turbocat

a friend of mine is looking to buy an nice 64 coupe with a 365 hp motor that has been represented by the second owner as all original. My friend says the title from our state (california) shows the vin and the engine numbers match except there is no vin on the car. I told him to look for the vin on the frame to see that it matched the title. Even if the frame vin matches the title doesn't the value of the car becomes less without the vin tag? by how much?I told him that the sales price of $30,000 was a great buy if it had the vin tag on the car. I told him to run away--was I right?

Frankie the Fink

A state-issued VIN is death to a car's value. However, with people paying in the mid $20K for just a good body to build a restomod....if this '64 was righteous otherwise $30K might not have been such a bad deal for a running, driving, high-HP C2...

Roger Walling

Interesting post;

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...or-a-56-a.html

Frankie the Fink

VIN tags can be reproduced (hopefully only after copious amounts of validation); still doesn't alter that state-issued VIN status -- which is what the title will reflect.

ohiovet

If the owner is lucky enough to get a state issued VIN using the original VIN, at some later time a "original type" tag could be put on the car.
Of course changing a VIN tag is against the law.

bosshog8

Where does he say it's a state issued VIN? He says the title matches the engine and there is no tag on the car. One could extrapolate that if the motor was born in the car then the missing tag on car would be the same as the title, I.E. not stolen.

There are too many if's and but's for me to care. I would tell the current owner to sort it out and I would look elsewhere.

hope2

no, you were not right.

JohnZ

If there's no VIN tag below the glove box door, turn and run in the other direction. If you really want the car, tell the seller you'll buy it, on the condition that he runs the DMV gauntlet to get a California state-issued VIN plate registered and installed. It's the seller's responsibility to provide a clear and marketable title and a car whose VIN matches the title, not yours. If the car ends up stolen, that's his problem.

SonnyAK

Good advice! VIN issues can be daunting in any state, and I'm sure CA won't be one of the easier places to deal with...

Frankie the Fink

He never did...if the VIN tag is missing I "extrapolated" that he would have to get one. In most cases that is a state-issued VIN. This has been discussed endlessly on here many times.

wraplock

While it may be legal in Eureka Calif to replace the VIN with a reproduced tag here in NY it is illegal to remove, tamper with, or install a VIN tag (even a reproduced one) on a vehicle. ONLY the NYS DMV can legally do this. I am not a lawyer but I believe that it may constitute fraud to install a reproduced tag without disclosing that fact to any perspective future buyer. I would have no interest in a car whose VIN tag was missing. There are lots of cars for sale without these issues. I would move on...life is short, restorations take lots of time and I have no desire to deal with these types of problems. I've heard stories of guys being hassled over VIN tags attached with screws when screws were not used or incorrect screws or rivets.

sub006

If the frame VIN matches the original sales documents, what's the problem? Buy the car cheap with a seller's signed receipt using that number. Then get a perfectly matching, aged new repro VIN tag made, properly attach it and register in a state that doesn't have laws against it, maybe Nevada?

Once done, you can re-register in California and the car is good from then on, top dollar too.

John 65

If the car checks out clean, and it gets a new VIN# on a clear title, here's what will happen the day he goes to sell it with it's new #:

1/3 of the buyers wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

1/3 of the buyers couldn't care less.

and 1/3 of the buyers wont even know the difference, their main concern being it's 100% legal.

IF its a pretty car, and IFit's purchased right, it will bring back good money on sale day. That was my experience.

Good luck.