This makes me sad

Mook

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:wtc:

(and is a main reason why ive never tried "illegally" buying a skyline)

Big%20Bird%20Skyline-thumb-717x458-121545.jpg


Here's the skinny: In 2010 this yellow R33 Skyline GT-R was seized in Wisconsin. The car, like many Skylines at the time, was imported incorrectly -- not necessarily illegally -- and the DMV at the time didn't handle registration correctly and revoked the title to this and his other R33 GT-R. (You'll note that not all cars have a 17-digit VIN, that's something our DOT requires.) Wisconsin also has a law on the books preventing you from even owning a car without a valid VIN. (How that applies to racecars / track cars, I'm not sure but it sounds incredibly lame.) So the car's owner, Justin Breno, decided to sell

And that's when things get bad for Big Bird and the other R33 that wasn't in a movie.

Breno listed the cars on eBay where an investigator for the DOT spotted them. The investigator contacted Breno pretending to be a buyer in Milwaukee (also in Wisconsin) wanting to know if the vehicle could be titled there. (You'll remember earlier in the story where Breno had the title revoked from Wisconsin and was thus forced to sell it.) Breno said that the buyer could register it in Florida and then get a title transfer to Wisconsin.

Then guess what happened? Wisconsin officials got all pissed off and started taking things personally. Bureaucrats do not like when you try to circumvent their rules. That's not how rules work in their brains. So Wisconsin charged him with a few felony counts for things like "conspiracy to commit fraud" and "possessing vehicles without vehicle identification numbers."

Wisconsin wanted to set an example of Breno. To tell everyone that you don't color outside the lines of the Wisconsin DMV. It worked, too. For attempting to sell a couple of cars, Breno was facing felony jail time. So he did what any sane, jail-fearing person would do: He signed the plea bargain that turned the cars over to the state. He's out $75,000 - $100,000 worth of cars, but gets to keep his freedom.

>According to a news report, Breno and the State tried to work out a deal where the cars would be sold and the profits given to a charity. That ultimately failed as the state couldn't determine if-- and where -- the car could be legally exported and who would be responsible if it failed.

So now, roughly two years later, the cars are finally in line for the crusher and one guy on Fundrazr is trying to help. "My favorite R33 Skyline GT-R was sezied in Wisconsin in 2010. Today it was announced that the car would be crushed on Wednesday 5/30/12. There are many problems with the case related to this car. I am going to do my best to stop it. The very least that should happen, the car should be sold for export only. "

It's a noble goal and he's somehow raised more than $2,000 of his arbitrary $5,000 legal defense fund. The trouble is, there's no action plan and, realistically, very little chance. The DA was happy with the case and finding a judge to overturn a plea bargain will be borderline impossible. Plus, with only one court day left until metal-meets-metal, you'd also have to find a judge who is willing to act -- against the DMV and the DA -- very quickly. That or he's looking to spend $5K on some sort of doomsday machine that disables the wrecking yard.

Still, it's always good to see car related passion on display and it's always a shame when a nice car pays the price for an owner's mistake.
 

Bob Kazamakis

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17 digit vins? What about older cars? I've got 2 cars that the vins are like 13-14 numbers...



This is some bullshit for sure though. I was under the assumption you can own any vehicle with a bill of sale/title and it's not driven on public roads regardless of the vin.
 

Chester Copperpot

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Can you imagine a world where a driver could potentially die in a car crash because the vehicle they're driving didn't meet safety ratings or weren't even tested?? I bet a car crash in a skyline looks like an atom bomb going off!

God forbid we tell people they have to wear a seat belt when the only person they're hurting is themselves yet we can let little La'shawnta-feshia run around popping out 14 babies from 15 different dudes and pay every dime for her existence.
 

Dasfinc

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This is some bullshit for sure though. I was under the assumption you can own any vehicle with a bill of sale/title and it's not driven on public roads regardless of the vin.

That's not really the 'issue' here,

The issue is the guy told the IDOT agent how to title it to avoid IDOT basically.

Still total bullshit though.
 

Bob Kazamakis

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Our legal system is so broke a guy can't enjoy a hobby but a girl can be self-destructive and raise an entire generation of welfare rats.

I can't believe people can have as many children as they physically can seeing how milk is on sale at target for $1.99.

That's not really the 'issue' here,

The issue is the guy told the IDOT agent how to title it to avoid IDOT basically.

Still total bullshit though.

First, don't fucking quote me.
Second, the original issue of why he can't legally drive the car is just as I stated.
 
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