What year is this shark??
11-29-2006, 12:05 PM
#16
Nordschleife Master
how many speeds is the tranny?
do you have a picture of the mounting of the LH brains, and the final stages?
what does the mounting point on the rear trailing arm look like?
if the tranny is a 4 speed, the LH has the 3 brackets spot welded on, the final stages mounting bracket is spot welded on, and the forward most point of the rear suspension is in an aluminum holder instead of being part of the origonal body then it is a stolen car!
do you have a picture of the mounting of the LH brains, and the final stages?
what does the mounting point on the rear trailing arm look like?
if the tranny is a 4 speed, the LH has the 3 brackets spot welded on, the final stages mounting bracket is spot welded on, and the forward most point of the rear suspension is in an aluminum holder instead of being part of the origonal body then it is a stolen car!
11-29-2006, 12:09 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by heinrich
Basically it's an '85 or '86 and a beauty I might add.
It's an '86. The strut brace has a sensor clamped to it on the passanger side. '85s don't have this but the '86s do.
11-29-2006, 12:16 PM
#18
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Lots of great info guys. Thanks! I will be well armed this weekend.
As for the title, I have made a deal with the dealership as to my concerns. They are doing the title work before I pay for the car. I don't take delivery until it has permanent tags on it. If it is stolen, I'm only out the Tag money at most. For the price seems like it might be worth it.
If things check out this weekend, I'll try to arrange a better PPI with Harry, the Porsche Guru here in Pensacola. Defenitly worth paying him a few bucks to be sure.
As for the title, I have made a deal with the dealership as to my concerns. They are doing the title work before I pay for the car. I don't take delivery until it has permanent tags on it. If it is stolen, I'm only out the Tag money at most. For the price seems like it might be worth it.
If things check out this weekend, I'll try to arrange a better PPI with Harry, the Porsche Guru here in Pensacola. Defenitly worth paying him a few bucks to be sure.
11-29-2006, 12:26 PM
#19
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All bits up to engine, doors and full interior can be changed but VIN on or under passager fender is harder to fake. And its only thing which really tells what MY car is. If paperwork says it's '80 and body says something else, do not walk away, run like hell.
11-29-2006, 01:18 PM
#20
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Could someone have tried to make it appear to be older to make it exempt for some state pollution, tax, etc, requirements?
I know California has so many regulations I've avoided even visiting the place, I can't imagine what it must be like trying to satisfy all those government agencies out there!
Just wishful thinking on my part hoping you get clear title. One thing that pops in my mind right away...if a car dealer is trying to get rid of it cheap then they know why you shouldn't buy it and they sure won't be telling you about it.
I know California has so many regulations I've avoided even visiting the place, I can't imagine what it must be like trying to satisfy all those government agencies out there!
Just wishful thinking on my part hoping you get clear title. One thing that pops in my mind right away...if a car dealer is trying to get rid of it cheap then they know why you shouldn't buy it and they sure won't be telling you about it.
11-29-2006, 01:26 PM
#21
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I think this may be a thread on the same car..
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...37#post3528637
I shall reprint my 0.02 in this thread:
Possibility 1) Someone did all that work (32v conversion), and sold it to someone else who doesn't know what the car is worth.
Possibility 2) Someone did all that work poorly, it's a time bomb now.
Possibility 3) Stolen 32v car with '80 VIN tag - happened here last year, the car went from one coast to the other to be sold and there a sharp-eyed shark enthusiast spotted the fakery. The seller went to jail and the original owner got his car back.
Personally, I would stay away from this car. Way too many unknown variables here.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...37#post3528637
I shall reprint my 0.02 in this thread:
Possibility 1) Someone did all that work (32v conversion), and sold it to someone else who doesn't know what the car is worth.
Possibility 2) Someone did all that work poorly, it's a time bomb now.
Possibility 3) Stolen 32v car with '80 VIN tag - happened here last year, the car went from one coast to the other to be sold and there a sharp-eyed shark enthusiast spotted the fakery. The seller went to jail and the original owner got his car back.
Personally, I would stay away from this car. Way too many unknown variables here.
11-29-2006, 01:32 PM
#22
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Most likely it's an 85/86 that was stolen or salvaged and someone threw an '80 off a cliff and kept the VIN plate and paperwork, applying them to this car. Get the VIN from another part of the car as suggested and look it up in the registry.
11-29-2006, 01:35 PM
#24
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What does the production tag in the trunk say.....or any of the VIN tags on the body panels....what about the metal tag on the passenger side fender in the engine bay? If it has the S4 brakes-suspension then it has to be an 86.5.....it is very fishy.....until the title can be resolved I would stay away from it!
11-29-2006, 02:10 PM
#25
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From the Orange county auto theft task force..."VIN Switching is the unlawful technique suspects use to disguise a vehicle's true identity by changing its VIN. VIN Switching is most often used to disguise a stolen vehicle, by changing its VIN to one which is not stolen. Specifically, the suspect replaces the public VIN plate on the dash board, and the federal certification label at the driver's door. The vehicle is then sold to unsuspecting buyer, exported, or the suspect may keep it for himself or his associates.
Sloppy work sometimes makes a VIN switched vehicle easy to detect. Unfortuantely, most VIN switches are perpetrated by experienced, professional auto thieves, and the quality of their work easily fools citizens and patrol officers alike. These vehicles are often only detected by experienced auto theft investigators.
