galbi_jjim

Hey Guys,

Im looking at an AP2 for sale and noticed that the front two fenders have VIN's on them that do not match the car. I checked them and the car they belong is still running around just fine (no theft reported so probably a trade/replacement). The VIN on the front bumper is also missing and the area it should be looks clean which leads me to believe the bumper was resprayed.

There are no accidents reports on the car.

The VIN on the hood DOES match the car. Any ideas what may have happend? Would a front end collision cause need to replace BOTH fenders and bumper? Again, the hood is what came with the car and shoes no sign of damages. What do you recommend i look for to make sure everything is good underneath?

Kyle

There's a lot of variables that could cause the fenders to have been replaced. Maybe the guy whos car the fenders originally belonged to went aftermarket and he sold the fenders to the current owner who either decided to replace theirs or swapped them out if they had aftermarket ones. If someone had previously rolled and pulled fenders on a car I ended up buying I'd most likely ditch them because I'm not about that look. I'd say if the car was in a big enough accident to warrant it being on the carfax they'd probably not have opted to replace the fenders and bumpers out of pocket.

I'd check the suspension components and subframe and also the frame rails for any damage or signs of things having been replaced. I've always made it a point to not miss out on a good deal over a car that's had cosmetic damages ie fenders, hood, bumpers replaced, because that stuff just unbolts. Walk-aways for me would be quarter panels and frame components, trunk pans, essentially anything where you need to cut and weld to replace something. Are all other VINs intact? How much and how many miles?

Chuck S

The car has been obviously modified or repaired. Neither is good if you want an unmolested car -- and there are still plenty. This would decrease what I would pay for this car -- and also restrict what I could sell it for later, you can't fix this. If you're still tempted I'd have the car frame inspected on a lift. Verify the engine serial number regardless.

The model year shows in the VIN so you can at least determine if these donor parts are from an earlier or later car. Color does not show in the VIN.

-- Chuck

GuthNW

The matching VIN tags are a bigger deal to some of us than they are to others. If the lack of the matching tags on the fenders and bumper isn't a big deal to you then you have the upper hand as a buyer and should be able to pick up the car at a good price as there are currently quite a few of these cars still on the road with all the VIN tags intact. If I were in your shoes I might have a decent idea of what to look for, but I would be inclined to take the car to a professional with a lift who knows exactly what to look for. If the seller has nothing to hide they should be open to this. On the other hand if they do have a problem with the car being checked out by someone else then I'd likely walk away.

Artemio Medina

vicrc

I agree, I would rather have a new bumper than an original VIN tag on it that is dented, scratch and full of rock chips. If it has a lot of miles that is expected. It was a plus for me when I purchased mine and save me $500-1000 to do myself. You cant be too picky with pumpers. But do check for pumper support and frame damages.

rpg51

It is not uncommon to replace a bumper that has been chewed up from hitting curbs when parking etc. I would not worry about that. The fenders are another story.

Artemio Medina