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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/2onpio on 2025-02-06 07:14:29+00:00.

I’m kicking myself for ignoring red flags and not getting a Carfax report before buying it. I found a 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0 V8 listed for $8,600 on Facebook Marketplace. The seller claimed he had owned it for two years and had treated it like his baby. The price was great compared to others with similar mileage (166,500 miles on the odometer).

When I met the guy to check it out and test drive it, everything seemed solid. I told him I wanted a pre-purchase inspection, but he got defensive, saying I was wasting his time and that he had “tons of other buyers.” Red flag, I know. He refused to let me take it for an inspection, even with a deposit, saying he didn’t have time all week. Eventually, I decided to take the risk and bought it for $8,400 after negotiating. I have the title signed by him.

After I got home, I ran a Carfax report out of curiosity. And that’s when I saw it:

• The last recorded mileage was 254,713 just a few months ago. Almost 100,000 more miles than what the odometer shows.

• The guy only bought it last year in another state, not two years ago like he claimed.

• He even texted me after the sale, saying his brother is selling another F-150, which “coincidentally” has around 160K miles too.

So now, I’m left with a truck that has way more miles than I thought. I plan to get the truck inspected tomorrow to confirm any tampering. I’m also considering filing complaints with the Texas DMV and NHTSA for odometer fraud.

I know I messed up by skipping the inspection, but I don’t want to let this dude get away with it easily. If anyone has advice on how to outplay this guy, I’m all ears.

TL;DR: Bought an F-150 off a guy on Marketplace, later found out the odometer was rolled back by nearly 100K miles. The seller lied about how long he owned it, refused a pre-purchase inspection, and may be doing this as a scheme. Now, I’m looking for ways to hold him accountable.

UPDATE: Some people have mentioned that Carfax is sometimes wrong. The Carfax report had 36 entries and they all show increasing miles from various business/DMVs. So I don’t think the milage show is wrong. Here are the last 3 owners activity in the report.