Help... Vin #'s dont match

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For what it's worth:

My son had bought a '68 Chevelle from a car dealer here in Nebraska. The dealer had picked it up at a car auction in Kansas. The car had been owned by someone in South Dakota at the time of the auction. - Sounds confusing already.

To top it off, the dealer said he didn't have all the paperwork ready when my son bought the car. Spencer was ready to head to Georgia for basic training in the army and wanted to take the Chevelle with him. The dealer assured him the title would be in the mail and provided everything else but the title.

Skip ahead 2 years later and Spence was coming back home on his first leave after serving a year in Iraq. He still had not gotten a title but was able to license the car in Georgia without one.

I was able to contact the dealership and did get a new title made. In Nebraska you have to have law enforcement inspect cars that are purchased from out of state to verify the VIN #s match. They had a list of VIN locations for various vehicles that they used to search each of the numbers on the car. We were lucky because everything was kosher.

I realize that every state has their own laws but I thought I'd chime in to let you know that some will look at the VIN stampings.
 
Never seen that before. State police confirm out of state cars here with a 1 page form here. Takes about a minute to match vin plate to title document.
They won't even open the hood or could care less
about anything else on the car.
 
In California the same is true for out of state cars, and ANY car that is "out of the system". They have to be inspected either by the DMV or the CHP and the VIN verified. If anything looks fishy the car is referred to a CHP inspection. My Challenger came from Florida, and while I didn't ship it the guy I bought it from did, and he had the Florida title. Everything matched, the car was still required to be inspected at the DMV in order to issue me a title here. Did they check the package tray or trunk gutter? No. Did they check the core support, fender tag, dash VIN and door sticker? Yes they did. I probably didn't need all of those, but they had to verify at least two different locations and they did check all of them.

It IS their job, because it is the law. No, not everyone will get checked all the time. But they can and should be. You're right, the DMV won't want to do it, and neither will law enforcement. But the laws are in place, and that's the system. If you want to be above board, you play by those rules.
 
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I think the inspection here cost $10. We were worried that something would turn up screwy and that we'd be forced to go through the courts with the dealer, but as I said - all turned out OK.
 
Ok, Im the OP

I did buy it as a numbers matching car.. I have 9k into it as of now. I realize that its my own fault for not doing my due diligence, but it doesn't change where Im at now.

The woman call me back this morning and said her husband bought the car basically in the condition its in now. The only work he had done to the car was maintenance type work to keep it drivable... She is supposed to call me back this afternoon with the info of the shop that they bought it from (Local restoration shop).

I explained the issue and told her i preferred to just give her the car back for purchase price and she stated she wasn't in a position to buy it back.

I dont want to get anyone in trouble, nor do i want any trouble for myself. I can't keep the car knowing that there is a possibility that it isnt legal. I also can't really afford to take a 9000 loss.

I will attempt to speak with the shop they bought it from and maybe they have a reasonable explanation for the inconsistencies

If not i have no choice but to do the legally and morally right thing.

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Looks like a nice car to me. 9 grand, for the numbers to match, well how much less is it worth because of the numbers. Even a clone car is worth something if it is done right.
What you tried to do is bully an honest guy who wants to do the right thing into possibly doing something illegal just because you think there's a decent chance he could "get away with it". Not getting caught doesn't mean it's right. And what does he do if he wants to sell the car? I sure as hell wouldn't buy that car without the proper documentation explaining why the VIN plate and title don't match ANY of the body numbers. One? Sure, repairs have to happen, these cars are nearing 50 years old and no one is likely to jam you up over a single body VIN stamping. But all of them?

The whole issue was started by someone like you, ignoring the law and misrepresenting the car during a sale. Maybe the last owner was the victim and sold the car not knowing any better, but at some point there was a dirtbag that took some kind of shortcut and lied about the car. There are far too many people in this hobby/business that don't give a second thought to what the right thing is. That's why there are car flippers that will slap chicken wire and bondo over a rust hole and sell the car as "rust free with new paint". Or take 30 pictures that show everything but the hole in the floor. Or swap the VIN's from a desirable car that's unrepairable onto a clean /6 car shell. Is it dumb that people will pay thousands and thousands of dollars more for a car because of a few letters on a VIN? Yup, it sure is. But it's sleazy at best and criminal at worst to take advantage of that.
I'm glad I bought my car a long time ago and my restoration is the first restoration. People got greedy with MOPARs, chevy guys started trying to flip them, and I'm sorry, Chevy guys shouldn't be allowed no where near a MOPAR. Yes, over the last twenty or so years a lot of shady things went on, but the Duster is nice regardless of the numbers issue. I think it isn't what the OP wants, a cobbled up clone car. If the car was misrepresented at sale he should be able to get a refund.
 
Looks like a nice car to me. 9 grand, for the numbers to match, well how much less is it worth because of the numbers. Even a clone car is worth something if it is done right.

