I need a new car, and found a lowish mileage Honda Element that’s been outfitted with some (professional-looking) hardware behind the front bumper so that it could be towed behind an RV. According to the dealer, a lot of the miles on the odometer were accrued while it was being towed on all 4 wheels. I’m pretty mechanically inclined and not at all new to purchasing used cars, and the car seems to be in very good shape. Are there any unusual considerations that I should be keeping in mind owing to it’s history of being towed in this way?
At the end of the day, the dealer cannot tell you how many kms were under tow, and how many were driven. For the purpose of value and wear and tear, assume the odometer reading is ALL driven miles. That is your worst case scenario (which is always what you should be working off of when purchasing a car).
Here is some info on towing behind an RV from Honda
As you can see, depending on how carefully procedure was followed, this could be a ticking time bomb. Me, personally, wouldn’t go near it unless I was desperate and there was nothing else. The dealer is probably trying to charge a premium on the assumption that it is essentially lower miles than the odometer shows, because of the tow behind element (pun intended). Personally, I’d want it at a discount from market value, due to the potential for significant problems, and the fact that ALL the running gear has same or higher wear from the towing, and only the engine would have less, and Honda engines are generally pretty bulletproof.