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bigbaldy33 · 05-17-2007, 08:22 PM

It's hard to talk alot about this subject as that the majority of the stuff that we (CHP) use to identify a vehicle is confidential. The newer cars of today have literally hundreds of ways to identify them. The older a vehicle gets though, the less options there are for identification. I can't (because of confidentiality issues) confirm or deny where the secondary/confidential identification numbers are on our trucks. I'm sure that some of you know where some of those secret numbering places are from working on them.

What concerns me is that some of you may become victims by buying a truck that has been stolen and VIN switched or sold just based upon the paperwork. It's sad to see how other states are very lackadaisical and are basically setting up people to purchase a vehicle that isn't legal.

Remember: If a deal is too good to be true, it usually is. Buying a $10,000 truck for $500 will make you $500 poorer. I've never seen a great deal like that work out for the purchaser. Here are some tips and questions you might ask yourself that might help you in the future when it comes to buying a truck (or any vehicle for that matter):

1. Never buy a vehicle based on the paperwork only. Always check to make sure that the paperwork matches the actual VIN on the dash or the door. There have been several occasions where a person has come to me with good paperwork that didn’t even come close to matching the real VIN in the dash---he just failed to look.
2. Always get GOOD identification from the person that you are buying the vehicle from (driver’s license etc). Some people like to do deals away from their home (which isn’t such a bad idea). If the car does come back stolen, you at least want to tell the police the person that you purchased the vehicle from.
3. Make sure that the paperwork shows that the seller is the owner of the vehicle. There are lots of cases where people “obtained” a vehicle via a crank deal or some other debt (some people even leave their pink slips in the glove box!), never put it in their name and when the original owner found out that the person they let “borrow” the car sold it, they report the vehicle stolen and you get the car taken from you. You then have to go through the hassle of trying to get your money back (good luck). It just takes a trip to the DMV and a couple of bucks to put it in their name. Make them do it.
4. There is nothing wrong with having a VIN officer look at the car before a purchase to make sure it is all legal. You’ll just have to make an appointment to do so. It’s kind of like getting a mechanical inspection prior to purchase.
5. Go to your local DMV and see if there are any leans, parking tickets or back registration fees due on the vehicle. Sometimes the back registration fees alone are more than the purchase price of the vehicle.

Some of this stuff may seem overkill but in the end you won’t be giving some crook your hard earned money.

BigBaldy

05-17-2007, 08:22 PM	#32
bigbaldy33 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 5	Re: Reproduction VIN tag It's hard to talk alot about this subject as that the majority of the stuff that we (CHP) use to identify a vehicle is confidential. The newer cars of today have literally hundreds of ways to identify them. The older a vehicle gets though, the less options there are for identification. I can't (because of confidentiality issues) confirm or deny where the secondary/confidential identification numbers are on our trucks. I'm sure that some of you know where some of those secret numbering places are from working on them. What concerns me is that some of you may become victims by buying a truck that has been stolen and VIN switched or sold just based upon the paperwork. It's sad to see how other states are very lackadaisical and are basically setting up people to purchase a vehicle that isn't legal. Remember: If a deal is too good to be true, it usually is. Buying a $10,000 truck for $500 will make you $500 poorer. I've never seen a great deal like that work out for the purchaser. Here are some tips and questions you might ask yourself that might help you in the future when it comes to buying a truck (or any vehicle for that matter): 1. Never buy a vehicle based on the paperwork only. Always check to make sure that the paperwork matches the actual VIN on the dash or the door. There have been several occasions where a person has come to me with good paperwork that didn’t even come close to matching the real VIN in the dash---he just failed to look. 2. Always get GOOD identification from the person that you are buying the vehicle from (driver’s license etc). Some people like to do deals away from their home (which isn’t such a bad idea). If the car does come back stolen, you at least want to tell the police the person that you purchased the vehicle from. 3. Make sure that the paperwork shows that the seller is the owner of the vehicle. There are lots of cases where people “obtained” a vehicle via a crank deal or some other debt (some people even leave their pink slips in the glove box!), never put it in their name and when the original owner found out that the person they let “borrow” the car sold it, they report the vehicle stolen and you get the car taken from you. You then have to go through the hassle of trying to get your money back (good luck). It just takes a trip to the DMV and a couple of bucks to put it in their name. Make them do it. 4. There is nothing wrong with having a VIN officer look at the car before a purchase to make sure it is all legal. You’ll just have to make an appointment to do so. It’s kind of like getting a mechanical inspection prior to purchase. 5. Go to your local DMV and see if there are any leans, parking tickets or back registration fees due on the vehicle. Sometimes the back registration fees alone are more than the purchase price of the vehicle. Some of this stuff may seem overkill but in the end you won’t be giving some crook your hard earned money. BigBaldy