Selling a car. Buyer demands VIN # !!

Afgan

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Mar 29, 2009
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I am selling a car. A person who is interested sent me email requesting its VIN #.

I am concerned that he wants me to disclose this private personal information. Is it safe to do it?

Any experienced advice please?
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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I am selling a car. A person who is interested sent me email requesting its VIN #.

I am concerned that he wants me to disclose this private personal information. Is it safe to do it?

Any experienced advice please?


I would NEVER buy a car here unless I had access to the VIN # upfront.

Unless you have something to hide, or you know the car was a wreck from the USA, clock wound back, why would you not disclose it?

If it's come in via the USA, it's the only way for a potential buyer to check the history.

Adding to this. I would also go to the dealer if it was sold new here and ask for the service history. Yes, in most cases they will print it out for you if you have the VIN #. This is another way to check if the owner has been responsible etc.
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Anyone can see and copy the VIN#...

I am selling a car. A person who is interested sent me email requesting its VIN #.

I am concerned that he wants me to disclose this private personal information. Is it safe to do it?

Any experienced advice please?


if your vehicle is located/parked in a any public place. VIN #'s on modern vehicles are located, amongst other places, in the lower right corner of the windshield, visible for anyone to see or copy.

How is it a privacy issue?


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
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Afgan

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Mar 29, 2009
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Thank you all!

AMOF I am not a seller but a buyer who is trying to get the VIN # and the seller (a nice woman from Santiago) refuses to give me the VIN being afraid of something , so my thread was meant to try to explain her exactly what was said here. Spending half day driving to Santiago just to see the VIN is not an easy thing for a busy working person.
 

Afgan

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Mar 29, 2009
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Doesnt this contradict your opening sentence? I havent had a liquid lunch, of that I am sure!:cheeky:


No it does not. It was easier just to ask a question as a seller, instead of going into complicated explanations.

For me also it is VERY STRANGE that she refuses to provide VIN # and being naturally positive about people I want to think that it is realy her honest misunderstanding of what is VIN intended for, not any other reason.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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She's afraid you will steal the car.

That's all.

Right or wrong, that is what she thinks!
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Number Girl

the seller (a nice woman from Santiago) refuses to give me the VIN being afraid of something ,

She's probably afraid that you may run a carfax investigation on her car... :pirate:
Concentrate on the woman, drop the car .... :cheeky:

donP
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
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She's probably afraid that you may run a carfax investigation on her car... :pirate:
Concentrate on the woman, drop the car .... :cheeky:

donP

I 2nd this, she doesnt know **** from shinola. The car is a piece of crap. Anyone(blanket statement) who wont divulge that information does so for a reason. That car was probably rebuilt 7 times. The registered VIN # was probably titled salvage in New Orleans and they just cut it out and welded it to some car they stole in Florida. Did they? I dont know, but my story sounds better than that invasion of privacy crap.
She s probably trying to rob you thats why she wont give you the VIN#, because there is no real car. You re going there to buy a 2002 Maxima and she ll give you the number to a 79 Toyota Corona. Guarantee it, I will. Or she ll give you like 10 random numbers not the combination of 17 in the VIN.
Whats that saying about being a horse trader?
 

belgiank

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Jun 13, 2009
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thanks jr... you have beaten me to the exact same question... lol

now... out of curiosity... what's the use of a vin-number??? Say, it has been in an accident, and an number of parts of the chassis were replaced?

not being obnoxious, but planning on buying a car next month, and, I knew about the carfax... but not about the vin
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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thanks jr... you have beaten me to the exact same question... lol

now... out of curiosity... what's the use of a vin-number??? Say, it has been in an accident, and an number of parts of the chassis were replaced?

not being obnoxious, but planning on buying a car next month, and, I knew about the carfax... but not about the vin

The VIN is the number input into CARFAX.
No VIN = No CARFAX history = No compra!
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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CarFax is only useful for cars that are coming from the USA.

The DR also has lots of cars that are imported from Asia and some from Europe, these will not show up on CarFax.
 
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Jan 9, 2004
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And only to those cars...

CarFax is only useful for cars that are coming from the USA.

that have their accident information actually entered into a database. Carfax developed here in the U.S. by perusing state DMV and insurance company databases.

Rental fleets are self insured, thus when their vehicles are in an accident, they either fix it themselves, sell it outright, or send it to an auction...either way a record of the type and severity of any accident may not exist....and a Carfax would come back with only registration data.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
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Put it this way if the speedometer is in kilometers only don't worry about the vin# and carfax its not going to be there. The car never graced the shores of the USA.
 
Jan 9, 2004
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Absolutely....

Still better SOME data than nothing ...

But people should not solely rely on Carfax/Autocheck or any of the other competitive services that have sprung up.

As I've stated before, if you do not know/trust your dealer...then know your cars (peruse the April issue every year of Consumer Reports for accurate unbiased ratings), and if you do not know your cars...know your mechanic.

Automobiles in the D.R. are very costly, so it is in your best interest to utilize all the tools available.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2