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Hi - looking to buy my first car and I'm interested in the claim from some sellers that because their car for sale has a digital odometer it can't be wound back. But when you do your research on websites they can show that the car has been wound back at some stage, and some times by quite a few 1000 kms. Is this a reading error at WoF time or the car's odometer is genuinely wound back?

It's not true that digital speedos can't be wound back. However when you check a vehicle history and find it's changed significantly at one WOF, then reverted to a mileage in keeping with the rest of the history, it is almost certain to be an incorrect entry by a WOF inspector.
These days, speedo tampering doesn't seem to be the big problem it once was. Most Imports are now odometer verified, and with a NZ New car, the full history is there to see. If you are buying an older Japanese Import that came into NZ, say 10+ years ago, there is a risk that the odo was would back in Japan, prior to the car coming here, so the car needs to be judged on its own merit - partially ignoring the odo reading. Back in the '80's and '90's, odo tampering was commonplace on Japanese Imports (they all seemed to arrive with about 32,000km on them!).

Thanks for your previous answer - excellent. The car in question has this reported on it: 6,000kms in 9months ( to 32,581kms), then WoF inspection says only 1km 4months later (recording decrease of 32,580kms), then 34,602kms 1month later, then 41,327kms 12months later.
So would it be safe to say that a (wild) error was made at WoF time with the decrease?

Thanks

It's hard to say for sure, but a common scenario is that the wrong registration number or VIN is entered into the system at WOF time. This sounds likely in this case, as a recording of 1km would be on a new car. Also, 4 months is an unusual timeframe between WOF's, so I'd guess that the 34,602km reading is more likely to be the correct one.
On the balance of probability, I'd say this is most likely. Also, it's unlikely that even the dumbest crook would wind a speedo back to 1km!

Thanks, again. Very informative! Can I ask what you think of rebuilt engines - is it a good thing to consider buying such a car? I assume it needs to be done professionally for reliability and proper workmanship? But as cars to consider purchasing, just because it's a rebuilt engine doesn't mean it's a bad thing, is that right? (The kms can be very low which in itself is appealing.....). Thanks

If an engine has been professionally rebuilt, (with receipts showing exactly what was done) that can be a positive thing.
However, engines that have been rebuilt due to overheating should perhaps be approached with caution. Alloy heads and blocks that have been welded due to heat cracks may have been weakenned, so can cause problems later.
Remember too, that a car is made up of lots of components, so it's not just the engine that you should be concerned about. High mileage cars become higher risk with failures of transmissions, suspension components, steering racks, alternators, air conditioning compressors, braking systems etc.
So in summary, a good, professionally rebuilt engine is a positive, but no substiute for a good, original, well maintained low mileage car in other respects.

Hi - thanks for your previous reply - What I'd like to know now is if it is a good idea to buy a Subaru WRX 1997 with high kms (about 180K) if it's been well maintained mechanically, etc - has a few mods like BOV, front mount, turbo timer.The body is in mint/near mint condition. Would it be prudent to think of buying a well maitained high kms car with the view of paying to have the engine rebuilt or a new one put in at a later stage - at what kms would a WRX be rebuilt? The WRX I'm thinking of is offered for around $7K, so adding the rebuild onto it would still make it worth buying? Thanks in advance!!

It is fair to say you would be better off buying a car like this without any modifications. Engine tuning modifications tend to cause mechanical failures. We have even heard of non-standard air filters causing the incorrect airflow-meter readings and thus the engine runs lean or rich and causes mechanical failures. The transmission and two differentials should also be considered as items that will need overhauling in the near future. You should also keep in mind that there are other components that wear like the suspension and steering etc. The better option would be a standard WRX with a good service history and low mileage.