(Non) used cars: No mileage increase on auctioned cars?

"Thomas Donohue" (tomonomics)
11/13/2019 at 13:19 • Filed to: None

I’ve been seeing this a lot lately.....Carfax showing vehicles that get auctioned once or twice, and then go on sale more than a year later but with pretty much the same mileage. I can see the car being used as a ‘dealer vehicle’ with low miles between sales, but take a look at this 2015 ML350. Over 2 1/2 years with less than 50 miles driven? Seems extremely suspicious to me.

I know Carfax isn’t perfect, but these seem like legit mileage updates.

Interior pictures are obviously old, as they show 40,570 which the Carfax claims was in May of 2017 when the current ‘dealer’ bought it at auction.

Who lets a car sit around and depreciate for two years? Someone who knows how to disable the odometer??? WTF?

Offered for sale with 40,650 miles

DISCUSSION (16)

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 13:40

If it’s just sitting on different dealer lots only occasionally being moved or test driven for 2 years it’s possible it has actually only been driven 50 miles in that time.

Chariotoflove > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/13/2019 at 13:50

It would seem to me really bad business to let a car sit unsold on the lot that long, but I’ve heard of it.

E90M3 > Chariotoflove
11/13/2019 at 13:55

The Mercedes dealer in Hilton Head had a few brand new 2015s sit on the lot until 2018. It took me a few weeks of negotiating to get my 328i for a reasonable price, some dealers are just like that.

Thomas Donohue > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/13/2019 at 13:56

Possible, but not likely on a 2015 model that went for ‘ sale’ in 2017. S ix weeks from now it will be 2020. Also, I don’t see that VIN being advertised much in the last two years.

T hey have another ML on the lot, same story. They bought it at auction in 2017, only looks to have been recently listed with one additional mile. One.

Not a shop I’d buy from anyway, but that looks pretty shady in my book.

Thomas Donohue > Chariotoflove
11/13/2019 at 13:57

They have more than one....the other has one more mile than Carfax reports in 2017. One!

Chariotoflove > E90M3
11/13/2019 at 14:02

That sounds like a strange obstinacy. But it’s their business.

Chariotoflove > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 14:02

Wow.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 14:03

Euro Motorcars looks legit. M-Sport on the other hand... nice inventory, but I haz concerns.

Under_Score > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 14:14

See also: 2015 TDI Volkswagens.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 15:32

Strange. But possible. But we do find CAN blockers fitted and mileage tampered with occasionally. I'm curious enough to check; do you have a VIN?

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 15:40

Do you have a link to the current for sale ad? What I’m reading is the car had 40,455 on 4/14/17, and then was reported as having 40,602 on 6/9/17 (totally normal). There’s no mileage listed for when it was currently put on sale.

Knowing the reputation of M Sport (ain’t good), I’d venture to guess it was a dealer’s vehicle for a couple of years and the true mileage is much higher. I bet the ad is wrong, especially since the photo of the odo is old.

Thomas Donohue > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
11/13/2019 at 16:35

VIN: 4JGDA5HB1FA456735

Mileage: 40,650

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/701619328/overview/

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=4JGDA5HB1FA456735&partner=COO_0

Thomas Donohue > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
11/13/2019 at 16:36

VIN: 4JGDA5HB1FA456735

Mileage: 40,650

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/701619328/overview/

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=4JGDA5HB1FA456735&partner=COO_0

Thomas Donohue > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
11/13/2019 at 16:38

Euro Motorcars washed their hands of this car 2 1/2 years ago.

‘ European Auto Expo’ looks to be associated with M-Sport.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Thomas Donohue
11/13/2019 at 16:52

Everything I can see more or less matches Carfax. Nothing weird shown up in our system. Three open service campaigns, so it definitely hasn’t been to a dealer in that amount of time. Nothing weird in the history prior to sitting. Whoever had it before took care of it. Maybe these places are pricing it too high? Or it's in crap condition from being in a wreck that went to a shady body shop and not disclosed to insurance or Carfax?

Thomas Donohue > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
11/13/2019 at 17:19

From what I’ve read, this place prices them low then tries to add on fees. I just can’t understand buying a 2 year old MB at auction, and then letting it sit on your lot for 2.5+ years. It’s not going up in value, it’s taking a decent depreciation hit.