Check is car is Clocked.

[Nairnw]

Quick update on our car saga. 
 

Silver 20 plate MY19 Corolla now handed back and now in a Two Tone White/Black MY20 Corolla 20 plate. Both 2.0 Excels. 
Mileage checks out on this one, backed by regular Toyota Dealer servicing. 
 

Due to various delays and us being more cautious, it’s taken a little longer than it should. At least this one has everything add up. 
 

Certainly learned a lesson and will be more wary in future. If you have doubts on a car, walk away. In hindsight enough red flags on this one that I was blinded by its availability and perceived rarity. 

[Derek.w]

Its not just cars I heard of lorries doing well over 100,000 miles then the speedo is changed for a new one gess what it start at yes 0 miles just to con the next owner.

Good News it was not in the UK before you ask.

[YarisHybrid2016]

If the maintenance and MOT obviously didn't match the car, then I'd question whether even that part is accurate. Forget the milage - if they're dumb enough to provide documents with different milage to what the car shows on the dash, I wouldn't trust them to even tell me the time of day at that point. You can't even be sure the service record or MOT is real.

[taxidriver50005]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:23 PM, TonyHSD said:

These cars that has DCM , do they not send information daily to servers, I thought it will be almost impossible to clock cars anymore. If you set up myT app, is there any way to check mileage from there? 

Yes Toyota receive info on car mileage but you have an option to deactivate this service... Data protection and all that crap

[Hybrid21]

On 9/24/2023 at 5:07 PM, Nairnw said:

Quick update on our car saga. 
 

Silver 20 plate MY19 Corolla now handed back and now in a Two Tone White/Black MY20 Corolla 20 plate. Both 2.0 Excels. 
Mileage checks out on this one, backed by regular Toyota Dealer servicing. 
 

Due to various delays and us being more cautious, it’s taken a little longer than it should. At least this one has everything add up. 
 

Certainly learned a lesson and will be more wary in future. If you have doubts on a car, walk away. In hindsight enough red flags on this one that I was blinded by its availability and perceived rarity. 

Hi Nairn, sounds like it's been used as a taxi for airport runs 🙂

[Nairnw]

Had it been the tourer, it would have been a certainty. As it’s the 2.0l hatch doubtful. 
Can’t see many taxis advertising airport runs, for single passengers with a toiletry bag only.

The hatch boot is laughable but still better than our first choice of a Yaris. 

[twintopp]

years ago new a taxi driver , 6 months before he sold a car he changed the speedo, the drivers seat and the pedal rubbers , 6 months later the car had reasonable mileage and visible wear for its age when sold on pre 3rd year mot. 

[TonyHSD]

Honestly, for a trained eye a real mileage can be seen even after whatever intervention were made. There are signs that will point towards further investigation, although potential buyers including dealer reps not always so careful, either become they have no interest to find out the truth or because been so excited about the car, they snap it quickly and then the trouble starts. 
I need some 5 min look around and I can tell if the car was privately used, taxi or ex motability scheme vehicle used by a disable or elderly people. Was it a woman driver or man. Have they had children, pets or been only one driver ex managers fleet. 
However this above can’t be seen or proof 100% immediately , but if any signs spotted best to walk away . 
In Bradford particularly there are many small cars like Lexus CT200h, Auris hybrid gen 1, these are small hatchbacks but used as ph cars on Uber, so 2.0 Corolla hatchback is not totally to be excluded from the possible taxi use, together with chr , rav4, Yaris cross, all of these seem as ph cars in London. 

[Rhymes with Paris]

Aye Tony, the signs are always there even if an attempt is made at hiding them.

What amuses me and dismays me at the same time,is the great long list of standard features on a car for sale from a dealer.

Some of them even true, like door mirrors and windscreen wipers for instance.

But nothing, zero, zilch,nada about the car's previous use and owner that might be useful to a buyer.

Of course, dealers do not have,or cannot be bothered to get this information, they only care about chiselling the maximum out of the outgoing and incoming car.

One of the hallmarks that I have found over the years with both dishonest dealers and private sellers is when closely questioned about the car itself, service history etc, become defensive at best, and aggressive when they have something to hide.

We used to have an honest dealer round here,who could answer any questions, or find out, but he bought well in the first place, and was fair.

Never short of customers, unfortunately retired a few years ago, and his site knocked down to become yet another co-op convenience store, 😞 we are snowed under with the overpriced damn things round here.

[Nairnw]

On 10/10/2023 at 11:35 AM, TonyHSD said:

Honestly, for a trained eye a real mileage can be seen even after whatever intervention were made. There are signs that will point towards further investigation, although potential buyers including dealer reps not always so careful, either become they have no interest to find out the truth or because been so excited about the car, they snap it quickly and then the trouble starts. 
I need some 5 min look around and I can tell if the car was privately used, taxi or ex motability scheme vehicle used by a disable or elderly people. Was it a woman driver or man. Have they had children, pets or been only one driver ex managers fleet. 
However this above can’t be seen or proof 100% immediately , but if any signs spotted best to walk away . 
In Bradford particularly there are many small cars like Lexus CT200h, Auris hybrid gen 1, these are small hatchbacks but used as ph cars on Uber, so 2.0 Corolla hatchback is not totally to be excluded from the possible taxi use, together with chr , rav4, Yaris cross, all of these seem as ph cars in London. 

Couldn’t agree more. We got caught up in the moment with this one and any concerns I had, I stupidly answered away myself. Stone chips, could have been on a resurfaced back road. Corroded discs, it’s low mileage sitting about. 
 

Believe it or not the 2 things that woke me up to dig further were the discs and tyres. The discs corrosion was one thing. Seeing a deep wear lip was not corrosion, only mileage will do that. Then  the fact both front tyres had been replaced, at the same time. Correct brand but over a year newer date code than the rears. A puncture, yes replace one. Replacing both at the same time, highly unlikely. 
 

I’ve learned my lesson and know to look more closely in future. 
It does get much harder if a vehicle has average mileage for its age. Then items of wear blend in much more easily.