replica titled as a porsche vs a vw???

i'm new here.. and haven't posted much.. but had a question concerning my speedster...

it is actually titled as a 1959 porsche and no where on the title does it say repilca or vw ???

the vin number begins with AZ... anyone know why this would be?

it was purchased from a lotus dealership in scottsdale as "new"...

Could be and this happens alot with home builds, that the VIN of the VW was thrown away with the rest of the parts they didn't need. When it came to licensing they needed to get a VIN so it could be that the troopers in Arizona after checking the car installed (mandated) a number. Might explain the AZ number.

Post some pics????

Greg,some states title a speciality vehicle, or a vehicle constructed from kit under a new VIN. They also will register the vehicle as the year and type of replication. Maybe that's what happened. Just a guess.

the car was purchased from the lotus dealer in scottsdale.. as "new"... but yes.. could be that the company/person who made it.. had to register a new vin number.. pic of the car here

www.speedsterowners.com/files/thmblist.asp?sf=%2Fgregtx

nice house

Greg, have you tried to retitle? Or do you live in Az? jkl

My "guess" is that it came from AZ Specialties in AZ hence the AZ prefix on the vin number

It can get even wierder. My Cal title is '71 VW. My AAA insurance man, after six pictures and half an hour of inspection, wrote up the insurance poicy as a '71 Porsche Speedster. Ever heard of one of those?

David,
Guess it depends on where you are. Mine has a 1969 body/VIN and a 1973 engine. New Jersey titled it as a 2004 reconstructed Porsche and gave me a special DMV letter stating the emission testing is on a 1973 level. Go figure. Joe

Weirder than some of the above, there was a guy who used to post on this site who really didn't like that his car was a replica. He wanted everyone to think it was a real Porsche Speedster(even though it was pan-based, so it didn't take a Porsche-phile to know it was a replica). This fellow told me how he went about registering it as a Porsche. He got a local wrecking yard to go on the national parts search system to find a '57 Porsche that had been totalled. He contacted the yard when the car was found and told them he wanted to buy the registration and the remainder of the car. It had been parted out pretty much so they negotiated a low price for the deal. The salvage yard asked where he wanted the car's remains shipped. He told them all he wanted was the registration and that they should destroy the rest of the car, or grind the Vin # off. Then, immediatly after taking delivery of his replica, he took it to the DMV and told them the car came from South Carolina and he wanted to register it in California, which they did. I don't know if the Car Facts report would list this one as a salvage. And, I wonder if the story is true.

I believe CARFAX requires a 17 digit VIN (mandatory beginning 1981). Probably show nothing in CARFAX for that vehicle because of that short VIN.

Depending on your state, you could definately get away with doing this.
angela

The other hot rumor here in CAL is to go to a small town DMV as opposed to a DMV in a large city. Or a least go to a suburban DMV office, and do not go downtown. The message - the DMVs don't even agree among themselves on how to apply the rules, and local offices are a lot more customer friendly than the main offices. The other message - in California a least - always get a pre-smog registration year, so you NEVER have to go back to them for anything!

I had a replica GTO assembled in AZ in 2001 and the state had an inspector come to the shop and review the work. The result was an AZ number for the category "Special Construction". As far as I know, AZ still does this.

Yikes ! ! Everybody . . . K E E P Q U I E T . . . don't you know that this board is 'monitored?"

Ya think that Oswald posted questions on the sight accuracy of the Mannlicher-Carcano carbine . . . ?

S h h h h h h hhhhh . . . . . .

VA has this extra yearly tax called a personal property tax which is based on the blue book value of a car (boat, trailer, motorcycle too). Each year you get a bill based o that assessed value. So if your were "lucky" enough to have your replica title in VA as a 1957 Porsche Speedster, I suspect your tax bill would be based on what $100k maybe? Not sure how they bill on a replica vice say a 1969 VW T1. VA also charges a 2% sales tax when you first register a vehicle -- on kit car that is based on the cost of the donor (vehicle title) added to the cost of kit (Statement of origin).

I suspect the Blue Book value of a 1956 car is pretty low in most states. States generally do not get into the appreciation market but simple devalue a car over the years to a minimum of about $100. Who would appraise for the state a 1956 Porsche at $100,000? Maybe it is just a shell. I am not sure your concept on value would work for most states.

Speedy says:

"Best to discuss "personal glimpses" direct with individule inquiries rather than toot a loud horn"

Yeah, and the license plate cost of my three year old '71 pan based speedster came out to be $1.00 less than my '79 boat trailer last year. And the boat trailer was used in salt water for the first 20 years, use your imagnation!

[quote]nice house.[/QUOTE]


thanks



[quote]Greg, have you tried to retitle? Or do you live in Az? jkl.[/QUOTE]


actually yes.. I retitled here in Texas.. :)


oh well. .its got lots of sentimental value now... and don't have any intention of selling it... i guess it will always be worth what someone wants to pay for it.. haha

whats funny is that it gets more looks than my bosses 360 modena go figure eh... ;)