VIN mismatch, am I screwed?

[CharlesHS]

At the very least both fenders and fender wells have been swapped from a donor vehicle.
Other than the green paint behind the dash and on the firewall in the engine compartment; are there any indications that the Jeep tub has been repainted ?
The VIN plate could have been swapped from the original to a donor tub, but the Rebuild should have been documented and the information provided by the dealership.

 

[Wick3dMrB]

At the very least both fenders and fender wells have been swapped from a donor vehicle.
Other than the green paint behind the dash and on the firewall in the engine compartment; are there any indications that the Jeep tub has been repainted ?
The VIN plate could have been swapped from the original to a donor tub, but the Rebuild should have been documented and the information provided by the dealership.

Not that I have seen. Roll bars are green under the padding, the floor and everything else has been rhino lined black.

I found the full VIN on the fenders, and it comes back as a Forest Green 1999 TJ Sahara 4.0 with 104,100 miles. Next, I'm going to try to get a carfax of the VIN.

 

[CharlesHS]

There is usually a Chassis tag screwed to the cross brace beneath the radiator facing front ward.
IF its still there; what VIN # does it have ?

 

[Wick3dMrB]

There is usually a Chassis tag screwed to the cross brace beneath the radiator facing front ward.
IF its still there; what VIN # does it have ?

That’s gone as well. Broken off to be exact. Everywhere else has been removed. The ONLY place I found different VIN is on the fender wells in engine bay

 

[CharlesHS]

There is a VIN beneath the drivers seat OR at least on my 2001 there was.
Lift up the carpet and you may be able to see it OR it may require the removal of the seat.

 

[Wick3dMrB]

There is a VIN beneath the drivers seat OR at least on my 2001 there was.
Lift up the carpet and you may be able to see it OR it may require the removal of the seat.

I found where it’s supposed to be but it's gone. I will try and get some photos of every where it's supposed to be when it stops raining.

 

[DuckNut]

Spend a 100 bucks and talk with an attorney before you do something accidentally and jeopardize your standing.

Engines, trans, hoods, doors, etc are swapped on cars all the time and that does not make it illegal. Frames are swapped, complete jeeps are assembled from junkyard, does this make them illegal and if so how do they get them registered and titled.

I think the real question is...what Vin number does the DMV use on a title? It certainly cannot be the one on the engine or hood or door or... maybe they only care about the one on the dash?

My wild azz guess is the one on the dash. Many states don't even care if the mileage is correct after this many years and the title reads exempt.

I think a visit (phone call) with an attorney would be money well spent.

 

[CharlesHS]

The one on the dash is the one they care about, but there may be another one to corroborate that one. I believe the VIN on the dash is attached with a certain style/type of rivet.

 

[Blue Clearwater]

My wild azz guess is the one on the dash. Many states don't even care if the mileage is correct after this many years and the title reads exempt.

You would be correct. I've owned and registered vehicles in 3 different states and the VIN on the dash is all that was ever looked at. I once had a Ford Ranger where the only original parts were the dash and the driver's seat. Getting it registered wasn't an issue.

 

[g.hayduke]

In New Mexico (it's a state in the U.S.), if you bring a vehicle in from another state, they do what they call a "VIN Inspection" at a MVD office. The default VIN inspection verifies that the VIN on the dash and the VIN on the door jamb match the VIN on the title.

I don't know what they do if the door jamb VIN sticker is missing. It may be what I had to do for a military surplus trailer I bought without a title. In that case, they required a higher level VIN inspection at a State Police office. They have people trained in where to look for all the various VIN stampings and do a more thorough search of the vehicle and various databases to try and determine if any major parts are from a stolen vehicle.

It sounds like a lot of places only care about the dash VIN but NM is not like that.

The OP's Jeep is clearly not what was was advertised and has a lot of red flags. That said, when buying any used vehicle, engine bay paint that doesn't match the exterior is a super obvious indication that the rig was repainted a different color from the original tub color. That's all you need to know to know the advertised info was BS. Next time, walk away and, if it's me, I call them out on their BS.

 

[Wick3dMrB]

Yeah. It was something I noticed at first but didn’t click immediately. Definitely kicking myself in the ass for it for sure.

 

[tweezer]

Have you Carfaxed the VIN on the Forest Green 1999 TJ Sahara 4.0 with 104,100 miles?

 

[Wick3dMrB]

Have you Carfaxed the VIN on the Forest Green 1999 TJ Sahara 4.0 with 104,100 miles?

I put in the VIN and it came up with 29 records. I just hadn't purchased access to the full report.

 

[Gilaguy23]

It could simply be it was rebuild/repaired using used parts. Different colors, different body parts with the little vin label, isn't always a legal issue. Should the seller have disclosed it, yes. But they may not have known.
What's the problem? Can't register it? Or is does it just bother you? Have you spoken with the seller?

Perhaps, however best of my knowledge that title should indicate "salvage" or the particular states equivalent so the buyer knows.

 

[Blue Clearwater]

Perhaps, however best of my knowledge that title should indicate "salvage" or the particular states equivalent so the buyer knows.

It would only have a salvage title if it was wrecked and the wreck was reported. If a bunch of parts were replaced because of rust or a fender bender or a desire for a different color, it wouldn't have a salvage title.

 

[ColoJeep]

It would only have a salvage title if it was wrecked and the wreck was reported. If a bunch of parts were replaced because of rust or a fender bender or a desire for a different color, it wouldn't have a salvage title.

The color of the tub is what screams fishy to me . This TJ is a problem child.

 

[Blue Clearwater]

The color of the tub is what screams fishy to me . This TJ is a problem child.

Oh I agree. Just pointing out why it might not have a salvage title.

 

[CharlesHS]

While it may be hard to see; there is a VIN etched into the passenger side frame below the passenger door, between the foot step mounting holes, just rear of the middle tub mount, on the upper half of the frame rail.

 

[MichaelGH]

A lot of you guys would go crazy up here in the North road salt states. All kinds of rust issues lead to situations like this.
The problem is you bought it from a dealer that did not exercise due diligence on what they had. This was probably a trade-in and they never did anything except process the title.
If you bought the Jeep with every intention of keeping it, I would go back on the dealer and get a bunch of money back. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping it, they need to immediately take it back and refund every penny you spent.

 

[Wick3dMrB]

A lot of you guys would go crazy up here in the North road salt states. All kinds of rust issues lead to situations like this.
The problem is you bought it from a dealer that did not exercise due diligence on what they had. This was probably a trade-in and they never did anything except process the title.
If you bought the Jeep with every intention of keeping it, I would go back on the dealer and get a bunch of money back. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping it, they need to immediately take it back and refund every penny you spent.

I purchased it from a small used car dealer. That "specializes in Jeeps" I had planned on keeping it. I am currently getting all the documentation to support my case before speaking with my lawyer to know my options before confronting seller. Last thing I want to do is say/do something to jeopardize anything.


Thank you all for your inputs. It has helped to put me in the right direction.

I did verify that the VIN has not been reported stolen or salvaged. So there's a bonus there lol