I agree with Rick, the rampant fraud has taken a lot of fun out of it for me as well. I am fortunate enough to own two real deal 67 BB corvettes that will not be sold but I think I am done buying anymore old stuff. I'm gravitating more to the 2019 ZR1 Corvettes. Can't fake those.

Chuck, I agree. This is why I’ve really grown to love and appreciate the TRUE survivor stuff.

Rick Nelson. Exactly. Been there many times. Literally. and same thing, Mike can you verify my car? The one you just bought? Yes. ……and I just shake my head.

I also see it quite often, people ask me to check out the numbers on their car after they have bought it then the issues surface! Wasn't there a seller on here that was doing certificates of authenticity for his own cars he was selling? I would get a knowledgeable 3rd party to look at it. And if the seller refuses to have a knowledgeable person look it over, that is also a reg flag!

Doing document validation for NCRS I often times have to break the news to new owners that their paperwork is fraudulent. It's not a good situation when you see someone defrauded.

I said it before and I live by this rule.

If a seller of a BIG dollar car has no history on a car, no previous ownership paperwork or testimonials, no dealer documentation.....nothing, then these are your wake up signals.
How can a car have zero historical information when it has been in existence for 30 - 40 - 50 plus years? Every car has history.

If there is paperwork, reach out to the previous owners and start asking questions. It could save you a ton of money.

If you are still unsure, reach out to the members on this site as many of them are qualified to do a proper and honest inspection.

Paul

What happens when the car in question with lets say just a protecto plate is certified by a expert & as time goes by only to find out the by original owners build sheet & pics, that the car had authentic gm parts bolted on ( wood wheel, deluxe seat belts, speed warning ect) or vice versa that did not correspond to what the car was born with. Is this acceptable . Not trying to be smart ass. Thanks Marc.

Add on parts are not a deal breaker in my opinion if it's a good car, unless add on sidepipes on a Corvette that only has a POP. A POP that is real is better than nothing.
Build sheets, order invoices, and window stickers are best.

There are legit cars out there without any searchable history. Not the norm, but still possible.

I bought my 69 Z from my brother in 1976. He purchased it in 1975. The Oklahoma Tax Commission (we don't have a DMV) lost all record of my car when they changed over computer systems in 1978. They don't even have a record of my purchase in 1976.

I ordered the shipper report as soon as it was available: zone 23 dealer 833. Roy S contacted me to let me know NCRS had no info on dealer 833. Everyone tells me it PROBABLY starts with and "S", but no one can narrow it down from there. NO ONE, including Paul, who deals with reproduction window stickers, can tell me what dealer it came from.

POP was long gone. Fortunately, it isn't an early pre-X code care, so I do have the original trim tag for some verification. Sure, I can verify it was sold new in OK, but not a hell of a lot beyond that.

It is a bit ironic that I have been able to help a few folks track down info on their cars, but I can't for my own. I suspect the Tax Commission has all my info on microfich or microfilm, but I don't know if they even have the machines available to search that media. Besides, I don't have any contacts there that could even get me access, especially now with all the privacy laws.