Odometer

[Ed]

What do you guys think. My car is getting a complete restoration. Better than new in my opinion.

My question is should I reset my odometer to zero? Or leave it be at 70k (probably 270k).

[Dans240z]

Personally I would keep the original miles. I just think that a car has a life before restoration, ya know? If the car was yours originally, would you want to forget all the fun you had in it before the restoration?

On the other hand, if the restoration is about 99% original down to the hub caps exhaust manifold ect., maybe it should be set to zero. Just my thoughts.

[Bambikiller240]

Be advised that it is illegal to rollback an odometer for any reason. (witness Nissan's Fac...err...ummm Vintage Z's)

If you've documented your resto like I think you have (with pictures and receipts), IMO you don't have any need to roll it back.

[AChev]

Hmm, such a simple decision, but it seems so important. Doing as much as you have done on that car, which is a complete restoration of everything, I think you should have the complete right to roll it back to zero, despite what any authority figues might say. I know that you have restored everything on that car, it is almost as if it is reborn. Good Luck on your decision

[wal280z]

With all that effort that you have gone through, what's another $140 for a new speedo?

Wayne

[AWC]

You should have waited to start the restoration until your odo was ready to roll over the next time.

[sblake01]

If the actual mileage can't be verified, which is tough anyway on a vehicle with a 6 digit odometer, it becomes what they refer to in the trade as a 'TMU' vehicle. That stand for 'true mileage unknown' and it actually decreases the potential value of the car.

[Ed]

Yea, I thought about buying a new one. But it would be just as easy for me to open this one and "reset it". Mostly I think it's for personal gratification. Driving it out of the garage for the first time with "0000000". And every mile after that will be part of the car's new life, born again in a way.

[Bambikiller240]

Yea, I thought about buying a new one. But it would be just as easy for me to open this one and "reset it". Mostly I think it's for personal gratification. Driving it out of the garage for the first time with "0000000". And every mile after that will be part of the car's new life, born again in a way.

Ed, don't think I'm picking on you over this, OK? I've discussed this several times with different people, but I've never understood this rational. What is the "thrill" in looking at five zeros on the speedo for a few seconds? Especially when those zeros (themselves) represent nothing except the expense of a new speedo, or a couple of hours cracking the case and rolling it back to a false mileage reading. I was proud that my car looked like it did (after all my work) even though it already had almost 80K miles on it.

For me it would have been an exercise in fooling (or trying to) myself into believing that it was a "new" car when in fact it wasn't. (Mine was, in my eyes, better than new due to the heart, sweat, and effort that I put into it) Even though my eyes saw "zero's", everytime my brain processed what my eyes saw, I would know where the odometer should have been. The only people that would have been fooled would have been people looking casually at it, and I didn't build the car to fool or please them.

As far as "....And every mile after that will be part of the car's new life, born again in a way" goes, that is true no matter what the speedo says. One could also say that leaving the speedo at 70K with the car looking like it just left the showroom (or better) is a testiment to the great the work that you've done to erase the effects of those miles and years.

I'm not trying to talk you into one way or another, I just don't understand the concept of feeling a need to change it.

[AChev]

One could also say that leaving the speedo at 70K with the car looking like it just left the showroom (or better) is a testiment to the great the work that you've done to erase the effects of those miles and years.

Carl does bring up a good point. Although I totally can see where Ed is coming from on this. Taking the Z first drive, pulling out of his drive, looking at a clean slate, all zeros, it would be an awesome sensation. Tough decision

[Alfadog]

It's all about sentiment If I did a ground-up restoration I think I would roll it back too, Ed. Although... new 240Z's came with a few miles clocked up already apparently, so maybe you should roll it to about 26 for it to be truly like "new"

[1 Bravo 6]

Hey Carl,

Here in the land down under it's very, very, VERY ilegal to roll back the mileage on a car. More than just a slap on the wrist and told you're a naughty boy. How is it going to affect resale ?????????. Does a reconditioned odometer stand at all zeros ?.

I would think that , regardless of how detailed the restoration has been, the reading of the ORIGINAL mileage would add to the value of the car.

The point is, if it's ilegal and you get caught, you're in a fast flowing creek of poop without so much as a paddle and there goes whatever good reputation you may have.

Rick.