There are several ways a suspect may obtain a "replacement" VIN:
A salvaged or junked vehicle is low valued because it may have been heavily damaged, burned, stripped, abandoned, or even previously stolen and recovered. A suspect will buy a salvaged or junked vehicle solely for the title and VIN information. He will then steal an identical vehicle, and changed the VIN of the stolen vehicle to match the VIN of the salvaged vehicle. The disguised stolen vehicle is then sold to an unsuspecting buyer. Leagally, the buyer only owns the title to the salvaged vehicle, which may still be sitting at a junk yard or may have been chopped to pieces by the suspect to avoid its discovery and examination by police.
Suspects may also get VIN information from vehicles they already own. A suspect may have crashed his vehicle, but rather than repair his vehicle, he might steal an identical vehicle, and replace the stolen vehicle's VIN with his own.
Suspects may also make up their own VINs by either making up an entirely new number, or by simply changing one or two digits of the stolen vehicle's VIN. Title documents are either altered or counterfeited to match the new VIN. In these cases, the unsuspecting buyers have only purchased a worthless title to a nonexistant vehicle.
Rather than make up a VIN number, suspects often copy the VIN from a similar vehicle they happened to have come across in a parking lot. The suspect then goes to DMV and falsely represents himself as that vehicle's owner. He will claim to have lost a license plate, and order a new set of plates, a current registration, and a replacement title. After a stolen vehicle's VIN has been changed to match the replacement VIN, the title and license plates are then used to sell the stolen vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer. O.C.A.T.T. investigated a case where one vehicle had been cloned 13 times!.........." That is probably enough information it is ILLeGAL to switch vin numbers !!!and as stated above "Leagally, the buyer only owns the title to the salvaged vehicle," end of story. Quite frankly the reason for the poor repaint was to make it LOOK like a different car.
Sloppy work sometimes makes a VIN switched vehicle easy to detect. Unfortuantely, most VIN switches are perpetrated by experienced, professional auto thieves, and the quality of their work easily fools citizens and patrol officers alike. These vehicles are often only detected by experienced auto theft investigators.
There are several ways a suspect may obtain a "replacement" VIN:
A salvaged or junked vehicle is low valued because it may have been heavily damaged, burned, stripped, abandoned, or even previously stolen and recovered. A suspect will buy a salvaged or junked vehicle solely for the title and VIN information. He will then steal an identical vehicle, and changed the VIN of the stolen vehicle to match the VIN of the salvaged vehicle. The disguised stolen vehicle is then sold to an unsuspecting buyer. Leagally, the buyer only owns the title to the salvaged vehicle, which may still be sitting at a junk yard or may have been chopped to pieces by the suspect to avoid its discovery and examination by police.
Suspects may also get VIN information from vehicles they already own. A suspect may have crashed his vehicle, but rather than repair his vehicle, he might steal an identical vehicle, and replace the stolen vehicle's VIN with his own.
Suspects may also make up their own VINs by either making up an entirely new number, or by simply changing one or two digits of the stolen vehicle's VIN. Title documents are either altered or counterfeited to match the new VIN. In these cases, the unsuspecting buyers have only purchased a worthless title to a nonexistant vehicle.
Rather than make up a VIN number, suspects often copy the VIN from a similar vehicle they happened to have come across in a parking lot. The suspect then goes to DMV and falsely represents himself as that vehicle's owner. He will claim to have lost a license plate, and order a new set of plates, a current registration, and a replacement title. After a stolen vehicle's VIN has been changed to match the replacement VIN, the title and license plates are then used to sell the stolen vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer. O.C.A.T.T. investigated a case where one vehicle had been cloned 13 times!.........." That is probably enough information it is ILLeGAL to switch vin numbers !!!and as stated above "Leagally, the buyer only owns the title to the salvaged vehicle," end of story. Quite frankly the reason for the poor repaint was to make it LOOK like a different car.
11-29-2006, 08:51 PM
#26
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Originally Posted by JEC_31
I think this may be a thread on the same car..
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...37#post3528637
I shall reprint my 0.02 in this thread:
Possibility 1) Someone did all that work (32v conversion), and sold it to someone else who doesn't know what the car is worth.
Possibility 2) Someone did all that work poorly, it's a time bomb now.
Possibility 3) Stolen 32v car with '80 VIN tag - happened here last year, the car went from one coast to the other to be sold and there a sharp-eyed shark enthusiast spotted the fakery. The seller went to jail and the original owner got his car back.
Personally, I would stay away from this car. Way too many unknown variables here.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...37#post3528637
I shall reprint my 0.02 in this thread:
Possibility 1) Someone did all that work (32v conversion), and sold it to someone else who doesn't know what the car is worth.
Possibility 2) Someone did all that work poorly, it's a time bomb now.
Possibility 3) Stolen 32v car with '80 VIN tag - happened here last year, the car went from one coast to the other to be sold and there a sharp-eyed shark enthusiast spotted the fakery. The seller went to jail and the original owner got his car back.
Personally, I would stay away from this car. Way too many unknown variables here.
Mobile and P-cola are minutes away from each other. Could very well be the same car, and for sale around the same time frame.
I'll try to get more info and pics this weekend.
11-29-2006, 08:56 PM
#27
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Just noticed that the car was silver originally. Look at the paint around the hood lock, abeove the front bumper on the engine picture...
