Analog odometers were a car staple well into the 1990s. They were unremarkable devices, but sure made the change from 99,999 to 100,000 miles a lot more fun because of that slow roll of the five zeros.
They were also fairly easy to roll back in an effort to commit fraud. Selling a car that shows 67,000 miles is far easier to sell than one that shows 102,000 miles, and unsavory sellers regularly partook in this dishonest behavior.
The switch to digital odometers made milestones less exciting, but it has also reassured used car buyers that the car’s mileage is accurate because rolling back a digital odometer is not possible.
Or so we thought.