Help - Plated and Tagged Vehicle Questions

[NVADER 54]

Looking for some advice regarding the best course of action...

One of my best mates bought his dream car last year after working his arse off to save the money for it. It looked good in the photos and came with a wad of receipts and dyno sheets claiming some pretty epic figures. He flew down south to pick it up and and despite the exterior not being as tidy as he'd hoped, it was pretty quick and he was there so he bought it.
As time has passed he's discovered some pretty unsettling things about it. The kit is fibre glass, there have been parts swapped out for cheaper chinese versions, and there are also some pretty key things missing that any genuine Evo should have such as the steel reinforcement on the strut towers and behind the rear seat. Due to the amount of bollocks information that gets posted on Japanese car forums and the age of the car, all of the above could be explained away BUT: the lvvc tag and factory spec plate etc have all clearly been removed and re-attached, and there's some weird edges around the vin stamp. Again, it has been resprayed so it could be explained away but it looks pretty bloody dodgy when looked at as a whole.

He's pretty much decided that it's been plated and tagged and is understandably gutted. Before anyone says "well he should have looked harder"; yes, he should have but he didn't because he'd been waiting years to own one and just wanted to get in and drive it.

My questions are:

- What are his legal rights as far as getting his money back? I would think that the previous owner could be charged with selling something under false pretense but that doesn't help my friend unless he's granted reparation.

- If a WoF inspector picks up that something isn't right, I understand they're required to note it on the cars record and fail the WoF but what happens then?

- If he goes to the police and reports it as suspicious, what happens? If the shell actually has had the plates swapped and it's stolen or something will they just seize it and say tough luck?


Any help will be much appreciated.

Edited June 23, 2016 by NVADER

[KwS 2425]

Can you get at the back of where the chassis number is stamped and see for any signs of cutting and welding? I cant imagine people would bother painting up behind the dash on the firewall.

I wouldnt be too worried about the vin and spec tags having been removed in the past, the engine bay may have been repainted?

If you can provide the chassis number i can have a nosy and see what the chassis number should be (in terms of spec, options etc) and see if it matches up?

Edited June 23, 2016 by KwS

[Driftit 2078]

Does this Evo have its VIN stamped? Check around it for signs of tamper. Body filler, weld etc.

Turn it into a Rally car. Write off the money as a loss.

[booloveblankie 11]

First, talk to the seller. Raise your (friends) points and see how he responds. Attempt to reach an agreement.

If that doesn't work, file a dispute against the seller. Can claim up to $15k. No legal representation allowed within the hearings, relatively inexpensive filing fees.

Just make sure there is irrefutable evidence of deception - be it intentional or unintentional, it doesn't matter to the law. If it is indeed not a genuine Evo that was sold to your friend as a genuine Evo, that's pretty open and shut. The hardest part will be quantifying the loss value.

http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/disputes-tribunal

[E36_Turbo 84]

Hoping this isn't a black evo? 1996'ish? Anyway...irrelevant. That is some disturbing news, I know as you stated, he could've looked harder, however, these are some basic checks that should and could be done via the purchaser prior to any commitments, i will say i do not fully know where the current owner stands in terms of his rights, but...it might be a rather tough learning experience. Do feel for your friend, if it turns out to be a lemon, all the best mate.

[kiwi535 538]

dealer or private sale?

[Mr Vapour 76]

I read of a similar story in Aussie recently where a guy brought a xy gtho and later found it had the fire wall swapped .

Got all his money + some back.

Aussie legislation is very similar to ours so there may be some value in looking it up.

[e30ftw 410]

Probably been through a chop shop. All the obvious parts swapped, repainted from the original then plate and tagged. Would be interesting to see if you can find the original VIN and if it comes back as stolen.

[NVADER 54]

Thanks for all the replies.

Can you get at the back of where the chassis number is stamped and see for any signs of cutting and welding? I cant imagine people would bother painting up behind the dash on the firewall.

I wouldnt be too worried about the vin and spec tags having been removed in the past, the engine bay may have been repainted?

If you can provide the chassis number i can have a nosy and see what the chassis number should be (in terms of spec, options etc) and see if it matches up?

I believe it's double skinned so I doubt you could get to the back of it but I'll have a look next time I'm round and get the chassis number as well. Cheers

Does this Evo have its VIN stamped? Check around it for signs of tamper. Body filler, weld etc.

Turn it into a Rally car. Write off the money as a loss.

It's got the chassis number stamped into the firewall but the vin is on an NZTA tag. There are some odd edges around the chassis code but then looking at pictures of other evo's it could be normal.

First, talk to the seller. Raise your (friends) points and see how he responds. Attempt to reach an agreement.

If that doesn't work, file a dispute against the seller. Can claim up to $15k. No legal representation allowed within the hearings, relatively inexpensive filing fees.

Just make sure there is irrefutable evidence of deception - be it intentional or unintentional, it doesn't matter to the law. If it is indeed not a genuine Evo that was sold to your friend as a genuine Evo, that's pretty open and shut. The hardest part will be quantifying the loss value.

http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/disputes-tribunal

Awesome. Will have a read.

Hoping this isn't a black evo? 1996'ish? Anyway...irrelevant. That is some disturbing news, I know as you stated, he could've looked harder, however, these are some basic checks that should and could be done via the purchaser prior to any commitments, i will say i do not fully know where the current owner stands in terms of his rights, but...it might be a rather tough learning experience. Do feel for your friend, if it turns out to be a lemon, all the best mate.

It is black. Not sure exactly what year but it's an evo 3. I'm gutted for him and he's basically at the point where he's told me to stop reminding him about it hence me asking on here. Not right that this sort of thing happens to good people who've done the work.

dealer or private sale?

Private sale. A dealer wouldn't touch this car.

[NVADER 54]

For the record, I've been telling him for the last 8-9 years to buy a BMW

[KwS 2425]

Its not unheard of for older evos to have fibrerglass kits on them as the original bodywork has been obsolete for a while and was horrendously expensive. Yes, the area around the chassis stamp is usually a bit haggard, not sure why. Some of them even have a weird stripe of orange paint over the chassis plate too.

The lack of bracing is what would make me think maybe the shell isnt an original Evo shell.

Its an old car, most of them will have crap, cheap mods done to them and most have had a real hard life.

At the end of the day, if he didnt pay too much for it, the running gear is all evo, he enjoys it and whats been done to it, the difference from a GSR shell to an EVO shell is piss all and can be fixed with some 3 point braces and things. I wouldnt worry too much.

[Olaf 3317]

you're absolutely right, Kelvin. Only, it's like his first real girlfriend. He's decided he wants to marry her. He had sought this unicorn for years... his mother even liked her! Only, then he found out she wasn't the virgin they said she was. He knows she can be 'made good as new by a plastic surgeon. But, it's a deal breaker for him, as to his mind, he was marrying 'the one'; to his mind, 'the one' had to be an authentic virgin.

[qube 3570]

and now, since hes no virgin no more, he has slim chance to find an authentic virgin. sad life.