Yes Bob, fraud is the issue.
On Tue, 18 Aug 1998 07:08:19 -0700 Bob Palmer <rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu>
writes:
>Listers,
>
>While, as we all know, there are many different perspectives on the
>Alger
>question, I think the sale of one in Monterey last Friday provides an
>opportunity to focus on a specific and tangible case rather than just
>throwing around philosophical points of view. Now I think even Brock
>agrees
>that switching VIN plates becomes illegal if done for the purpose of
>perpetrating a fraud. My dictionary defines "fraud" as: "A deception
>deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain."
>So, the
>first question is: Does the buyer know that he/she is buying an Alpine
>with
>the VIN, etc. switched; i.e., was there deception. II'll try not to
>jump to
>this conclusion until we know for certain. But this question really
>has
>little to do with the physical attributes of the car. It may, in fact,
>be
>better in every way than an original Tiger. It may, in fact, be
>physically
>IDENTICAL to the Tiger it purports to be. That's not the point here.
>If,
>for example, someone purchased an automobile for top dollar because of
>some
>historical significance, say it won some important race, was owned by
>some
>famous person, etc., and they later discovered that, although
>physically
>identical to the car it was supposed to be, it was actually not the
>car in
>question, then a fraud has been committed.
>
>I can't wait to find out how this sale in Monterey turns out. It
>amazes me
>the chutzpah of the seller to sell this car in such a public forum. I
>hope
>he knows a good lawyer. I suspect we're going to see this become more
>than
>just a philosophical discussion; at least between the buyer and
>seller.
>
>Bob
>
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