Reconstructed Vehicle VIN swap

70-SS/RS-L78 · #1 08-21-2006, 01:47 AM

Hear you go; GNX#298 was destroyed beyond repair and issued a Salvage Title. The car was acquired by a shop. They then proceeded
to swap all of the GNX specific parts to a regular GN. Now hear is the problem…. They also put the VIN from GNX #298 on the GN.
The car is now on eBay being sold as GNX #298 with a reconstruction title. When questioned about the VIN swap the owner has “No Comment”

eBay Auction for #298
Auction# 170019126493

Link to wreck
http://turbobuicks.net/gallery2/v/Philly/album05/

car being reconstructed
http://amsleysvw.com/GNX.php

L78steve · #2 08-21-2006, 03:27 AM

Check out item no.290020815293 on Ebay

Rick H · #3 08-21-2006, 03:39 AM

The wreck

The finished car

Hmmmmm.

Rick H.

**njsteve** · #4 08-21-2006, 03:40 AM

Once the VIN from another car was put on the body, the car is ABSOLUTELEY ILLEGAL. I imagine it's already got a redflag on it now and whoever buys it and then tries to register it will lose the car and all his money.

flyingn · #5 08-21-2006, 04:28 AM

yea this auction was put up to alert potental bidders..

uote]Check out item no.290020815293 on Ebay

[/ QUOTE ]

flyingn · #6 08-21-2006, 04:29 AM

the authorities are gonna be alerted from what I understand very soon

70-SS/RS-L78 · #7 08-21-2006, 04:41 AM

This guy is about to have a "Real Bad Day".

I wonder if the Shop that did the work is also liable?

**njsteve** · #8 08-21-2006, 05:15 AM

Liable is a term used for civil cases (lawsuits=money damages) Swapping VINs is a felony (arrest=prison time).

**firstgenaddict** · #9 08-21-2006, 05:36 AM

They were so nice to provide the authorities with documented photo journal of the rebuild...
If you do something illegal why in the hell would you take pictures of it?

king_midas · #10 08-21-2006, 05:57 AM

Yes, the last comment is the best-- Why document? All kidding aside, with the criminals that are currently running around this country, nobody's going to go to jail, unless the car is chopped...

Now, onto a better question: What is the difference between this and some of the trash that has been sold on e-bay that basically needs EVERY panel replaced? A recent thread on the board that I commented on:

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/show...0/fpart/1/vc/1

Or, isn't GM perpetrating a fraud by making new, licensed, pre-assembled Ca-mullet bodies available for purchase? You KNOW people are going to swap vins onto those; is it just understood, and (pat, pat) it's 'okay' because you're helping the good 'ol U.S. economy by purchasing a body somebody had to weld together? Something is rotten in Denmark, Batman...

Really, the cases are similar, and known re-bodying is what has always happened in the hobby when something can't be saved/costs too much to save. So, the question is this: If the GN that the VIN was swapped onto was legal (i.e.: Not chopped/stolen, etc...), is moving the VIN still illegal, and if so, why? The seller was up-front, and told of the accident history... Next thing: How would actually repairing that GNX (I'm putting on a helmet and getting my cup in) be any different than cutting EVERY panel off of a Ca-mullet in attempting to repair 35 years of abuse? Doesn't that make the car a re-body as well?

I'm playing the devil's advocate here, but it holds some truth.