Odometer exempt over 10 years old vehicle. WHY?

[MYFIRST325IS]

Hi All,

For those of you who purchased a bimmer 10 years or older what does your title say?

I just received mine and it says that the odometer is exempt since the car is over ten years old. Is there a way to get them to put what the mileage was when i purchased the car? Mileage was 60,336 when registered in my name.

Also, for the model code it reads "32I" instead of 325is. Is that normal?

FYI: my title is from new york state.

I'm sure i can call the DMV but before i bother going thru all their bull crap and messages i figured i check with you folks.

Thanks for your input.

[palomino]

I'm sure i can call the DMV but before i bother going thru all their bull crap and messages i figured i check with you folks.

yeah, except that the DMV is the only place that can actually answer your questions definitively. everyone else here will probably just give they think, which is pretty much worthless. unless someone here actually works for the DMV and knows for sure.

maybe your car's title is weird because it salvaged in another state and "washed" to a clean title by moving it around? or maybe a DMV employee just clicked a box they shouldn't have?

you should just call the DMV. do it in the morning when there's less of a wait.

[silverfish]

I just received mine and it says that the odometer is exempt since the car is over ten years old. Is there a way to get them to put what the mileage was when i purchased the car? Mileage was 60,336 when registered in my name.

FWIW in CA you have to check a box if the odo reading is dubious and give an explanation. Maybe in NY they just assume that after 10 years the odo has already started again from zero.

Also, for the model code it reads "32I" instead of 325is. Is that normal?

My M roadster is listed as "3 series". When I pointed this out to them they just shrugged :P

I'm sure i can call the DMV but before i bother going thru all their bull crap and messages i figured i check with you folks.

Good luck getting straight answers from them. The odo thing might be on their website, could save you some time on hold.

[Bingo]

I'm in CA, and my cluster was changed out a while ago. The PO had a certificate saying the mileage when the old cluster was taken out, and the mileage the new cluster said when going in. That slip allows me to "explain" to the DMV why the odo is wrong. Silverfish makes a lot of sense, it sounds like your situation is similar to mine, except that in your case your state automatically considers the odo reading to be false after 10 years. Perhaps if you can prove your odo is correct they will fix it in the records for you. Calling the DMV is the only way you will get a sure answer.

[SC David]

Some older cars without the digital odometers have a limit to how many miles they show. Don't know how much of an influence that has, but it's just kinda funny. Anyway, I just registered my '92 525i yesterday here in CA, and it was the same thing. PO "disclosed" the high mileage anyway. Weird rule for sure.

Speaking of registration, I'm wondering how possible it is to get past paying the taxes on it. Cost me nearly $350 when I could have just lied about how much I paid for the car and gotten away with paying much less, or just said it was a gift from a family friend. With cars that aren't worth much, it doesn't seem like the feds would bother to track you down. I guess you never know though

[ataie]

yeah, except that the DMV is the only place that can actually answer your questions definitively. everyone else here will probably just give they think, which is pretty much worthless. unless someone here actually works for the DMV and knows for sure.

maybe your car's title is weird because it salvaged in another state and "washed" to a clean title by moving it around? or maybe a DMV employee just clicked a box they shouldn't have?

you should just call the DMV. do it in the morning when there's less of a wait.

if you don't know anything, then it's better not to answer than give a ridiculous and idiotic answer such as salvage.

I am a licensed dealer in Texas. As is the case in TX and many other states if the vehicle is 10 years or older the odometer, regardless of if the dealer puts the actual miles on the title paperwork or not will be listed as EXEMPT per state. Miles can always be tracked by various service history or vehicle history reports for resale purposes. What buyers need to be aware of is that if there is a mileage issue with the vehicles 10 years or older, the title will note - NOT Actual miles - or 'TMU' (true miles unknown).

as for the second part of the original questions for model numbers. DMV uses only 3 digits for the model. Most the time the digits listed are very close to actual model, but sometimes they make no sense. Again this is the way the vehicle is entered into the state's program. This will also carry over from state to state.

Hope this clears some of the confusion for the original poster.

[325bob]

The "feds" don't care what you"lied" about on a California title, but I wouldn't discuss it in writing on a web site.