Odometer clocks more than miles By Brian J. O'Connor Detroit News Personal Finance Editor We've got a new arrival at the Your Money household -- not a bouncing baby, but a shiny Mercury Mariner gleaming in the driveway. Faithful readers (both of them) shouldn't fear that the new vehicle means my (t)rusty '95 Roadmaster Estate Wagon is headed to the crusher. Instead, the Mercury replaces Mrs. Your Money's increasingly wheezy '97 Honda. With 177,000 miles on it, the car has earned the right to be exhausted, but I think we'll find a buyer. Sure, it needs a new side view mirror and a timing belt, but the tires are in good shape and, thanks to my son, Li'l Money, it comes with a lifetime supply of Cheerios crushed deeply into the carpet. Factor car's issues into price The car's survived Florida summers and Michigan winters, but has plenty of life left in it for the right driver. Now we just have to figure out what price to ask. According to Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com, pricing a car that's knocking on clunker status is a challenge. 'I don't know many cars that are more than 10 years old that don't have things that need to be discussed.' His advice is to be honest and consider having your own mechanic check the car and estimate any necessary repairs. But, he adds, that doesn't mean hurrying out to replace an alternator or other part just because it might go bad on an old car. 'There's a point at which you need to draw the line and say, 'The car is running now, I'm selling it as is.' ' Another selling point is to provide a vehicle history from Carfax, AutoCheck or InstaVIN that will show whether the car has been in any accidents. As for pricing, he recommends getting a value from sites such as Edmunds.com or kbb.com and checking the asking prices for cars in your area. 'Start a tiny bit high,' he says, and if you don't get calls, lower the price by about $250 until buyers show interest. Honda's past is priceless When we do sell the Honda, I won't miss its broken cassette player or its faded dash, though I miss the 14 years it represents. When we bought that car new, the twin towers still stood in Manhattan, my son hadn't been born and my dad hadn't died. That's a lot of history that rolled under those wheels. I've read about the tactic of jacking the car up and running it in reverse, and a few websites say it actually lowers the odometer reading, rolling back the miles and the years. It sounds like quite a trick. I doubt it works, but I'd like to try. boconnordetnews.com (313) 222-2145 