eBay audacity

[Arne]

Check this one out. This guy (in France) is trying to sell HLS30-04944. Not the whole car, but the VIN itself!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1970-240Z_W0QQitemZ230288627140QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230288627140&_trkparms=39%3A1|65%3A1|240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

[Arne]

Here's the text and pictures for posterity.

This auction comprises of :

the VIN number plate on the dash behind the windscreen

the plate behind the drivers' door

the chassis number on the baulk-head and

the (clear) title from the state of Carolina.

That's it !

These items may be used as YOU see fit !

ww.datsun-france.com

[Six_Shooter]

Problem?

[Poindexter]

I can just see someone popping up here next summer with their "cherry perfect rust-free unmolested California Car, that happens to be a friend's car btw I'm selling it on ebay for him...with VIN XXXX....with 5 extra keys, too!"

[EScanlon]

That you ask what the problem is, speaks volumes.

I take it that a little irregularity in the serial number of a car, such as it being totally fake, would not bother you in the least?

Just asking...

E

[GWN7]

Swaping vins is frowned on by most law makers in Canada and the USA. It is seen as being connected to car theft. Get a vin from a wreck, steal a nice car, pop on the "new" vin and sell it. Most states have laws that state vins must be turned in if the car is scrapped. There was a used car dealer in Georgia who got into trouble for offering a Porsche vin for sale on Ebay a couple months ago.

[Poindexter]

Swaping vins is frowned on by most law makers in Canada and the USA. It is seen as being connected to car theft. Get a vin from a wreck, steal a nice car, pop on the "new" vin and sell it. Most states have laws that state vins must be turned in if the car is scrapped. There was a used car dealer in Georgia who got into trouble for offering a Porsche vin for sale on Ebay a couple months ago.

Already reported to ebay.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Poindexter

[m4xwellmurd3r]

that ebay ad is basically saying

"Here's the birth certificate and ID's of a guy that just died, have fun!"

[Weasel73240Z]

that ebay ad is basically saying

"Here's the birth certificate and ID's of a guy that just died, have fun!"

I think thats a bit of a stretch, IMO. In your example, the guy who just died probably has a family who would be impacted by ID theft. Who is being harmed by the sale of the VIN? Granted, its real shady, but is there a victim to this "crime"? Only if someone takes the numbers, goes and steals a Z, and uses them that way. And car thief's generally steal cars for parts (like Honda Accords), not to swap numbers and re-sell them. That takes too much time.

The ad just seems extra slimy when the seller ends it with the part about "used as YOU see fit".

[26th-Z]

It's called "Air Car" and it was the topic of hot discussion in the muscle car market years ago. I could build HLS30-00403 if I wanted to. It is generally considered dishonest.

In the race car world, renumbering a chassis is a common thing. Many Ford GT-40s and Porsche 917s were renumbered, for example, when the chassis needed to be replaced.

[Six_Shooter]

The ad just seems extra slimy when the seller ends it with the part about "used as YOU see fit".

That's the part that gets him off the hook if the person that purchases it, uses it for anything other than collectors items.

There is nothing illegal about selling the ownerships and vin plates to a car without the car, there is no crime being committed there.

How it is used could be a crime, or could be just used as collectors items.

There's a guy that is at swap meets allover over my province, sells ownerships and vin numbers to car dating as far back as 1908 I think he said his oldest was. He sells ownerships and vins for many makes.

I'll say it again. There is nothing illegal about selling what is in this auction.

What somebody might use this for could be illegal, but it's not guaranteed.

[sblake01]

I have several vin tags on the wall in my garage basically being "used as I see fit".