Hello all! I am interested in and have been looking at a 1994 Lightning here locally and have a question on a discrepancy I need help on. Truck seems clean, new paint, tires and OG wheels, clean interior and seems pretty straight overall. The question is the mileage. The odometer reads 132,210.2 and it's the digital odometer. However the carfax and autocheck reports show 182,000 miles last reported. At some point the mileage became exempt and no longer reported. There are gaps in the reporting but it does incrementaly go up. Initially I thought maybe the 3 and 8 got switched since they look similar. But on both reports there are dates like 04/2002 where the mileage was reported as 161,497, 12/2002 169,000 and 07/04 170,630. Thats the last report up to 07/2012 at 182,000. Could this odometer be rolled back or manipulated? I assume it could be changed out as well but haven't put a lot of thought into that process. It's located at a small used lot that doesn't have lots of info on it but seems like an overall decent truck but for the price and potential resale issue, I'd like to be comfortable with the info. Does anyone have any insight they can lend? Thank you guys in advance!

 

Potential resale value? With a speedo odo error issue?

I get that 30 year old cars have no warranty but I would recommend to any of my clients to walk away when it comes to speedo tampering. If I were to purchase it, it would not be for resale, but for me to restore.

 

Thanks for the reply! The speedo works properly, I was asking about the odometer. I am new to Lightnings, but been a Ford guy my whole life. Just not familar with the digital odometer and was concerned if it was manipulated somehow or even switched out and the mileage showing in the truck is the mileage from whatever donor they got the odometer from, if that's even the case. In the event I buy the truck, I don't know if I will hold on to it long term or not. I have a history of doing either with "toys" like this since it won't be my daily driver. I assume that folks look at Car Fax reports on these older trucks like I am and it affect my ability to sell it in the future if the odometer and report don't match. Similar to my hesitation in jumping on it and buying it. I know there's other factors as well but wanted some other input on here. Essentially would the difference in mileage on the report and the truck be a deal breaker? Thanks again!

 

How about a 95 in S.C

 

Same answer. Why would anyone buy a vehicle with errors in mileage? You are hesitating and you want to flip it. What do you think the other buyer will think?

There are some that would not care. Especially those that would keep it. But I think it's normal to think twice or even three times to buy a car with tampered data. Yeah, it has darn near 200k, so does that matter?

 

If it runs good, brakes good, the stuff you can check look recent enough to be reliable have fun with your Scat-Cat. It's 30 years old, most likely has way over 300,000 miles but no Salt?
It's easy to see with a Flashlight, holes in stuff. Rust blown off and repainted frames, that sort of thing. The doors repaired, body panels replaced? Loosen Door panels and peer in.
Bottom inside of doors may be rough? My guess is it has had significant body repairs and Frame repairs. Most likely you got the Odometer switch figured. Most likely the most
dangerous part are the Brakes, the lines along the body that sort of thing. It is a bad day when the pedal goes to the floor, you can't pump up the brakes. One guy I know almost
went into the River, thankfully his Emg. Brake Cable didn't part company.

 

Agree with the other FTE forum members on what they provided.
If you're going to re-sale, don't gamble and take on avoidable stress with documented speedo discrepancies. If you plan to keep / re-store you know going into it of the mileage discrepancy so be prepared to assume allot of unknowns. Check the VIN to determine if there's an R in it, the R represents the truck is a Lightning.

I swapped out the odometer in my 1995 Ford F-150 Eddie Bauer after I purchased it, the odometer in the truck when i bought it back in 2008 bounced, wouldn't steady out regardless of speed driven. Purchased an odometer off ebay with as close to the mileage on the original , a difference of 25K miles (original odometer had 156.K miles and ebay replacement had 131.K miles). I wasn't concerned because as 1Butcher indicated I planned to keep the 1995 F-150 Eddie Bauer. Last time I drove the Eddie Bauer recall the odometer reads 153,K, the discrepancy does show up in CARFAX reports, but that isn't a concern to. Eddie Bauer pictured in the middle.