i've heard that FCs are easily stolen, and i've come across some deals that seemed to good to be true at the time, so i'm wondering what, if anything, i can lookout for when looking for a car? what my plan is for now is take the car for a "test drive" without the owner and when out of site, pull over and check VIN #'s to make sure they all match, but other than that i dunno anything. are there other VINs on the car other than the ones on the doors and the dash? how can i tell if it's been jacked?

 

theres also a vin on the firewall, passenger side. theres no way to replace that w/o some serious cash, as you'd have to weld in a vin panel from another car, then paint it to match....which would then raise the price on the "stolen" car. best bet is to check that, run a carfax.

 

just write it down infront of the owner.. he won't care. if he does. then walk away.

 

Scott has the right idea.
For those that might not already know - If you buy anything you suspect is stolen, you are morally and legally part of the theft..

 

FCs are not any more easier stolen than any other late 80's import and considerably harder than most late eighties/early 90's domestics.

 

Yeap just be glad you dont own a honda for every 120,000 sold per yer per model 20,000 of them get either broken into or stolen in the same year

 

Well, here are some locations for you to check for proper VINs.

1) Engine Firewall (numbers are stamped) Location: near center of firewall.
2) Silver/Aluminum Plate that is also on the firewall. Location: Passenger side of firewall.
3) Driver's Side dash where the dashboard meets the front windshield. There should be a plate w/ the VIN # on it. Viewable from outside of vehicle.
4) Open Driver's Side Door and there should be a manufacturer's sticker indicating weight, etc.

Lastly, you SHOULD check on the Title for the Vehicle. If you are to purchase a car, ensure that the data on the Title is correct. When you are ready to purchase a vehicle, the owner should have the Title ready. DO NOT give money to a person who says he doesn't have the title, but will have it in a couple of days.

Usually, the only people that are able to swap VINs are people that have connections to a body shop. But, given the extensive amount of work needed to swap VINs versus the price of a FC RX-7, it will not be worth the time to do so.

Stolen parts are a different story. But, quite frankly, to be able to identify stolen parts on a car,...it is rather difficult. Not everything has a VIN number on it, and then again, it is not usually visible on the outside.

If you want to verify whether a car has been "jacked" or not, you can do this. Ask for a VIN# (prior to seeing the car)so that you can run a Carfax. You can also bring the VIN# to a police station and ask them to check the VIN to see if it has been stolen or not.

Lastly, check the Title to see if the vehicle is a "Salvage" title or not. This is probably what you want to look for more than anything else. Odds are, the car will be more likely to be a Salvage title, than be a stolen car. In California, the word "Salvage" is clearly stamped on the title on the right hand corner. Check w/ your local DMV to see where/how they indicate a "Salvage" title.

Almost forgot, here is a final last bit of info. You can check for an authentic Title. For those of you in California, you can do this. Hold your title up into the light and you will see the image of a Bear (the state animal) imprinted on it.

Hope this info helps.