The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Confirmed, VIN problem that has always bothered me. What would you do?

Cool Hand Lurker · 03-24-2018, 05:38 PM

The only reason for a law that says you can't change a number is related to identifying a stolen vehicle. But it is only one piece of evidence and it alone does not prove that the vehicle is stolen. If there is any prosecutor alive who would bring a case to court based on this one piece of evidence has to be crazy, crooked, or really hungry for a statistic.
In this case the car has been in the family for 45 YEARS and any theft before that would be beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution.
I would say the odds of you being arrested are beyond worry. A judge would throw the case out of court. Even in California.

03-24-2018, 05:38 PM	#38
Cool Hand Lurker Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: So Minn Posts: 1,565	Re: Confirmed, VIN problem that has always bothered me. What would you do? The only reason for a law that says you can't change a number is related to identifying a stolen vehicle. But it is only one piece of evidence and it alone does not prove that the vehicle is stolen. If there is any prosecutor alive who would bring a case to court based on this one piece of evidence has to be crazy, crooked, or really hungry for a statistic. In this case the car has been in the family for 45 YEARS and any theft before that would be beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution. I would say the odds of you being arrested are beyond worry. A judge would throw the case out of court. Even in California.