I went to look at a 68 Camaro for sale yesterday and found it had a Nova VIN. The Nova VIN plate fit perfectly in the Camaro dash and it actually took a moment to sink in that there was something very wrong.
When I questioned the seller, he said he had a CA title with 68 Chevy on it and it was all legit. When I asked to see the title, it was at his brothers/cousins/wifes/friends house and not available for inspection, but he assured me the title was good.
Of course I passed on this Camaro, and just wanted to warn others to at least become familiar with basic VIN's because apparently to the CA DMV all 1968 Chevrolet's are the same (no Camaro/Nova/Chevelle/Impala differentiation on the title).
BTW, if someone is missing a 1968 Camaro coupe/327/PG/ME code engine/gold/gold, its now running around the South Bay area with a fresh coat of Hugger Orange paint and a Nova VIN....

Craigslist????

I live in Florida and my title says 69 chevrolet only! There is a space provided where it says model but it was left blank. The car is actually a 69 z28 and the vin is correct in all places but it does seem to me that they could simply type in the space "CAMARO" and stop some of the problems out there.??

I went to look at a 68 Camaro for sale yesterday and found it had a Nova VIN. The Nova VIN plate fit perfectly in the Camaro dash and it actually took a moment to sink in that there was something very wrong.
When I questioned the seller, he said he had a CA title with 68 Chevy on it and it was all legit. When I asked to see the title, it was at his brothers/cousins/wifes/friends house and not available for inspection, but he assured me the title was good.
Of course I passed on this Camaro, and just wanted to warn others to at least become familiar with basic VIN's because apparently to the CA DMV all 1968 Chevrolet's are the same (no Camaro/Nova/Chevelle/Impala differentiation on the title).
BTW, if someone is missing a 1968 Camaro coupe/327/PG/ME code engine/gold/gold, its now running around the South Bay area with a fresh coat of Hugger Orange paint and a Nova VIN....
did you notifly the police?

Think we already have this problem with one of our members? My 69 Camaro title lists the same, as a Chevrolet Coupe.

68ragtop, it would be helpful if you put your location in so at least we would know what part of the country your in.

Let the police know about the vin. There is a possibility the car is stolen.

The South Bay is considered around Santa Monica on South to Redondo Beach, as far inland as around Torrance , California... just an FYI

What a mess, and I firmly believe the California Department Of Motor Vehicles is partly responsible.
-Rich

Notify the police and tell them what you saw and where it is. The fresh paint would indicate to me a stolen car. They can check for the hidden vin's and maybe get the car back to it's owner.

The South Bay is considered around Santa Monica on South to Redondo Beach, as far inland as around Torrance , California... just an FYI

What a mess, and I firmly believe the California Department Of Motor Vehicles is partly responsible.
-Rich

There is also an area south of San Francisco called the South Bay...

The DMV doesn't fill out the title form, they process what is provided. The fact that the title doesn't say "Camaro" on it has no correlation to the VIN and being from a Nova or any other car.

For a Camaro to get titled with a Nova VIN it would have to not have an existing title or be represented as not having a title. Proof of ownership and an inspection (typically by CHP) where the VIN is documented would be required and then a trip to the DMV.

Can't blame anyone for this crap but the crooks that earns their way ripping folks off...

Craigslist????
No Craigslist, I was just dring down the street and saw it for sale

68ragtop, it would be helpful if you put your location in so at least we would know what part of the country your in.
The car was spotted on Hawthorne Blvd. in Redondo Beach, California, (Los Angeles County)

Notify the police and tell them what you saw and where it is. The fresh paint would indicate to me a stolen car. They can check for the hidden vin's and maybe get the car back to it's owner.
I did notify the local police, but it was difficult to explain to the dispatcher that the car for sale had a VIN that started with 113268W and it should be 124378L. The seller has a legal title and current registration for a 1968 Chevy and it is a 1968 Chevy with a VIN that matches the title. Dispatcher said they would send a unit over to check it out. I was not going to stick around to see what happened next.

Think we already have this problem with one of our members? My 69 Camaro title lists the same, as a Chevrolet Coupe.
My 68 California pink slip (title) Lists as follows
Make: CHEV
MO.:UE
BODY TYPE MODEL:CP
YR MODEL:68
TYPE VEH:170
MP:G
Maybe all that means something specific to DMV, but it doesn't mean much to the average Joe looking at buying a car.

There is also an area south of San Francisco called the South Bay...

The DMV doesn't fill out the title form, they process what is provided. The fact that the title doesn't say "Camaro" on it has no correlation to the VIN and being from a Nova or any other car.

For a Camaro to get titled with a Nova VIN it would have to not have an existing title or be represented as not having a title. Proof of ownership and an inspection (typically by CHP) where the VIN is documented would be required and then a trip to the DMV.

Can't blame anyone for this crap but the crooks that earns their way ripping folks off...
I have purchased many cars in California (all with titles), I just go to the DMV and pay the money to get the title transfered to my name. The information about the vehicle stays the same as whatever they already have in thier database. Never has there been a VIN inspection by DMV or CHP. The biggest hang up used to be smog certificates, but they have done away with that on older cars now.
It would be very easy to buy a cheap Nova for the title and VIN plates and do a swap. This could have been done any time in the last 30+ years and never noticed by anyone who was not familiar with Chevy model codes in the VIN prefix.

well even new car titles wont have a sub brand on it ...it just has a vehicle type description but i never seen a title with chevrolet camaro or ford mustang on it