Where does the phrase 'original or actual miles' come from?

[TJ Hopland]

Where does the phrase 'original miles' or 'actual miles' come from? Why does everyone feel they have to include that in their ad? Is there other sorts of mileage? Was there a time where people advertised fake or imaginary miles? Was this all due to the 6 digit odometers?

[Dennis DiNorcia]

I thought "original" miles meant the mileage put on by the original owner and "actual" miles is what the mileage of the car is assuming no motor change or speedometer repair. Does this make sense?

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Original & actual mean the same. What the person is trying to say is the miles are true or accurate. In the case of a car showing 39K & it's really 139K, that statement should not be made. Also, many odometers have been rolled back over the years. HTH, Bob

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Growing up around the mechanics shops that did the "get ready" for used car dealers on the West Coast (cars from the east coast), I learned real fast about setting back speedos.  That trick was fairly well acknowledged by many of the car buying public, and the phrase "actual (or) original" miles was an attempt to show how honest the seller was. Sort of like when someone says "To tell you the truth" before they say something or answer your question.
At least that's my take.
Greg

[Greg Powers]

I tend to agree with the last Greg. Growing up with a Dad in the tire and automotive business, the words actual or original were used to imply that the individual was honest in representing a vehicle. (It was no problem to roll back the miles in the old days) Now classic car people are also adding the term, documented miles, meaning the owner of the vehicle has paperwork (old work receipts, vehicle state inspection paperwork and dealer invoices) that support the shown mileage on the vehicle. Now, could I sell a real "cream puff" only driven by a little old lady to church and back? Happy motoring!

[eldo59]

To me,it means not having gone around the clock at least once.(99,999)

[Steve W]

Also, if the car has mileage exceeding 100K, they may advertise as "135K actual mileage" if they have the documentation to prove it, or "showing 35k, but it may or may not be correct" or even "showing 35k, but believed to be 135k"...or something to that effect.

Some are advertised as TMU (true mileage unknown). They state mileage for a number of reasons, estimated value, collectibility, bragging rights, or simply because some buyers might want, and even need, this information for financing and/or insurance and/or registration.

Here in Calif, if the mileage has rolled over there is a box on the title that says "mileage exceeds the odometer mechanical limits"...and another box that says "Odometer reading is not the actual mileage", if the odo had been replaced. There's no guarantee that the previous owner filled out the paperwork correctly, and private-party to private-party it's still pretty much 'buyer beware'...but if a dealer fudges the paperwork and you can prove it... lawsuit!  California is VERY "consumer-friendly".

[76eldo]

We have that in PA too.  "Exceeds mechanical limits" or "Actual mileage unknown"

My take on it is this:

If the car has never been apart, still has the original un-rebuilt engine, then the car may have 14K original miles or actual miles (interchangeable)

This means the car has only been driven 14K miles since new.  This is indicated by overall condition, lack of pitting in the front of the car or windshield, lack of excessive grease on the underside of the car, cleanliness and lack of wear on the interior, the pedals, I even check for excessive scratching around door handles and door locks from fingernails and keys.

If the car has 125,000 miles on it, and had the engine rebuilt, it is still a 125,000 mile car, with a rebuilt engine.  It drives me nuts when people advertise cars and state "only 40K miles on the engine".  SO what.  That means nothing.  The rest of the car has 125K miles on it.  Bushings, seals, rattles, leaks, wear, etc.  Some comes with time, some comes with miles.

Low mileage cars that have been driven and maintained are always a great buy.  It's only original once.

Brian

[J]

 I think the condition of the car shows how well it is taken care of. i drive alot, the last car i sold had 166,000 miles on it and the first guy that looked at it bought it he had just looked at a 62,000 mile car and mine looked and ran better  so to me mileage isn't everything  you can tell a maintaned vehicle or not  i do like original (not hacked,cut,repainted modified< i rather do that myself lol but then i know what is done and also i can't sell it for as much..

[Steve W]

Original miles are original miles, regardless of if the motor or trans have been rebuilt or replaced! The term "numbers matching" means the car has the original motor and trans. So..."Original miles, numbers matching" would be something most collectors or speculators would be looking for.

I am always skeptical when I see a 40-something year old car with very low miles. There has to be a reason the car wasn't driven! Why? Did the car spend a lot of time in the repair shop? Was it in storage, and if it was, was it maintained regularly? Lemme guess, a little old lady only drove it to church on Sundays? Uh huh...
And if the car comes with a STACK of records and receipts...guess what, there's a reason for that! It had a LOT of work done!

And if I see "all original", I would be expecting to see original paint and interior too.

High-mileage doesn't bother me in the least, rebuilt or replaced motor or trans doesn't bother me either, but I buy my cars to DRIVE and have fun owning. If it was done properly, that new or rebuilt motor would last a lot longer and be more reliable than an old "original" motor that may have a ton of problems lurking beneath the valve covers!

Thats what I love about my 68 CDV...I can do anything I want to it without hurting its value. I CHOOSE to keep it as original as possible for now, but later on I'll paint it and do the interior, and it wont affect the value in the least. These cars are not highly sought-after on the collector car market right now anyway, thank God.
Thats why I see some slammed, on big wheels, hot-rodded with lake pipes, black semi-gloss paint, leopard interior, etc...or restored to its original elegance and beauty...or any combination thereof.

That's why, on my car anyway, "all original, original miles", etc, didn't impress me one way or the other...until I actually drove the car.  THAT'S what impressed me! Thats why its my daily driver!