i see that hj reports on news panel on the right
www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/index.htm?news_id=3622
that a bmw 5 series sold today at auction " BMW 528iSE auto, 1997P, 224k miles n/w £1,375 "
10 years old, 224,000 miles, non-waranted, and still worth some money !
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Depending on the condition it'll have gone to a clocker, an exporter (who could also be a clocker) or an optimistic bargain hunter.
I've been looking (with the intention of purchasing in a few months) for an early E39 and I've seen a couple of very straight, well looked-after cars with mega mileages, although 224k might be a bit strong even for me.
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:: edit button :: "non-waranted" -- > "non-warranted"
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I occasionally see very high mileage cars of all types sell at auction for more than I'd expect - but they are 'clean'. Only one conclusion to be drawn I think.......
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224,000 !
Heavens to Betsy.
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Nose around the smaller auction houses and you'll see a fair few mega-milers. Ex-taxi stuff (diesel Vectras, Sharans etc) often come up. On Weds I looked at a 2001 Sharan with over 400k on the clock. Mind you, a lot will have had new powertrain components. I once saw a Merc 260E with 700k on it! Funny how you rarely see these cars come up in Autotrader - wonder what happens to them after they're bought at auction ;-)
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Standing on the tube on Wednesday morning, the straphanger next to me was telling his companion about his mate who "makes 2 grand a week doing mileage correction". No need to wonder where all the high milers go...
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OK - we know they can "clock" the digital odometer................and forge some stamps in a replacement service book
but - surely if the car is then put up for "retail" then one call to whoever's dealer name is in the service book or keeper on the V5 will expose them? So how do they do it?
on the plus side I suppose it means there's hope that someone will buy my 169K BMW when it goes up for sale next week! ............(runs for cover !!)
Jacks
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It will probably go to some rough estate they like the cheap BMWs in those kind of areas.
My late uncle once had a Sierra with 420k on the clock, that was quite a scary car.
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You can tell people till your blue in the face to ring the previous keeper but only one in a thousand actually will
While that is the ---------case clockers will always clock
What annoys me there is a mileage box on every v5c why isnt this made mandatory to fill in
one day we might have a level playing field
(sorry just saw a flying pig)
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I think this discussion is a bit misplaced - if the car has one of the new style MOT certificates. The previous MOT record is digitally accessible by the prospective buyer - it will show the mileage at the time of the last MOT. Clocking will not work.
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I think this discussion is a bit misplaced - if the car has one of the new style MOT certificates. The previous MOT record is digitally accessible by the prospective buyer - it will show the mileage at the time of the last MOT. Clocking will not work.
Any self respecting Taxi driver(their own definition of 'self respecting') will take their car to a 'mileage adjuster' for its annual 'haircut'.
Don't forget that when a Tax Inspector 'does a number' on a Taxi driver one of the first things he does is check the annual mileage. Income is assumed to be proportional to mileage the car has covered.
So if it has its haircut before the MOT? Where there is a will etc etc!!
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...So if it has its haircut before the MOT? Where there is a will etc etc!!
but this bmw should have 7 previous mot records, of which maybe at least one if not two will be on the new database.
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So if it has its haircut before the MOT? Where there is a will etc etc!!
If it has already had a haircut, then we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?
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I was making the point, in general terms, that the mileage record on the MOT certificate will not prevent cars being clocked.
If we are talking specifically about the BMW, perhaps it had received 7 haircuts and the true mileage was ????
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If we are talking specifically about the BMW, perhaps it had received 7 haircuts and the true mileage was ????
" it had received 7 haircuts and the true mileage was ????" something in excess of 224,000 miles
making my original point, that in my opinion, such an unwarranted high miler was able to fetch such a good price at this auction.
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Having sold many cars I can assure you that very very few punters properly check history, previous MoT's or anything else for that matter.
Typical questions are 'does it have a good stereo'... etc.
