Lustle
Well-Known Member
To me the only reason you would VIN swap is to commit fraud. There is no legitimate reason to swap a VIN.
If you are swapping because you've put a bunch of work into cloning a car into whatever, then you are trying to commit fraud by taking it from "clone" into "real".
If you are swapping a VIN because "oh well the old car couldn't be saved", then you are committing fraud by saying it's the old car when it isn't. And no. There is no such thing as "couldn't be saved". There's only "well it's a lot of work" and you're lazy. Guys pull model A and Ts and whatever else out of the fields all the time with nothing but a frame left (or less) and somehow manage to fix them, I'm pretty sure you can do it too. If you got a great parts car, and a terrible original car. Get to work and use that parts car for what it's for. I've seen lots of cars that guys would call "beyond fixing" come back looking great.
If you are swapping a VIN because there's a lien or some problem with it. You are DEFINITELY committing fraud. You are trying to take a car that can't be registered/insured for A REASON and swapping the VIN knowing you will be circumventing that. Whatever problem there is with the VIN. It CAN be cleared up. Either by inspection. Filing documents. Or whatever. Does it suck? Yes. Is swapping VINs easier? Yes. Does that make you lazy? YES.
Personally short of a few cars I couldn't give a **** what the VIN says. I would rather pay less for a non-H code A body, save my money and drop whatever engine I want in it and not worry about "original this or that". One day I would love to collect and own a few numbers matching rare cars. But for now all they are is more money than I am willing to pay for a car. I'm sure my 72 /6 scamp with a 420+ horse 340 in it is just as much fun to drive as any H code. And at under 10g (canadian) for it running with a built 340/727/8-3/4, with interior in good shape and paint in good shape. With a two inch stack of the work done in the years before I bought it. I'm happy with it.
If you are swapping because you've put a bunch of work into cloning a car into whatever, then you are trying to commit fraud by taking it from "clone" into "real".
If you are swapping a VIN because "oh well the old car couldn't be saved", then you are committing fraud by saying it's the old car when it isn't. And no. There is no such thing as "couldn't be saved". There's only "well it's a lot of work" and you're lazy. Guys pull model A and Ts and whatever else out of the fields all the time with nothing but a frame left (or less) and somehow manage to fix them, I'm pretty sure you can do it too. If you got a great parts car, and a terrible original car. Get to work and use that parts car for what it's for. I've seen lots of cars that guys would call "beyond fixing" come back looking great.
If you are swapping a VIN because there's a lien or some problem with it. You are DEFINITELY committing fraud. You are trying to take a car that can't be registered/insured for A REASON and swapping the VIN knowing you will be circumventing that. Whatever problem there is with the VIN. It CAN be cleared up. Either by inspection. Filing documents. Or whatever. Does it suck? Yes. Is swapping VINs easier? Yes. Does that make you lazy? YES.
Personally short of a few cars I couldn't give a **** what the VIN says. I would rather pay less for a non-H code A body, save my money and drop whatever engine I want in it and not worry about "original this or that". One day I would love to collect and own a few numbers matching rare cars. But for now all they are is more money than I am willing to pay for a car. I'm sure my 72 /6 scamp with a 420+ horse 340 in it is just as much fun to drive as any H code. And at under 10g (canadian) for it running with a built 340/727/8-3/4, with interior in good shape and paint in good shape. With a two inch stack of the work done in the years before I bought it. I'm happy with it.