HELP! Has this car been rebirthed?

[Jpowys]

Hi folks,

I'm currently looking to buy a car which i am concerned has been rebirthed. It is a subaru was australian delivered, but this one was privately imported from Japan.

The guy selling it claims that he has all the paperwork from vicroad stating that it is legit. What concerns me though is that there is no compliance plate, and the vin number has supposedly been taken from a wrecked australian model, and the vin number is engraved into the chassie (not well either i might add).

What do people think? Has this car been rebirthed, or is this possibly legit, and how would i find out?

I was going to just call the vicroad's line to check if the vehicle is stolen or has outstanding finance, but if the vin number has been taken from an a australian model, they may just think it is that austrlian model, and would not know that the other has been wrecked.

Bottom line is... How can i make sure that the vin number and engine number match up and are legit? Surely there is a register somewhere which records what engine no, vin no, and colour a car should be...

Hope this makes sense, i know it's complicated.

I would really appreciate any assistance you can give, i don't want to be buying a stolen car.

Jeremy

[Bluprint]

If you have any suspicions that it's a dodgy job then it's best to just walk away from it all together

there's plenty more out there

[BHDave]

Id check the engine number and VIN aginast the rego papers as a start.

Then check with REVS https://online.revs.nsw.gov.au/revs/public.htm or the victorian equivalent for any vehicle history, outstanding finance, etc.

But if in doubt, walk away. It isn't worth the risk.

[Bass Junky]

Chances are that if it looks dodgy, it probably is.

I assume the price is pretty damn goo too?

Walk away and report it to the police.

[blind_elk]

Why do you think you might want to buy this particular car?

Rule #1 of any financial transaction - if the deal appears to be too good to be true, then it probably is (and you will get stung).

Rule #2 - always refer to Rule #1.

If you have any doubts whatsoever, drop it. There will be other cars come along that will suit your requirements.

[Blitz]

Abort

[predator]

problem is that the engine may have been swapped as well.. its amazing the lengths people will go to .. Passing off a $10k car for $20k+ crooks will spend a bit of effort on, to make sure it passes most checks. I think there are ways to do it legally, but the transport dept should have record of this. A dodgy engrave on the firewall will probably just be knocked back on inspection - possible car resposessed from you without recourse as being stolen. They can use UV light to get the original number off the firewall.. which could be stolen, etc.

Personally I'd report the individual to the police... as who knows the path the car came to get to where it is. could be stolen with a number of other cars, etc, etc.

That is why a few cars have key coding engraved into multiple places on the car, as it can be a hard job to detect if done properly.

[Trust33]

Report it.

[usuckpoo]

obviously its rebirthed

sorrie but it sounds like u want pple to convince u its legit so u can buy it because u want to...is it very cheap?

[usuckpoo]

May i be quick to add that rebirths are all not that bad.

You might even get a better deal than normal.

Say, guy gets illegal JDM Sti into the country, and registers it using rebirthed plates.

He makes money

u get a JDM Sti for AUD delivered price.

Hey...win win situation

[someonestolecc]

May i be quick to add that rebirths are all not that bad.

You might even get a better deal than normal.

Say, guy gets illegal JDM Sti into the country, and registers it using rebirthed plates.

He makes money

u get a JDM Sti for AUD delivered price.

Hey...win win situation

Then take that that car was stolen in Japan and you're supporting car thieves.

[Guest]

The model car you are looking at and in VIC was in the papers about a big scam going on with a VIC Roads guy charged, a lot of the cars cant be ever sold again or were seized.

Do a google search and one of the News Papers shold come up with a hit telling the full story of all the cars and who to contact about more info.

Dont touch it or tell the guy lests go down to VIC Roads and ask an inspector to look at it, you wont here from him again.

[GTR R35]

As you are buying privatly, if the car is rebirthed or stolen and the cops find it, you WILL loose your car.

I have heard stories of people who did all the right things when buying a car (REVS/STOLEN check) and the car looked clean. Problem was the cars were rebirthed an the cars were taken by the police and returned to their rightful owners.

I would walk away from it and count yourself lucky you did not blow your money.

[Silver-Arrowz]

If you have any suspicions that it's a dodgy job then it's best to just walk away from it all together

there's plenty more out there

My exact thoughts!

[pentae]

Aside from this its a pretty easy answer, just dont buy a Subaru

[skyr31]

Walk away mate, not worth the risk. Even if it is legit, it will still be a pain in the butt to sell down the track because it looks dodgy. People will be asking the same questions that you are now.

[Amaru]

Is it a yellow legacy RS by any chance? If so, one of the forum members on here previously owned the car and bought it from Japan and knows the whole history of it. If it is the yellow one, send me a PM and ill give you the original owners details

[Links]

You also have to rememeber that your taking a huge risk - if the police come knocking at your door and impound/take your car - there is not a thing you can do about it.. stolen/rebirthed cars are able to be taken without your permission..

Rebirthed cars are just a massive hassle, if they have been reported stolen, you buy it and go and register it your in trouble.. car could have been reported a write off - you don't know..

personally steer clear of it.. check the vin with subaru possibly and see what they say..

[predator]

rebirthed cars are bad m'k..

most, not all, support car theft, and should be reported to the authorities. You wouldn't like it afterall if you skyline got stolen, then rebadged with one from overseas. Never to be seen again.

[Jpowys]

thanks all for the feedback, the overwhealming majority of you said to stay clear.

this guy claims he has the papers from vic roads which prove it is legit. I am tending to steer away now, but worth more investigation i think.

just a few more questions though:

1) my undertstanding was that most cars locally delivered were not able to be imported apart from private imports (ie owned for 12 months in japan prior to moving here and bring it with him/her)?

2) if this is the case should the car still have a compliance plate?

don't worry, i am not inclined to buy it, but just want to rule it out properly because this is an awesome buy if it is legit.

cheers for all the help

jeremy