I plan to have the struts replaced soon (ride is still pretty good) and just keep on driving it.

I realize the mistakes I made on this "deal" but am not sorry I bought the car...this post has been "cathartic" for me (sorry for the long post) and I look forward to sharing on this site.

 

I did some research on odometer tampering and it's easier than you think. Devices to accomplish the task are available on ebay for a couple of hundred bucks...along with instructions. The public seems to think (like me) that tampering with the newer electronic odometers is difficult (or impossible). If anything, it's easier than the old odometers (which frequently would have numbers that didn't "line up" with the others after being tampered). With modern odometers, the reset is done via the computer...so there is no evidence that the tampering was performed. Once the tampering is done, the odometer simply continues counting from the new setting. A favorite scam are individuals who charge a couple of hundred bucks to roll back the mileage on high-mileage lease cars (there are videos of people bringing their lease vehicles to have this done...very lucrative for the "service provider"...and very illegal). A study conducted in 2002 (and the thieves have only gotten better) indicated that an estimated 450,000 vehicles on the road had tampered odometers. In many cases the odometers had been rolled back 100,000 or more miles (in my case 120,000 miles). In more conservative cases they had been rolled back at least 50,000 miles. Victims of tampering often don't discover the fact until a service appointment or breakdown that occurs due to the higher miles. In many cases the people responsible for the tampering are not prosecuted (if they can even be located) and the new owners frequently have no recourse (like me). There is obviously the concern about longevity of the vehicle and its market value "down the road".

My lesson learned is to research the vehicle carefully and ask for maintenance records not only to assure that the vehicle was properly serviced but as a tool to confirm the indicated mileage. Also, despite the hype, don't assume that Carfax is foolproof if using it to make determinations regarding a vehicles condition and mileage. As in my case, Carfax obviously does not access the Toyota maintenance database. If it had, I would have been tipped off to the mileage discrepancy BEFORE I bought the car after paying for their service (they have plenty of disclaimers and obviously know their limitations. The information is only as good as what they can access.). Maintenance records and collision repairs may also not be indicated on a Carfax report. Keep that in mind when utilizing their services to make a purchase decision.

In the end, do your due diligence and avoid the mistakes I made. Luckily for me the vehicle I purchased was a reliable Prius and I can (fingers crossed) hope to get a lot more service from the car. Had it been just about anything else, I'm not so sure.