2023-08-22 16:58:55
Car mileage is probably the first thing buyers look at when looking for a used vehicle. After all, the total kilometers that the car has driven can indicate the level of wear on the car. The problem is that these older, higher mileage cars often come with hidden damage and tampered odometers, a common practice among scammers who are willing to sell used cars for a higher price. In fact, in Spain11.5% of all vehicles have manipulated mileage and 37% are damaged, according to research carried out by carVertical in 14 European countries.
Thus, cars between 10 and 20 years old in Spain are the ones that the more likely they are to have their mileage adjusted: 18.5% of all vehicles made in 2006 had tampered mileage, followed by 18.3% in 2004 and 17.7% in 2003. While the market share of these vintage cars is negligible, one has You have to be extremely cautious when buying this type of vehicle. Cars built in 2006 have an average recorded mileage of 90,692 km, 2004 cars 74,059 km, and 2003 cars 13,631 km. In general, newer car buyers are less likely to become victims of mileage fraud.
«The turning point in Spain is the year 2016, when the share of vehicles with the tampered odometer went from representing 10.9% to 6.2% in 2017. If a car was manufactured after 2017, the risk of acquiring a vehicle with an altered odometer is less. However, as those cars age, their odometers will likely be adjusted to maintain their value,” he explains. Matas BuzeliscarVertical automotive expert.
When it comes to damage, older vehicles typically have fewer recorded incidents. However, this is not because drivers were more careful in the past, but rather because accident information was recorded on paper, rather than uploaded online. Although minor scratches are also considered damage, many vehicles have also been in serious accidents that can affect safety and drive quality.
Even so, the worst is what happens with cars manufactured in 2012, where 48.6% of all vehicles checked on carVertical had damage records, followed by those of 2014, with 46.4%, and those of 2013, with 46.1%. General statistics reveal that more than a third of the cars in Spain suffered damage at some point, which suggests that they may have hidden problems.
According to Buzelis, “it is completely normal for vehicles to suffer damage at least once every 5 years, especially if these cars are often used in urban environments. It is also possible that some of the damage has not been reported, as small dents and scratches are not too much of a headache for owners of some older vehicles.”
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