Hi guys,

I'm looking to buy a car, and it has low mileage. 44xxx Roughly

My question is, is there a way to tell if an odometer has been rolled back? What areas of the car should I be looking at for signs of high mileage wear and tear? (Besides the seats, floors, and general condition of the vehicle)

Here are some pictures...your guess is much better than mine. Thanks!

Check the rubber pads on the pedals. Cheaters never think to change those pads and they're good indicators of how much a car has been driven. Well-worn pads (especially at one corner of the pedal) indicate a lot more than 44,000 miles. Also ,wheel bearings and the gearbox shift lever get pretty "loose" at/abt 100,000 miles.

The rest of the consumable items on a Z can deteriorate thru wear OR by time itself. In other words, a set of brakes or a clutch can be worn out during a single day on a race track; windshield wipers, interior weather stripping and the rearview mirror edges can all deteriorate due to time, even tho the car has few miles on it, so they aren't necessarily indicators of mileage.

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1970 240Z

144k at least. No 44k Z is parked under a tarp or has a hammered interior and filthy engine bay like that.

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John Taddonio
1970 240Z
1977 530Z
1984 300ZXT
zcarnut@hotmail.com
FB: Zccr zcarclubofrochester

I would agree, more like 144k then 44k. No need to "roll back" the odometer on these era cars, the odometer only reads to 99,999 and then it's a new, 0 miles Z again!! The steering wheel cover is probably another dead giveaway. Is the owner advertising it as a 44k car?

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Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

Yes, "rollback" is not the correct term, but it got my point across

The seller advertised it without the number of miles. He's the 3rd owner, so couldn't give me an honest answer.

I wasn't sure because of how good the body looked...maybe its my "wanting to get my first Z" syndrome kicking in.

Well, he got it last summer from a neighbor...if he didn't have an empty garage bay, I guess he would have to cover it. The tarp comes from the fact that it doesn't get driven because it doesn't run.

Womp.

What would you say is hammered on the interior?

Guys, sorry if it seems like I'm trying to challenge everything y'all say. Those are not my intentions. You guys see a lot more than I can. The more questions I ask, the more I can learn.

Thanks

Well, the pile carpeting along the transmission tunnel, for one thing. Datsun never intended for that to happen!

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1970 240Z

So we have a 77-78 Z that looks like hi mileage to me. All the road grime in the engine bay is a give away. Isn't the yellow zero white before 100,000 miles? Look at the floor boards under the carpet. I wouldn't be to worried about mileage on a Z anyways. You can have one that's 40,000 miles and sat and rotted away, or one that has 280,000 miles on it and is solid. Proof is in the pudding. Hi mileage on Jap cars does not concern me. What does the body look like, that's the main concern.

Good point on the white zero Paul, I'll have to look into it more.

Thanks for the solid feedback guys, really!