Shop Makes $50,000+ CarFax Mistake on My Supra

The Value of Collectibility: A Collector Car's Journey

For me, an OEM seat is worth almost as much as the car itself. In fact, I've been fortunate enough to acquire a collector car that has all the features and tags that make it highly collectible. This car has Vint tags, which are not only aesthetically pleasing but also serve as proof of its authenticity. Additionally, there are vent tags all around the car that indicate if the vehicle has ever been in an accident.

What makes this car truly special is the extensive history it has accumulated over the years. There's damage on it from a bicycle fall at Roger's nephew's house, which I've decided to leave intact as it adds character to the vehicle. The story goes that Roger's nephew fell off his bicycle and crashed into the car. To repair the damage, Roger had the car taken to a shop where they changed the fuel filters, among other services.

However, when I ran a Carfax report on this car, I was shocked to discover that the mileage listed was 19,000 miles, whereas my own car with the same VIN number has only 43,000 miles. It turned out that the shop had mistakenly recorded the wrong VIN number, which led to incorrect service records being generated for this vehicle.

I called the shop to inform them of the mistake and to ask how they came to record the wrong VIN number in the first place. The answer was that they must have had my 143,000-mile car in their system previously, as that was the only way they could have obtained the incorrect information. However, there were no service records for this vehicle at the shop, making it difficult to understand how the mistake occurred.

The consequences of this mistake are significant. As a collector car owner, low mileage is crucial to maintaining its value and desirability. Adding 120,000 miles to the car's already high mileage will likely reduce its value significantly. The fact that the Carfax report lists the vehicle as having only 19,000 miles creates confusion among potential buyers, who may assume it has been properly maintained or even restored.

The solution to this problem lies in verifying the true mileage of the vehicle and ensuring that all records are accurate. I plan to contact Carfax again to see if they can provide any insight into how the mistake occurred and whether they can help me resolve the issue. If someone with a connection at Carfax is available, I would appreciate their assistance in straightening out this mess.

For now, I'll keep both cars in my garage, one with 43,000 miles and the other with incorrect mileage. It's a frustrating situation, but one that could have been avoided if accurate records had been kept from the start. If you're interested in purchasing one of these vehicles, please contact me at Rob@upspeed.com to discuss further. I'll make sure to get one thing sorted before putting it up for sale, and then we can work on freeing up some space in my garage.