I have a 1986 Mustang, it reads 74xxx miles, but since it only has 5 slots for the mileage, how can I tell thats not 174xxx? The guy I got it from says it just 74xxx, but how can I be sure? So after it gets 99,999 miles, does it just roll over to 00001, which would be 100,001 miles?
chances are if its an 86' its got 174k on it. There is no real way of knowning, outside of being the person who bought the car in 86, and owned it till now! the best way to figure it out, is to look at the condition of the car, the motor, the interior is big hint on how much it was used. If it really is only 74,000 miles , since 1986 it would have only been driven about ~4,000 miles a year which is only 1/3 of the usual miles a year, on any standard car (12k per year). My 1987lx had about 160k in 2001 .... unless its been parked for awhile, i wouldnt believe the guy!~
I don't know how it is in the states, but here when you get your stickers, you have to declare what your mileage is. You can find out what the mileage is, leans, who owns it etc... by paying a 5 dollar fee at the dmv.
Mine is a 1993 on its second engine and has over 300000 the body looks great and so does the interior. So if the owners took care of it looks can be deciving. Car Fax and DMV are the best routes to go for actual mileage on these older models. BUT look it over high mileage cars can be a great find because people unload them cheaper, and most don't see the potential that it can have with a little care.