I bought a 96 V6 Camry a couple month ago as a winter beater. Odometer was at ~60000 miles. (97 000km)

I'm no mechanic and the car looked clean. Even got it inspected at the dealer before buying.

I guess the used car dealer was pretty good at masking the symptoms...

Except for the gas conduct (line to fill the car) and the whole exhaust line badly rotten. The car has next to no rust. In fact it is extremely clean. I already had the gas line and the exhaust replaced. I also got the timing belt replaced. (Recommended at 100000km). The tires were done too. So got new tires on it.

The A/C was weak when I testdrove the car. Now it's gone, no more cold air comming out. The power steering pump is leaking/going and the valve gasket cover is leaking too.

After 10 years, I’m not too surprised to see the exhaust rotten. But what about the valve gasket, power steering pump and A/C? Are these common problems on a 60 000mile Camry?

So I kind of wonder if the used car dealer has tempered with the odometer. Is there any other ways to validate if the car has the mileage shown on the odometer?

Thanks

 

No, they aren't.

Based on both the multitude and variety of problems that you've described here, it's very likely that someone hasrolled backthe odometer. That someone may or may not have been the seller. If it wasn't the seller,it's possible(but not likely) that the seller didn't know that the odometer had been rolled back.

I think there's usually some kind of physical evidence that suggests that an odometer could have been altered; however, I'm not certain nor do I know exactly what to look for. Perhaps someone more electronically/mechanically-inclined can either correct me if I'm wrong or expand on it if I'm right.

Questions to help determine odometer tampering:
[ol][*]Who inspected the car before you bought it? Another dealer or the dealer you bought it from? A Toyota dealership?[*]Did you personally obtain and read either a CarFax or AutoCheck used car history report? If so, did you see any unusual or questionable items?[*]Have all suspension components inspected by a qualified, reputable mechanic. Suspension component wear can generally be equated to an approximate number of miles. For example, if CV joints are close to shot, then the car has far more than 60k on the ticker! Anyway, a good suspension guy should be able to estimate the car's mileage (within 20k) based on the condition of several different suspension components.[/ol]
Please reply to these questions and it will go a long way toward helping to determinewhether you are a likely or unlikely victim of odometer tampering.

 

The car's 11 years old, and if it has only 60,000 on it that means it has sat for a while too. Sitting in a damp garage or outside will definitely rot out the exhaust. Toyota exhaust isn't that great to start with anyway. With AC, if you don't exercise it, seals become brittle and leak by causing you to lose the R134. Valve cover gaskets on any car can leak at 60,000. I've had them leak at 20,000 on my old supra. Again, if it's run for a while and then sits for a while stuff just gets old and brittle and doesn't seal as well. I agree with diver, get a carfax report. You can also look at the brake or clutch pedal (if you have one) and see how much wear there is. If it looks excessive, then it was probably tampered with.

 

Car fax takes your vehicle's VIN and can check several sources for signs of odometer tampering. It's not free though.

 

The age and low miles may very well be the problem as "sferrall" stated. I have a 95 with 80,000 miles and had a leak at the oil pump, and at the distributor seal when I bought it. The seals and gaskets at the oil pump were very brittle and when I replaced the distributer seal it was more like hard plastic than rubber. Both cv joint boots were torn, which is not unusual, but the joints themselves looked ok and the rest of the car looked ok mechanically. I feel certain that the mileage is correct as there are notes about tire purchases with the date and mileage scribbled inside the owners manual.

Run a Carfax check if it will ease your mind about it. If there is a discrepency it may show up.