Counterfeit Sandmans

[hainzy]

Good debate. Again. Even if it is going down the same track. I like how everyone has different angles on this good ol debate!

I also reckon it comes down to how much you pay for a car.

I mean if you have a matching numbers car, its worth lets say 30k. If you have a car with a different era engine but otherwise matching, then it might be worth 25... if you have a car with a different chassis or police number or missing tags, it might be worth 10 to 15k.. Im just making these amounts up, but my point is that you should get what you pay for value-wise. If you buy a car and you know the numbers dont add up, but its registerable and you pay minimal coin for it, then everyones happy. You drive the car and enjoy it. If you pay more for it cos you think its something its not and you find out, then youre p*#*d off and driving the car is no longer enjoyable.

I have an LX SL/R torana but it has the wrong engine and a police chassis number. As such I know its worth less than a matching numbers one. Im doing a bit of a resto on it, but not spending megabucks and not expecting megabucks if i ever sell it. Ill enjoy it for what it is. A cool aussie classic. It turns a bogans head, and that same bogan says 'awesome' as it whizzes past. That bogan doesnt check the numbers. He just sees the cool car.

Same with sandmans. If its not matching numbers, dont over invest and dont over expect returns if you sell it. However cars are to be enjoyed so if youre only doing it for yourself and not the resale then do whatever you want.

My point...?? I cant remember anymore, but a cars only worth what you can sell it for...

[TwoTees]

Hainzy,
I reckon you are spot on. I agree a vehicle is worth what it is and not what it has been made to look like. As long as no one is doing any thing to deceive I have no problem with it. If you are buying a matching number sandman it should be just that. Not an ex plumbers van with a different vehicles identity grafted to it.

Here's a classic example on evil bay
HG Monaro GTS V8 manual tags (saginaw) BRISBANE BUILD highly desired combo HK HT
hg tags.jpg
What will become of these? Will someone pay a lot of money for this desirable combo perhaps attached to a 161 base model monaro?

It has been suggested before and I would suggest it again that a register of dodgy ID's be started and when ever a dodgy set of tags or a completely rusted out piece of crap with matching numbers comes up for sale they are recorded and recorded and stored in a way that google can find numbers (ie not just photos but photos and text) and it may just save someone some heartache after they part with a large amount of cash for what they think is a genuine desirable vehicle.
Even my van should go on it because it has not got the original chassis. If it turns up one day with a matching chassis you can find out that once upon a time it was not matching. It will never be matching while in my possession. It is what it is and will stay what it is. A Sandman that has been in an accident and repaired with a used chassis.

[Sandaro]

In reply to the original question:- CAVEAT EMPTOR- buyer beware. This latin saying has always and still applies to all cars. Whether its a reshelled sandman or a cut and shut corolla, the buyer needs to do thorough research and inspections. That's not to say a buyer might not have recourse to legal action, but that is costly and what if the seller is a man of straw?

I know that if I was spending big bucks on a Sandman I'd like to see documented proof (photos/paperwork etc) plus do a thorough inspection. And if necessary with an expert in the field if I felt I didn't know enough.

Some sellers are just dodgy. Unfortunately some buyers go in with blinkers on and believe anything (used car salesman would be out of work if this wasn't the case).

Last month a guy in Melbourne was selling a "bathurst" HT monaro- swears it was 81837 but the tags got stolen, said any expert would verify the body as Bathurst. I could tell from a simply inspection of the photos that it wasn't. Bullcrapper. But he is hoping some ignorant person wanting to believe the hype will buy it for the bargain price of $45,000 !!! (no running gear either!!- not sure if the thieves stole that too. Ha ha)

Steve