1981 Concord DL Two Door

[El Matador]

Bought in Dec 2008 and pretty much haven't touched it since.  Needs some rust repair (thankfully not structural) but runs well and the interior is very good.  Not currently registered.

[Screamin'Eagle]

Did you mean to put a picture in the post?

[runs.like]

can't wait for a pic!

[El Matador]

I do have a bunch of pictures, but they were taken at super high resolution so I have to downsize them first.

[El Matador]

This just got weird... 

Last night I decided I would get this car mechanically roadworthy and at least drive it for a bit while I tackle the body.  Before committing any time or money to it, I opted to run a history report on the VIN just to see if there were any surprises lurking in its past that could be troublesome.

I was surprised, alright... the report turned up nothing.  I mean NOTHING, zero, zip, nada... according to every motor vehicle database in Canada and the United States, this car doesn't even exist.  No registration or insurance records on file.  I know the VIN is valid and I entered it correctly, because the check digit worked fine.

I'm going to physically go to the registry over my lunch hour, and see if they can dig anything up.  I'm guessing that these online reports can only access data going back to a certain year (oldest entry I've seen so far is 1992), and maybe this car's last registration was prior to that.  I know it has been in my local area for at least 25 years, but if the registry can't verify anything, then I don't know how things will proceed.

Stay tuned.

[ramblinfsj]

I'm sure it's to old for the website. I'm sure the registration office has info on your car. I entered the VIN on carfax from my '85 Grand Wagoneer and it showed about 15 reports so I know carfax goes back to 1985.

[Mechanic]

And I tried it for my 84 wagon and it worked for that to.

maybe I should try the SX/4?? that's an 81.....

[El Matador]

Mystery solved...

Turns out the car has been registered under the wrong VIN all these years.  At some point, probably when it was first registered way back in the early '80s and the new 17 digit VIN system was just coming onstream, someone shortened the VIN from 17 digits to 13.

The actual VIN is 1AMCA0658BK1xxxxx, but the "1AMC" was truncated and the car was registered as A0658BK1xxxxx.  The registry was able to search the Alberta government database based on the last eight digits, and that's how it was located in the system.

I was told that the process of correcting this will be a simple matter of physically bringing the car with me when I register it, and they will do a VIN verification by going outside and actually reading it straight from the dash.  I hope that's accurate information, and this doesn't become one of those cases where the boys in blue    get involved and assign me a stupid government issued VIN.  

[ramblinfsj]

Well as long as you get it legal and able to drive it. It wouldn't matter to me as long as I got it to that point.

[IowaEagle]

A bureaucrat thinking outside of the box -- I wonder how many more there are like that from that time, still out there.

[eaglefreek]

I owned an 84 Mustang from 86-08. I did a Carfax on it when there was a free offer about 2006 and nothing came up.

[eaglefreek]

I forgot to say that it was involved in 2 accidents while I owned it and both were ran through the insurance company.

[Mavericke]

Yup, I got on there and checked out my old Escort a couple years ago... it had been in about 5 accidents all reported. NOTHING came up on the report.

The front end of my Blazer was tweaked a bit like it had been hit before I bought it.... soe of the plastic trim just didn't match up right and there were large gaps... so for some reason is was all pulled off at some point... AND it a drunk driver backed into it about 3 times in a 10m period one night...

Nothing on the report when I checked.

Because of those, I have never taken those seriously....

[duane2171]

It also wouldn't be funny to hear at the registry......

OH......wait a minute Mr. Matador......this car was reported stolen in Drumheller in 1984.
I'm sorry but we'll be impounding the vehicle.......

[El Matador]

It also wouldn't be funny to hear at the registry......

OH......wait a minute Mr. Matador......this car was reported stolen in Drumheller in 1984.
I'm sorry but we'll be impounding the vehicle.......

In the eyes of the registry, the car doesn't even exist under its correct VIN, much less have any kind of abnormal history (other than the truncated VIN thing).  Besides, isn't there a five year statute of limitations on stolen cars?  As in, if not recovered within five years, it's automatic forfeiture of ownership?