tie rod

What do you do if your trim and vin tags are stolen from your car? I know you can buy another trim tag but are there companies that can produce a new vin tag if you can prove ownership of the car?

Geralds57

How were they stolen? I don't know if anyone makes a repro trim tag thats undetectable but most people cant spot a fake. There are sources for the vin tag also.

67's

You get a state issued vin tag, and kiss about half of the value of the car goodbye.
I have never seen a replacement vin tag that doesn't look off.

Nowhere Man

if the vin is stolen and reported to the authority's then the only thing legally you can do is get a state issued vin.

my question is how or when was it stolen

chevahaulic

Will it drive different with a state assigned tag ? Who would believe the " night VIN tag thief " struck ? You have a title, and a car. Get it inspected and get on with your life. Your title proves what the car is. Have it color photographed / printed on good quality paper.
It will not affect the value in great per portions. Only the guy that can't afford the car in the first place would make a big issue of it.

Bowtyeguy

It will change the value and probably 25-50% Who would give 100K for a 67 Bb with a state issued vin? If you are going to drive the car forever it means nothing to you, but for resale its going to give you problems. Trim tags can be bought but screwing with Vins can cause a whole new bunch of problems. JMHO



You can google anything and find it. I know there are places that make anything you want.

Mr D.

Chevahaulic ?

Randy G.

I'll never buy one without the original VIN tag.

jim lockwood

You might be on to something here. Let's do a thought experiment.

Imagine two Corvettes identical in every way except that one has its original VIN tag and one has a state assigned VIN tag. Further, let's imagine that the car with its original VIN tag is priced at $50000.

So what is the value of the other car? $45000? That would be a 10% loss of value attributed to the state issued VIN tag, a mild hit if you believe some of the opinions previously expressed.

But let's turn this thinking around and examine the logic behind it.

That extra $5000 that some would be willing to pay is essentially the value placed on a small piece of sheet metal approximately 1"x3".

Really?

$5000 (or more) for a small metal part which has no bearing on the function or appearance of the car?

That makes no sense.

Bowtyeguy

Lots to think about on that. Insurance doesn't usually pay full value on a reconstructed car. On a 50k car 10% would not be enough for me. I'm not sure 20% would. On a 100k car NEVER unless I was going to keep it forever. I can see that point but only if you will keep it. I would need 30% or more.

We still are not helping the OP get what info he needs.

stratplus

Jim I know that it makes no sense, but that is reality.

I came back to my car from a walk at show a few years ago and found a guy leaning into my engine compartment. Not unusual to see that but this guy was leaning way to much on the drivers side so I went over to him. The guy had a screwdriver!! I asked him what he was doing and he said oh just looking.

Well, when you think of it, it would be real easy to pop off a 60 vin tag off of a steering column. The value would fall when I had to replace the tag and the anger factor would kick in every time that I had to look at my column.

To answer the OP original question. All you can do is file a report with the police, and then get some new tags, and then be angry as hell about it.

chevahaulic

If you have a documented high dollar 100k coupe ....... would we be talking about this ? No we would illegally switch tags and screw the next owner. Any good " investor " would think & try this. One can go to jail for switching tags........ its not a label on a can of soup. Its fraud and its a felony. Do I want to sit in jail four something so stupid ? 25-50% less for a metal tag, that is the thought of a flipper who knows by easy means the car is reborn. No crashed body, crumpled frame, or missing drive line parts, ... its a thin metal tag easily replaced. No morals / guilt involved.
I have viewed a repo metal tag for a C-1. If I studied it long enough I could tell the difference and had one to compare it to. To the uninformed it would pass with flying colors. When the flippers flipper sells and the buyer finds out the legal proceedings begin. I don't want to be the witness, defendant, or any way shape or form connected to this deception.

The value mongers never sleep and are always out for the quick buck. The hobby has turned the corner to the " hand is quicker than the eye " mode. It is a shame a few not quite honest owners make the hunt for a car a profoundly twisted route.

jerry gollnick

Jim I agree but here is problem from the perspective of someone who's corvette was stolen. Lets assume this car was stolen and then resold to someone with the story that just the VIN tag and trim tag were stolen. Why would someone steal a VIN tag. To reuse a stolen VIN?. That tag is in a hole somewhere and this car was most likely a stolen car.

ricks327

I thought there was a guy that would reproduce a VIN tag if you could prove it was your car and not stolen.

Rick

domenic tallarita

Makes me wonder? Do all of us car owners have our original paperwork?
If one lost their original birth certificate what would happen to his or hers value?
Certainly a animal is a better more loving animal if it has paperwork.
The vin tags were removed by insurance companies on some of these cars when they were only worth a few hundred bucks.
I see the vin as the cars birth certificate, not it's value. I also can't tell if all my friends have all their original paperwork.
Not all cars with removed vin tags were stolen and should not be branded as not as "not legal".
Now maybe I should check my wife & children and see if their vin tags (birth certificates) were lost so I can evaluate their worth.

Dom

Nowhere Man

And a trained eye will spot it in less then a minute

JohnZ

There are two positives for a state-issued VIN:

1. It's legal.

2. It's accepted by NCRS for judging, with no deductions.

There's one negative (proven over the years):

It's the "Kiss of Death" for resale.

That's just the way it is, whether you like it or not.

jim lockwood

Based on the prevailing sentiment, this is certainly true, John. Still, the idea of paying several thousands of dollars more for a 1"x3" scrap of sheet metal is just poor economics. Paint won't be any more shiny. Performance won't be any better.

There is a buying opportunity here.

Someone doing a round trip on a Vette with a state issued VIN tag (round trip = buying and selling) is going to do OK. That individual won't net as much when it's time to sell, but by the same token, didn't pay as much either. Meanwhile there was a lot of Corvette fun to be had.

I think I'll start looking for a NOM '64 with a state-assigned VIN tag. They are probably giving'em away.

Jim

ElHombre

Same issue with a Salvage or Rebuilt title.
Big hit to value.
Actually pretty silly if you think about it.
What is the difference between a "Rebuilt" car, and the many, many award winning "Body Off Restorations"?
There is your bargain, Jim.
A NOM, state issued VIN, Rebuilt title!

Swept57

In general, I would not have a problem with a state issued VIN. But I would want to know why it had a state issued VIN and documentation of what the original VIN was. My fear would be that a stolen VIN tag would show up on another vehicle. Would it be worth the legal hassle to pursue getting the original VIN tag retrieved or destroyed by authorities? I would be much more comfortable with a state issued VIN if I knew what the original VIN number was (and it was stamped on my frame) and that the original VIN tag had been destroyed. I think the "Kiss of Death" would be less in that case than if the whereabouts of the original VIN tag were unknown.

So the real bargain is:

A 64 NOM coupe, state issued VIN with stolen original VIN tag, rebuilt title!