Legal issue with VIN on a B-J car today?

[padam]

I learned a little about the process when I bought a wrecked Toyota to use for a work car. It had a salvage title because it was rear ended and the insurance company totaled it.

The damage was confined to the trunk area, which I fixed mostly by chaining it to a tree and the liberal use of a big hammer. (This also earned me a pretty good reputation with my neighbors and children.)

Anyway I had to have it inspected by the state patrol to get a license plate.

I had assumed that it was a safety inspection. I was wrong. It was an inspection of the vin and to see where the parts came from. I had used only a few parts that I bought used from junk yards or eBay. I didn’t have the vins or receipts, because I didn’t know I was supposed to. The inspector let it slide because everything was such a low value it was obviously not a criminal thing.

What I learned is that the state is not as interested in the car you’re having inspected, as much as if the parts you used are from stolen cars.
I guess insurance fraud is also a target of these investigations.

That may be the case with this GTX, they don’t care much for this car, as much as everything else that goes into such a restoration.

 

[AR67GTX]

Chisel..

Might be. If it was me wielding the chisel and hammer I’m sure I would have managed to hit the windshield in the process and make short work of it (its removal).

 

[moparedtn]

Yes, it is SUSPECT, not proven, yet they still let the car sell?

Innocent until proven guilty, I'd imagine...
The state gave them a mechanism to continue the sale, pending the outcome of their investigation perhaps.

 

[moparedtn]

Might be. If it was me wielding the chisel and hammer I’m sure I would have managed to hit the windshield in the process and make short work of it (its removal).

From the video, it appears that VIN wasn't gone for very long for sure....
Dash doesn't even look hurt though.


VIN before:

 

[moparedtn]

I've also posted to the MMC on Facebook and asked them if they know anything - or if Mr. Wise was
involved in the authorities yanking the VIN at Scottsdale.
I'll obviously follow up here if they bother to answer me.

 

[YY1]

I did not see the VIN tag being removed in the vid, just a shot of it missing.

What is that sludge around it?

 

[torredcuda]

I learned a little about the process when I bought a wrecked Toyota to use for a work car. It had a salvage title because it was rear ended and the insurance company totaled it.

The damage was confined to the trunk area, which I fixed mostly by chaining it to a tree and the liberal use of a big hammer. (This also earned me a pretty good reputation with my neighbors and children.)

Anyway I had to have it inspected by the state patrol to get a license plate.

I had assumed that it was a safety inspection. I was wrong. It was an inspection of the vin and to see where the parts came from. I had used only a few parts that I bought used from junk yards or eBay. I didn’t have the vins or receipts, because I didn’t know I was supposed to. The inspector let it slide because everything was such a low value it was obviously not a criminal thing.

What I learned is that the state is not as interested in the car you’re having inspected, as much as if the parts you used are from stolen cars.
I guess insurance fraud is also a target of these investigations.

That may be the case with this GTX, they don’t care much for this car, as much as everything else that goes into such a restoration.

Different scenario, you bought a vehicle with a salvage title and were trying to register it, most states require that the vehicle be inspected after any repairs are done. The inspection of course varies by state but usually checks where the parts came from and may inspect the work that was done to insure the vehicle is safe to be on the road. I worked at a body shop that also bought and sold a lot of salvage wrecks so we had the inspectors in very often. I don`t know if this GTX had a clean title before the auction (anyone know for sure?) but it sounds like AFTER the tags were removed a salvage title was applied for, the problem with that is if the vehicle checks out to NOT be a vin swap the damage is done as the salvage title history will never go away. I would have rather seen them impound the car and do their investigation before removing the tags because it was "suspect".

 

[Jeff Peterson]

Remember the 69' Coronet R/T from B-J last year?

 

[WileE]

Different scenario, you bought a vehicle with a salvage title and were trying to register it, most states require that the vehicle be inspected after any repairs are done. The inspection of course varies by state but usually checks where the parts came from and may inspect the work that was done to insure the vehicle is safe to be on the road. I worked at a body shop that also bought and sold a lot of salvage wrecks so we had the inspectors in very often. I don`t know if this GTX had a clean title before the auction (anyone know for sure?) but it sounds like AFTER the tags were removed a salvage title was applied for, the problem with that is if the vehicle checks out to NOT be a vin swap the damage is done as the salvage title history will never go away. I would have rather seen them impound the car and do their investigation before removing the tags because it was "suspect".

