Steve Andrews had been shopping for a used car online for a while when he came across a registered dealership in Burnaby, B.C., advertising a 2012 Subaru that seemed to fit the bill.

He and his partner were on a budget, but needed a car to get around with their growing family — a two-year-old and a one-year-old.

"They said it was in very good condition, that there were no real problems," said Andrews. "Everything seemed to be right about it."

Most importantly, he said, the mileage on the odometer was low — just under 98,000 kilometres. Under 100,000 kilometres is a sweet spot when selling a used car.

WATCH | Experts say growing demand for used cars could worsen rising odometer fraud: B.C. man speaks out after buying used car with rolled-back odometer | Go Public | Duration 2:11 A B.C. man is warning others after discovering the used Subaru he purchased for his growing family had its odometer rolled back tens of thousands of kilometres. Experts say odometer fraud is on the rise, and that growing demand for used cars prompted by U.S. auto tariffs could make it worse.

But when the car developed mechanical problems shortly after the sale six weeks ago, Andrews brought it to a mechanic who became suspicious about the low mileage and told him to call a Subaru dealership where the car had a recall issue repaired in 2020.

Andrews discovered that at that time, the car's odometer was already at 112,000 kilometres.

"It was pretty shocking," he said. "I was definitely angry."

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