I have 2 Questions? Help Please

[Project13]

Please help me answer these 2 questions:

#1 - If you have a clear title and matching vin plate can you sell that? Or is that illegal. Someone told me I could do that.

#2 - I own a super beetle title says 72 but vin plate says manufactored in 71.
But I bought a super today the title says 71 but manufactur date is also 71...
So is my 72 a 71 or 72 ? Could you explain how that works?
Thank you so much,
Troy

[81pumagtc]

Troy:

I'm pretty certain that you can't sell just a matching VIN plate and title. You have to sell the whole car.

I'm not certain how VW did it, but many states issued model year titles for the year the car was first titled. If the year is different but the rest of the numbers are the same, that is most likely what happened. I have seen it many many times. Officially, the car is what the title says it is.

There can be real problems however, with coachbuilt cars, buggies, etc. Technically, you always use the chassis number to determine the VIN, not the body number. In the late '90s, the original manufacturer of Lotus 7 chassis built replacement chassis for rust-damaged originals with the same VIN numbers. Unfortunately, a couple of the original chassis were not destroyed by the restoration firms, but instead were sold to other people. The folks with the original "discarded" chassis who registered their cars first found that they owned the "original" Lotus cars, and the folks who spent thousands on the new "replacement" chassis were left in the lurch. I don't recall what happened, but remember there were several lawsuits, criminal complaints, etc. because you can't have two identical VINs.

I know that my Puma has a distinct chassis number, a second "body" number with plates riveted to each door, the front lid, the back lid, and the body, and a Michigan assigned title that is totally different.


Dave

Dave

[zwbeetle]

#2.

Is it possible that the car was manufactured in the latter part of 1971 as a 1972 model year.

#1.

Strictly a no-no! In Indiana the car is titled by the chassis, not by the body.

[dave]

1.You may have to ask the DMV because here in Michigan, If there is a vin plate mounted on the dash(like on most cars) it has to match the title.otherwise it has to match the chassis number, Or so I was told at the DMV by three different people.My 77 has a dash mounted vin plate.

2. Someone at one time may have put the wrong year on the title but did not catch it or care. As long as the numbers matched that is usually all the DMV care about. Had that happen with a Model T.

[dubfreak1]

The difference can be model year vs mfg. date. This isn't unique to VW's.

[Project13]

My super titled 72 but was manufactured 9-71...
I just want to make sure what year it really is? my title matches vin plate on dash. How else could I check?
Thanks all for the replys..

Also the reason I asked about selling title and dash vin. I bought this super and am stripping the parts off it.. Someone cut the back section off bellow window to get motor out. and floor pans are gone... But thought someone with project bug. or bug built from multiple bugs may need title and vin... the body will be scrapped.
Any suggestions
Troy

[ghiastein]

A VW manufactured on 9-71 would be a 1972 because August is the first month of new production year.

I have had same issues as you my Ghia and my Bus. The vin number plays into model year too with the third digit. My Ghia was manufactured in 8-69 its a 1969 the vin is 149____ it has 1969 lights but 1970 brakes. My Bus was manufactured in 9-69 its a 1970 the vin is 230____ and only 1 month away from my Ghia.

I bet your Beetle has a very low vin number like my bus with a bunch of 00000 in it.