I'm looking at buying a 1969 Camaro, however the VIN and trim tag are missing. At one point in its life it was stolen. It has a valid title with a re-assigned vin number. How much does this reduce the value of the car if I ever try to resale it? Is this considered the same thing as a salvage title? I know this reduces the price of newer cars but what about older ones? Thanks

It would depend on you intentions for the vehicle ;)
IF - you were ever wanting to restore it or go for some level of collector value the answer is pass on this one...
IF - you are looking for a vehicle to modify and Hot Rod to your delite then the answer become a 'definite maybe' - as long as the paperwork is in order and you can have the VIN validated by a local law enforcement agency.
I would have the vehicle thoughly looked over by a law enforcement person - checking for any remaining VIN markings and any remaining warrants/claims for the original stolen vehicle - before commiting any funds towards it.

I have purchased a couple vehicles like this, for parts 'donors' and project bases, and had no problems with them down the road. But I did insist they pass a full inspection before I commited any money.
Just make sure you fully disclose it's background to anyone if you sell it and you should be okay.

Thanks for the quick reply!!

The price is very cheap for the car. I plan on buying it...doing a little work to it and selling it. However the car is a days drive away and I don't want to drive all the way there hauling a trailer if its not worth it. The guy I'm buying it from has had the car since he was 16 (he's 25 now). So it has a valid title but with a re-assigned vin...Hypothetically a base 69 Camaro that is clean and tight with a 350 will sell for 20K...Would I be able to sell this for the same price or is the price drastically reduced because of the re-assigned vin? I've just never came across this and I don't know how common it is.....Thanks, Dan

Ain't worth it, its a cheep driver, or cut it up a RACE it, it's not worth 20K to try and flip

maybe worth half of what a valid same equilpped car is worth imo.

If I understand you now - you are considering picking up this "deal" to flip it ???
As stated above, it's not worth that kind of money to try to flip :noway:
It would need to have a very distinctive drive train (think BB or LS1 type), a nice interior, decent body/paint and be fairly updated to pull that kind of money and be viable for a flip for a few grand more.
Sounds more like a 'break-even' car to me - if you could buy it and sell it for the same amount then you'd be lucky to break-even...

Pictures of the car in question would make giing you valid information much easier :yes:

Cars without provenance issues with their VIN and in the same shape are going for roughly the same coin - depending on condition.
You would do better to look for these type and then detail them nicely before 'flipping' if you want assurances you will most likely make at least a little money...

Leave these "iffy" flips to someone with more experience doing them and with a customer base that doesn't know the difference (you can read many of the "Classic" Car Dealers here if you see the need ;) ) - he has time to spend in court when things go south ;)

As always JMHO's

I appreciate the answers....

Just an update, I decided not to go through with the deal. After talking more with the guy I thought it was odd he didn't know if it had a 10 or 12 bolt rear end, disc brakes, etc....and he owned the car for 10 years (atleast he said he did).

Thanks again for the help, Dan

Wise choice.....

Wise choice.....

^^^ what he said :yes: ^^^