In 1990, Steve Kroft and the fine minds at "60 Minutes" reported on an issue that was plaguing the American used car industry: mile-busters. That is when individuals flip "cream puffs" — pre-owned cars in unusually good condition — by rolling back odometers to make a car appear to have great mileage. The scheme is known as busting miles or whipping miles.
The "Cream Puff" story revealed that mile-busters dominated the used car industry, inflating car prices to the point of pushing out wholesalers who worked with integrity. In addition to rolling back the odometers, the process required forging titles to match the new odometer readings.
What's remarkable about the segment is the clarity of the incriminating footage. In one scene, a hidden camera shows a technician showing off his wares. The coup de grâce is when Kroft, with the help of two former used car dealers, nab Bill Whitlow, a cartoonish car crook. It probably helped that Kroft, still at the beginning of his "60 Minutes" career, wasn't a household name yet. His expert delivery, however, would help launch him into the upper echelons of "60 Minutes" correspondents.
"The good news is we're not cops," Kroft told Whitlow after showing him the hidden camera. "The bad news is we're '60 Minutes.'" After the segment aired, Whitlow was sent to prison.
