Re: [AMC-list] cheap gremlin title @ tags

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

Yes, there is a chance of fraud. There are also legitimate uses that are pretty much a grey area in the auto hobby business. The cars these belonged to have been parted and crushed, but the titles and VINS can be used to bring another back to the street. Technically, it's illegal to alter a VIN number. Realistically, no one cares if you change the VIN on a Gremlin, Rambler, or any number of other cars. The term "rebodying" a car has even come into general use. That's basically taking the title and VIN from one car that isn't salvageable and putting it on another, better, salvageable body. As I said, techincally this is illegal, but if no one cares... It's illegal to prevent changing data on newer mainstream cars, and frowned upon by the collector community because it can be done to make a plain Jane car into a lot more valuable collector car. Stating a base model 69 Camaro is a rather rare and valuable 69 396 SS/RS is a fraud to the buyer, who thinks he's getting the original
 car. It's still more valuable than the plain model, but to me it's technically a replica SS/RS, not as valuable as the real deal.

Back in the day if a car was totaled and the body was still being made (say you bought a 69 AMX as soon as you could, totaled it 5 months later) you could still order a "body in white" (bare body) from the factory. The original VIN and all salvageable equipment was moved to the new body. The car was effectively "rebodied". The difference is that the new body never had a VIN number assigned, just a body number (in the case of an AMC body).

IMHO, as long as a rare and valuable car isn't being replicated and pawned off as the original, or a stolen car isn't being "washed", using a VIN and title from a similar car isn't a big deal. But that IS just my opinion. It's still illegal, but if no one complains or is defrauded, who cares?

-----------------
Sent: Saturday, October 8, 2011 11:14:46 PM
Subject: Re: [AMC-list] cheap gremlin title @ tags

No chance of a fraud here, nope, not at all.

Give the cars their rest and let them go.

--
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars"
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://www.amc-mag.com
(free download available!)


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