I'm glad I bought my car a long time ago and my restoration is the first restoration. People got greedy with MOPARs, chevy guys started trying to flip them, and I'm sorry, Chevy guys shouldn't be allowed no where near a MOPAR. Yes, over the last twenty or so years a lot of shady things went on, but the Duster is nice regardless of the numbers issue. I think it isn't what the OP wants, a cobbled up clone car. If the car was misrepresented at sale he should be able to get a refund.

Good luck with that. For one, he'd have to prove the person he bought it from knew about it and covered it up. As far as the courts are going to be concerned, the title matches the VIN tag on the Dash and the vin on the Core support. 2 out 3, title was legally transferred, I'm not an attorney but this will probably be a touch case and an expensive one. With high chances he loses.
 
Another thing you guys are missing, is the car WAS miss-represented, It is NOT numbers matching. Therefore, regardless of WHO swapped the dash VIN, the car is fraudulent.
 
Another thing you guys are missing, is the car WAS miss-represented, It is NOT numbers matching. Therefore, regardless of WHO swapped the dash VIN, the car is fraudulent.
Actually, the OP never said it was advertised as a numbers matching car. All he stated was that it is NOT a numbers matching car. He never said the lady claimed it was. Until that is confirmed, we have no evidence it was in fact misrepresented. Gotta get the full story before conclusions are made
 
Another thing you guys are missing, is the car WAS miss-represented, It is NOT numbers matching. Therefore, regardless of WHO swapped the dash VIN, the car is fraudulent.

Read below again

This is my first post,
I guess I'm in a kind of a pickle... I've always wanted an old Mopar, and I found a 1972 Duster 340 (or what I thought was a 340 car).

The car had sat for a few years and I bought it from a woman who said it belonged to her husband, who had a stroke and is in assisted living...


I got it running and have been part hunting and doing a little reading, that made me do a little more looking..

Anyways, Dash vin matches title, and it is a H code. I do have a title in my name now. The stamp on core support matches but looks fishy, Vin on rear deck lid by speaker hole DOES NOT match. NO fender tag

Has a 340 from a 1970 Vin obviously doesn't match, 727 trans from a 1972 B body Vin doesn't match, Does have a 8 3/4 rear unknown numbers....

I mean its a solid car and for the most part complete, but what am I supposed to do knowing that the vins don't match..

The woman I bought it from isn't returning my calls.....


Please any advise would be helpful... I paid kinda a lot for the car and don't really want to lose what I have into it but don't want to do anything illegal...
 
Ahoy there ssba....I like the cut of your jib :)

To the young man with the questionable old Duster, I offer this advice. Yeah, your car has parts of a few different Dusters in it. So does every other Duster, including the ones owned by the noisy owners here in this thread.

Cover your rear parcel shelf up, put the speakers in, register your car and enjoy it until you sell it. I'd buy it myself, if it was a Demon. There are thousands of cars out there just like yours. Dime a dozen. Over one million Plymouth Dusters were made, no-one cares about your VIN. Hell, the Demon I bought just last month could have two VIN's, but I'll never know unless I tear the interior out. Understand this....of the 300,000 Plymouth Dusters out there (700,000 have been melted down and turned into Toyota's), only about 100 owners would know that Plymouth Dusters have a partial VIN on the rear parcel shelf....and those 100 will never see it, unless you show them.

Do not ever post under this username again. Let the dust settle, join up under a new name, locate yourself in a different town, and introduce yourself to the fine members of FABO as the proud owner of a small block Duster.

All will be well, and you can sleep easy knowing that the VIN Nazis are none the wiser :)
OK, answer THIS please. What are you gonna do when your demon gets stolen, and the next day the dash and VIN get swapped out? Mr theif has a title to go with that dash, so I guess it will be ok, based on your EXACT words..... You gonna congratulate him on his new car?
 
Read below again
I did. Engine and trans do not match each other, or the other VIN numbers on the car. The dash VIN doesnt match the package tray vin. Core support is incorrectly stamped to a number DIFFERENT than the one on the package try. Correct me if i am wrong sir
 
I did. Engine and trans do not match each other, or the other VIN numbers on the car. The dash VIN doesnt match the package tray vin. Core support is incorrectly stamped to a number DIFFERENT than the one on the package try. Correct me if i am wrong sir

Right here:

"Anyways, Dash vin matches title, and it is a H code. I do have a title in my name now. The stamp on core support matches............Vin on rear deck lid by speaker hole DOES NOT match. NO fender tag "

But again, you've missed my point, did the lady claim it was numbers matching, if so, then yes it was misrepresented, if not....... 2 of the 3 vins match, which leads me to believe that the rear tray was replaced at one point.......
 
Your missing MY point, the OP bought the car without checking it out properly, and that is EXACTLY how people get screwed, The car is a fraud no mater WHO did the swapping. THATS why it IS a big deal to swap VINS, and its a federal offense at that. Its to prevent FRAUD. And you think the speaker tray was replaced? I would be more concerned about how the core is stamped wrong and doesnt match the package tray.
 