High mileage cars are clocked back and often sold through 'private' ads in local paper, autotrader etc etc. There's loads of it going on. Check out the number of 'mileage correction' outfits about. These blokes will also turn up at your local motorway service area to wind back Roger Rep's clock. There's more of it going on than you think.
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I feel I should open a home for retired beemers. I have one rotting in the shed (last year's project :-( )
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..There's more of it going on than you think
i don't think at all, and have no clue whether ther is more or less of it going on.
so in the case of this 10 year old, 224kmiles indicated, 5 series bmw, it would seem that it is such a good conditon (even though it may have actually done a lot more than 224k) that it has the prospect of fetching a good profit bor the buyer after he has clocked it. in other words, the inidcated 224k can easily be wound back without costing the dealer too much in other remedial work to turn a good profit on it.
what i do think is that these 5 series beemers are man enough to go on and on and on, and shrug off clocking fiddles. even though experts on this forum have in the past been known to pour scorn on the reliability and longevity of these e39 models.
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I know a 'mileage correction specialist' that says he 'corrects' so many silver Mercedes and BMWs that there is hardly a one driving around with the correct mileage after about 5 years.These 'experts' are obviously prone to telling a good story but there are many of them and they do make a living.
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It is strong money, but about right at auction.
Reminds me about an 88 E Reg 530i SE Auto (one of the first E34's) that i bought off a local dealer in 1999 for £900. It had done 225000 miles and was immaculate. I put it straight into one of the local Manchester auctions where it sold for about £1300 - can't remember exact price - and lo and behold it was in the Autotrader soon after for £2495, advertised as 'service book missing'.
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what i do think is that these 5 series beemers are man enough to go on and on and on, and shrug off clocking fiddles. even though experts on this forum have in the past been known to pour scorn on the reliability and longevity of these e39 models.
There are at least as many clocked and messed about with VW's, Mondeo's and Vectra's as E39 BMW's. I doubt that any clocked high-miles E39 would make a particularly good buy - they will be bought by people who want an expensive looking motor on the cheap and don't check the car over thoroughly. At the end of the day its all machinery and it all wears out. I doubt if the autobox on a 200k plus car will be original - it will either have been reconned, or about to need one. These cars do not go 'on and on' - that's very niave - they cost their new owners a lot of money in repairs (hence the big market for used engines, transmissions and other parts for BMW's). The people that clock them are crooks, simple as that.
Three weeks ago I was asked to inspect a 7-series. It had NI plates and had originally been owned by Ulster TV and then two private owners in England (steel blue - if you come across it). Mileage was quoted at 99k. and it had some dealer stamps in the book plus some 'independent'. It was immediately obvious that it had done a lot more miles - probably 200k+. Slop in the steering, motor running uneven, wear in front suspension (MoT pass, but too worn for 99k) - the paint was good and it looked the part though. Obviously I warned the buyer off. But there's a lot of niave people out there when it comes to cars, and a cheap prestige motor will always sell.
At the other end of the scale about 1 month ago I looked at '53 520SE with only 38k and one owner - all genuine. It was at a very well known East Midlands car supermarket for about £10k - a fair price on the face of it. However it was in a poor state for its year, with numerous nicks and scratches to the paint and heavily lipped front discs. Obviously hard driven and not looked after by the company owner. I have seen better motors with double the years and mileage. At the end of the day you have to consider each example on its merits.
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Years ago I walked into the swankiest Ford main-dealer around and there in the middle of the showroom was a mechanic busily clocking a car with an old mechanical odometer in full view. Was chuffed when for whatever reason Ford took away their franchise a year later.
As long as peeps would rather pay for the newest plate they can afford to impress the neighbours rather than mechanical condition, high-milers will find a buyer.
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Flynn,
With my misplaced confidence in human nature, I'd like to think he had just fitted a replacement speedo and was clocking it up to the genuine mileage...!
P.
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I was thinking the same thing, I dont think any dealership would be daft enough to adjust a mileage on the showroom floor, certainly no dealership I've ever worked for would have done that!
Blue
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