odometer reading

I'm thinking of buying a 47 Plymouth with 29,000 miles on the odometer. How can I determine if this is a true reading?

You will have to give the car the Sherlock Holmes treatment.

Is the steering wheel worn? The paint should not be worn thru. How about pedal pads and floor mat where the driver's throttle foot rests? Is the seat torn, and worn out? What about the top of the door where the driver's elbow would rest? What about the door handle and window crank? Are they worn and floppy?

How about the steering and other controls? They should be fairly tight not worn and sloppy. Most engine parts such as starter, generator, etc will be original but some may be replaced.

Generally speaking you are looking for an amount of wear and tear consistent with what is on the clock. This is not an exact science but you should be able to tell the difference between 29000 and 129000 almost at a glance.

Thanks Rusty, I think you're right about wear & tear. Tho it's not severe, the inside still looks good. Even so, 129000 doesn't sound to bad for a sixty year old car. It's been stored for about ten years, so I figure 129000 divided by 50 comes out to around 2600 miles average a year. Thanks again