The car looks pretty nice. I assume the O.P. thought so or he wouldn't have bought it. But it sounds as if the buyer's 2 main concerns are whether or not the car is stolen and the fact it's not numbers matching.

We each have criteria we use when we purchase a car. In today's world a numbers matching car tends to have a higher value than one that's not. I don't know if the sellers intentionally misled the buyer. They may have simply repeated what they were told when they bought it and never checked it out. Regardless, it does have an impact on the car's value. If it's truly important to the O.P., he's unfortunately shot himself in the foot by not checking it out first. He's not any different than most of us others.

Obviously none of us wants to go through the stress of losing our investment if something shady has occurred. We'd each go through that 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't' feeling when trying to decide what to do. On the one hand he doesn't want to be a part of having screwed over a theft victim (if that turns out to be the case). - On the other hand he doesn't want to lose his cash when he was innocent of any wrongdoing.


If I were to offer advice it would be to have him try to do his own investigating to find out what he can before contacting the authorities. If he finds evidence that the car was stolen he will know that he should take steps to protect himself and his investment (perhaps BEFORE contacting the law). That may mean pursuing legal action against the seller or the shop where the car originated from. My main fear would be having the car confiscated and out of my control before I was able to take steps to protect myself.

I do suspect there's a high probability that this case will boil down to being nothing more than a car pieced together from several others and that nothing illegitimate has occurred. If that turns out to be true then the biggest concern will still be whether or not the O.P. is OK with owning a non-numbers matching car. From the picture, it looks like it's worth at least what he paid.
 
Your missing MY point, the OP bought the car without checking it out properly, and that is EXACTLY how people get screwed, The car is a fraud no mater WHO did the swapping. THATS why it IS a big deal to swap VINS, and its a federal offense at that. Its to prevent FRAUD. And you think the speaker tray was replaced? I would be more concerned about how the core is stamped wrong and doesnt match the package tray.
he said it looked fishy? have you seen the quality or lack thereof of the numerous stampings done by chyrsler in that era? so until he posts a pic of the core stamping, again , you're jumping to conclusions.
 
The car looks pretty nice. I assume the O.P. thought so or he wouldn't have bought it. But it sounds as if the buyer's 2 main concerns are whether or not the car is stolen and the fact it's not numbers matching.

We each have criteria we use when we purchase a car. In today's world a numbers matching car tends to have a higher value than one that's not. I don't know if the sellers intentionally misled the buyer. They may have simply repeated what they were told when they bought it and never checked it out. Regardless, it does have an impact on the car's value. If it's truly important to the O.P., he's unfortunately shot himself in the foot by not checking it out first. He's not any different than most of us others.

Obviously none of us wants to go through the stress of losing our investment if something shady has occurred. We'd each go through that 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't' feeling when trying to decide what to do. On the one hand he doesn't want to be a part of having screwed over a theft victim (if that turns out to be the case). - On the other hand he doesn't want to lose his cash when he was innocent of any wrongdoing.


If I were to offer advice it would be to have him try to do his own investigating to find out what he can before contacting the authorities. If he finds evidence that the car was stolen he will know that he should take steps to protect himself and his investment (perhaps BEFORE contacting the law). That may mean pursuing legal action against the seller or the shop where the car originated from. My main fear would be having the car confiscated and out of my control before I was able to take steps to protect myself.

I do suspect there's a high probability that this case will boil down to being nothing more than a car pieced together from several others and that nothing illegitimate has occurred. If that turns out to be true then the biggest concern will still be whether or not the O.P. is OK with owning a non-numbers matching car. From the picture, it looks like it's worth at least what he paid.


Couldn't said it better
 
Im going by what he said. The car has issues, what point are you trying to make?
 
Im going by what he said. The car has issues, what point are you trying to make?
All I'm saying is that he's gonna have a very tough time proving it was the old lady's doing in order to get his money back
 
All I'm saying is that he's gonna have a very tough time proving it was the old lady's doing in order to get his money back
I agree.......and boy, he shoulda asked here first or checked it over closer before buying!
 
I agree.......and boy, he shoulda asked here first or checked it over closer before buying!
hindsight.

I'm just saying, if the front core support does infact look factory whenever he posts the pic of it, that makes 2 of 3 Vin's match, to me that puts it into the very highly likely case the rear package tray was replaced for a repair at some point, and there's nothing to worry about

if not, then yeah, major problems
 
hindsight.

I'm just saying, if the front core support does infact look factory whenever he posts the pic of it, that makes 2 of 3 Vin's match, to me that puts it into the very highly likely case the rear package tray was replaced for a repair at some point, and there's nothing to worry about

if not, then yeah, major problems

I've seen a number of package shelves replaced because a previous owner had butchered speaker holes in them. It wouldn't be highly unusual.
 
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