odometer fraud and salvage

[zekensunshine]

I purchased a 1993 mazda miata yesterday and when I got home and did a records check I was in for some big surprises. I know I SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT FIRST AND WILL NEVER BUY A CAR AGAIN WITH OUT DOING A RECORDS CHECK. When I bought the car the odometer read 127,069 and the dealer signed an odometer disclosure page that stated that the car had 127,028 miles. The records check I did noted that the car in 1999 was converted to a salvaged title and had 93,538 miles on it. The in 2001 a new title was issued and it was a issued as a salvage title and a "not actual mileage title" and it listed it now had 115,000 miles. For the next several new titles issued it still said the car had 115,000 miles and that it was a salvage, not actual mileage title (this was all the way untill2006). The car had several owner in that time and when the last owner or dealer bought it the title still said 115,000 miles, now when I went to buy it from this dealer in 2007 the car shows 127, 000 miles. Since I have a signed mileage statement that says that 127,028 are the actual miles to the best of their knowledge and it shows it had 127,057 is it still fraud even though it probably has over 200,000 miles on it? In addition when they showed me the title to the car it was a faxed copy so it was in black and white and I could not tell the color of the document(in Oklahoma a clean title is green and a salvaged title is red or orange) they showed me a notation on it that said that it was a salvage/loss title, but assured me and my boyfriend that it was a clean "green title". They had me initial that they showed me the salvage/loss portion, I initialed it, but with a note that said okay only if it was a green title. Is that legal for them to sell me a car and claim it has a clean title when it does not? They said they only had a copy because the original was at the other dealership and that they really did not have to show me that it mentioned salvage/loss but that they did it just to be nice and honest.
What can I do?

To clarify:I do not have a problem with the actual miles being a few miles off, heck even a thousand miles off but the mileage in 1999 was over 181,000 and they sold the car to me as 127,000 in 2007. Second I initialed that the title was okay with me only if it was a green title that 2 different people at the dealership assured me it was.

[Zigner]

Originally Posted by zekensunshine

I purchased a 1993 mazda miata yesterday and when I got home and did a records check I was in for some big surprises. I know I SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT FIRST AND WILL NEVER BUY A CAR AGAIN WITH OUT DOING A RECORDS CHECK. When I bought the car the odometer read 127,069 and the dealer signed an odometer disclosure page that stated that the car had 127,028 miles. The records check I did noted that the car in 1999 was converted to a salvaged title and had 93,538 miles on it. The in 2001 a new title was issued and it was a issued as a salvage title and a "not actual mileage title" and it listed it now had 115,000 miles. For the next several new titles issued it still said the car had 115,000 miles and that it was a salvage, not actual mileage title (this was all the way untill2006). The car had several owner in that time and when the last owner or dealer bought it the title still said 115,000 miles, now when I went to buy it from this dealer in 2007 the car shows 127, 000 miles. Since I have a signed mileage statement that says that 127,028 are the actual miles to the best of their knowledge and it shows it had 127,057 is it still fraud even though it probably has over 200,000 miles on it? In addition when they showed me the title to the car it was a faxed copy so it was in black and white and I could not tell the color of the document(in Oklahoma a clean title is green and a salvaged title is red or orange) they showed me a notation on it that said that it was a salvage/loss title, but assured me and my boyfriend that it was a clean "green title". They had me initial that they showed me the salvage/loss portion, I initialed it, but with a note that said okay only if it was a green title. Is that legal for them to sell me a car and claim it has a clean title when it does not? They said they only had a copy because the original was at the other dealership and that they really did not have to show me that it mentioned salvage/loss but that they did it just to be nice and honest.
What can I do?

Not much you can do - You say yourself that they showed you it was a salvage vehicle.

And, as for the odometer - being a few miles off is not "fraud". Enjoy your new-used car!

[zekensunshine]

I think there has been a misunderstanding. I do not have a problem with the actual miles being a few miles off, heck even a thousand miles off but the mileage in 1999 was over 181,000 and they sold the car to me as 127,000 in 2007. Second I initialed that the title was okay with me only if it was a green title.

[Zigner]

Originally Posted by zekensunshine

I think there has been a misunderstanding. I do not have a problem with the actual miles being a few miles off, heck even a thousand miles off but the mileage in 1999 was over 181,000 and they sold the car to me as 127,000 in 2007. Second I initialed that the title was okay with me only if it was a green title.

Per their knowledge they put what it was.
And, you can't conditionally sign the title in that way...you KNEW it was a salvage title. AND, I don't see any way for you to return the vehicle EVEN IF they violated the mileage disclosure laws...it appears that the dealer my have penalties, but those don't include being forced to take the vehicle back. (I could be wrong on the last point, but my 7 seconds is up!)

[zekensunshine]

I did not "know" it was a salvage title. Two people there told me it was not. They showed me a photo copy of the original and only the front portion. They said the way you tell in oklahoma is buy the color and both assured my botfriend and myself that it was a clean green title. So I agreed to the sale on the condition that it indeed WAS A GREEN TITLE.

[Zigner]

What you said was: they showed me a notation on it that said that it was a salvage/loss title

So, you DID know about it. It was written right there on the paperwork...and that's what counts...