Synchromesh wrote:Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"
Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.
*other mechanical parts that should be replaced with mileage are available
Even the driver of the 340k taxi I went home in the other night said he wouldn't be clocking it, as he thought it was unethical. As much I generally don't have a problem with your benign trolling, I'm with the cabbie on this one.
You're over thinking it. For one thing, I'm not convinced that cambelt wear is all down to mileage - it probably has some effect, but I'm suggesting age and environment, including how the car is driven, also contribute.
The thing is, if you want a guaranteed low-mileage car, then you need to get one with a verifiable history, which usually means going to a dealer and paying more than you would at an auction or from a private seller. If you decide to take a chance at the auction, you can always use some of the money you've saved to give yourself a bit of peace of mind and get the cambelt changed ASAP.
Getting back to your cabbie. If he had clocked the car, he's hardly likely to tell you is he? A car with that kind of mileage is probably already at an age and overall condition where giving it a "haircut" isn't going to affect the value a great deal in any event. If you're going to clock a car, you do it when it's relatively new, otherwise there's very little incentive.
As I've said before, even if it seems to have gone in one ear and out the other, I've never misrepresented the history of any car that I've sold, including its mileage. I'm aware that clocking goes on and it probably improves the resale value of my high-mileage cars and, to be completely honest, I couldn't care less. It's no more my problem than it's the manufacturers problem if their sales improve because their cars are popular with third world dictators.