whats it take to legally change car model?

phil823 · 02-13-2009, 01:20 AM

i got to thinking about it and was wondering what it would take to legally change a cars model.

for instance i have a 1984 944. if i was to put a 1994 968 engine, would/could i reregister the car as a 968.

what would it take to reclassify the car. if its based upon VIN numbers and the engine is the heart.

what classifies a car as the model car for insurance purposes? i know the VIN does but if you changed a piece of the chasis and the engine wouldnt the car be considered the donor car since a majority of it is from the other car.

or would this large switch up make the car a "modified car" or "kit car"

i was really wondering this for insurance reasons. with a 944 being valued to insurance companies as like 3-4 grand and a 968 being valued much higher, after doing many modifiations to the 944 and making it closer to a 968 than 944 the cost the insurance would cover incase of an accident seems better.

javadog · 02-13-2009, 03:06 AM

In a nutshell, you can't really do it. Your car started life as a 944 and that's what it shall be, regardless of what you change. It is based upon the VIN and the government takes a real dim view of you altering any of those numbers.

You can get an insurance policy that is "agreed value" if you want, and can find an insurance company that thinks the modifications you have made increase the value (some won't and the market largely supports this notion.) Or, you can sell your car and buy a 968.

JR

stomachmonkey · 02-13-2009, 05:05 AM

Or find a VIN plate from a non salvage 968 which may cost you almost as much as the entire car.

dad911 · 02-13-2009, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Or find a VIN plate from a non salvage 968 which may cost you almost as much as the entire car.

Probably illegal in most states.....

Jeff Higgins · 02-13-2009, 05:24 AM

Yeah, that little VIN tag is the heart and soul of the car in the gubmint's eyes. They get upset when you mess with it, like put you in jail upset. Stories abound about VIN tags being sold, sometimes attached to some rusty hunk of scrap metal that used to be a car, sometimes not. Then the car re-amerges some time later "fully restored" and is worth a fortune. It may be an entirely new car without a single part from the original other than that little tag, yet the gubmint acknowledges it as that car. Sometimes. Kind of...

It gets really sticky if you remove a VIN tag from a viable car, even if it may be a worthless, rusted out hulk, and replace it with one from another car. Especially if the other car is of higher value, it is viewed as fraud. Funny, one can build a whole new car around a VIN tag, but one cannot use a mostly complete car to do so. Best not to mess with it.

Dueller · 02-13-2009, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dad911

Probably illegal in most states.....

Yes...and its a federal crime to alter, replace or even POSSESS a vin plate not attached to a car.

javadog · 02-13-2009, 07:03 AM

Keep in mind that on most cars there are VIN numbers and other numbers (eg. production sequence) stamped or otherwise written on many of the parts, so it's not just a matter of altering the VIN plate that you ordinarily see. Not only that but there were so many parts changed between the 944 and 968 that even a cursory look at the car would give your game away.

JR

stomachmonkey · 02-13-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dad911

Probably illegal in most states.....

Yeah well there is that also