Body panel VIN tags?
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Body panel VIN tags?
Hi. New member here (not new to Dakotas. Had a '98 about 20 years ago).
I'm going Saturday to look at a very low mileage 2000 Dakota SLT 2WD Club Cab V8 (34K miles). It's a one owner proverbial little old lady truck. The seller says no accidents or damage. Experian Autocheck is clean.
CarFax however says severe damage from a guardrail strike to the right front in October 2000, 4 months after purchase. Seller is selling on behalf of his 93 year old mother who no longer drives. He said he'd have surely known about an accident since his mother would have been an absolute wreck. The seller was surprised by this (yeah, I know....but I think he's on the up and up) and said CarFax is wrong. With the clean AutoCheck that puts some credence to his story that CarFax is wrong.
I know some vehicles have VIN tags on some body panels, especially fenders.
Does the Gen 2 Dakota have VIN tags on the body panels? If so, where are they located?
I'm going Saturday to look at a very low mileage 2000 Dakota SLT 2WD Club Cab V8 (34K miles). It's a one owner proverbial little old lady truck. The seller says no accidents or damage. Experian Autocheck is clean.
CarFax however says severe damage from a guardrail strike to the right front in October 2000, 4 months after purchase. Seller is selling on behalf of his 93 year old mother who no longer drives. He said he'd have surely known about an accident since his mother would have been an absolute wreck. The seller was surprised by this (yeah, I know....but I think he's on the up and up) and said CarFax is wrong. With the clean AutoCheck that puts some credence to his story that CarFax is wrong.
I know some vehicles have VIN tags on some body panels, especially fenders.
Does the Gen 2 Dakota have VIN tags on the body panels? If so, where are they located?
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 451
Likes: 64
From: Midwest
Don't know on the fender, but there is one under the passenger seat. You have to remove the seat and carpet to get at it.
If you're concerned, check the frame as that's the only part that wouldn't have been replaced with new parts. If you're worried about it, walk away.
If you're concerned, check the frame as that's the only part that wouldn't have been replaced with new parts. If you're worried about it, walk away.
Thread Starter
|
Registered User
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Thanks. That's what I thought. I decided to pass on this one. The seller's probably right and CarFax is probably wrong, but that means I have to deal with the blemish on the CarFax when I resell it later, or deal with the hassle of trying to get it cleaned up with CarFax. Either way, I don't want to deal with it.
That combined with the title being in his mother's name and the challenges of getting it and a BoS signed by her in my presence while she's in assisted living all added up to a pass.
I'm sure someone scored a sweet deal on a great truck with lots of life left in it, but it was more than I was comfortable with.
That combined with the title being in his mother's name and the challenges of getting it and a BoS signed by her in my presence while she's in assisted living all added up to a pass.
I'm sure someone scored a sweet deal on a great truck with lots of life left in it, but it was more than I was comfortable with.
Last edited by monkeylizard; May 22, 2021 at 05:55 PM.
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 451
Likes: 64
From: Midwest
Good luck on the hunt. I've been searching for another one for about 6-9 months now to replace my Colorado, because I'm not comfortable with the seat belts being attached to the suicide half doors. Then my daughter wants a Dakota as well, so that's 2 I need to find before long.