Agree. If there's probable cause a crime has been committed, any and all pertinent evidence may be confiscated. However, in this case, I'm surprised the entire vehicle was not impounded.

 

[mvent]

I see cars being restored where just about every piece is replaced including radiator support and trunk rail, does that mean they’re not legitimate cars if they have a title that matches dash vin tag? These cars have been around 50+ years and been driven year round used abused and crashed. Full story haven’t been told yet.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I see cars being restored where just about every piece is replaced including radiator support and trunk rail, does that mean they’re not legitimate cars if they have a title that matches dash vin tag? These cars have been around 50+ years and been driven year round used abused and crashed. Full story haven’t been told yet.

I posted earlier that I didn't care about any of this stuff when I was buying the cars for $2000 back in the day. I also mentioned the legal term "cloud on title," which addresses the gray area, where ownership is legitimate, but there may be a potential competing claim. What I find dubious, is folks shelling out big money for any vehicle that isn't squeaky clean with proven history and clear chain of title. You can't get a mortgage on a house unless the deed passes close scrutiny, but some of the cars change hands for just as much.

 

[DeltaV]

How about everyone involved knew well in advance of this car's issues and the auction of said car was nothing more than a well orchestrated and staged drama?

 

[padam]

Different scenario, you bought a vehicle with a salvage title and were trying to register it, most states require that the vehicle be inspected after any repairs are done. The inspection of course varies by state but usually checks where the parts came from and may inspect the work that was done to insure the vehicle is safe to be on the road. I worked at a body shop that also bought and sold a lot of salvage wrecks so we had the inspectors in very often. I don`t know if this GTX had a clean title before the auction (anyone know for sure?) but it sounds like AFTER the tags were removed a salvage title was applied for, the problem with that is if the vehicle checks out to NOT be a vin swap the damage is done as the salvage title history will never go away. I would have rather seen them impound the car and do their investigation before removing the tags because it was "suspect".

I didn’t mean to imply anything about the GTX, just that they may be looking at more than just this certain car.

 

[torredcuda]

I didn’t mean to imply anything about the GTX, just that they may be looking at more than just this certain car.

The reason inspectors want receipts for parts is to prevent the scenario where a shop buys a salvage title car cheap then goes out and steals a same model car or buys stolen parts to repair it to make a profit. Although that same thing could be done to a classic that is mainly for newer models though as most restored older cars would have used or aftermarket parts installed, the exception being a re-body or vin swap. This GTX had crash damage but we don`t know how it was repaired and what was used to do it.

 

[eldubb440]

How many cars have been in front end accidents and had their radiator supports replaced or restored with 90% of the original metal replaced are they all "suspect or illegal?

its ok to piece a car together with parts stamped in Taiwan; but if you use donor metal from an actual car, it starts to become "suspect"

 

[moparedtn]

How about everyone involved knew well in advance of this car's issues and the auction of said car was nothing more than a well orchestrated and staged drama?

Sort of the direction I'm leaning towards as well.

 

[moparedtn]

its ok to piece a car together with parts stamped in Taiwan; but if you use donor metal from an actual car, it starts to become "suspect"

I want to believe in such investigations, they're after the potential car thieves/strippers and the junkyards who
knowingly buy hot cars for parts than they are after the eventual old car owners.

 

[torredcuda]

its ok to piece a car together with parts stamped in Taiwan; but if you use donor metal from an actual car, it starts to become "suspect"

But as you probably know body shops use used parts to repair cars every single day sometimes even clipping and re-bodying them.

 

[torredcuda]

I want to believe in such investigations, they're after the potential car thieves/strippers and the junkyards who
knowingly buy hot cars for parts than they are after the eventual old car owners.

I bet in this case it is more of a suspected re-body not theft but who knows?

 

[khryslerkid]

The vin in the BJ add doesn't match the one that's been posted.

At the bottom right...

Also states bonded title, title in transit. (Bottom of page)