Cloned Car
Author
Discussion

WPA

Original Poster:

13,307 posts

136 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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trails

6,246 posts

171 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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Man tries to get away with buying an obviously stolen car but doesn't get away with it. Sounds like a more accurate title.

soad

34,280 posts

198 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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What a mess.

Mad Maximus

816 posts

25 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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Getting to the point where even avid and detailed eyed car fans can get caught out. Even being really careful isn’t enough.

Milkyway

11,828 posts

75 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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The VIN used to be stamped inside & visible through the base of the base of the windscreen. scratchchin

Edited by Milkyway on Monday 8th December 14:12

Dave Hedgehog

15,659 posts

226 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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Mad Maximus said:
Getting to the point where even avid and detailed eyed car fans can get caught out. Even being really careful isn t enough.
you just have to watch Mr Armstrong's latest youtube to see the lengths they go to clone a car and how organised it is, the avg punter has no chance to spot one, they change the VIN on the ECU so reading that is pointless and do EVs have a number on the motor?

another reason to buy from reputable dealers, its there problem as they cannot transfer ownership on something they don't own


Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Monday 8th December 14:12

John D.

20,025 posts

231 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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Could have been worse:

Solihull man discovers he has bought his own stolen car - BBC News https://share.google/QEGrP6SK5SnyzV0yi

AyBee

11,128 posts

224 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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Dave Hedgehog said:
Mad Maximus said:
Getting to the point where even avid and detailed eyed car fans can get caught out. Even being really careful isn t enough.
you just have to watch Mr Armstrong's latest youtube to see the lengths they go to clone a car and how organised it is, the avg punter has no chance to spot one, they change the VIN on the ECU so reading that is pointless and do EVs have a number on the motor?

another reason to buy from reputable dealers, its there problem as they cannot transfer ownership on something they don't own
Yes the lengths they go to are getting better, but you still have to do the basics correctly - if the price sounds too good to be true, it usually is! The cheapest EV6s on AT are £16k. Assuming it wasn't a leggy one, it should have been up towards £18k...

Mad Maximus

816 posts

25 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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AyBee said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
Mad Maximus said:
Getting to the point where even avid and detailed eyed car fans can get caught out. Even being really careful isn t enough.
you just have to watch Mr Armstrong's latest youtube to see the lengths they go to clone a car and how organised it is, the avg punter has no chance to spot one, they change the VIN on the ECU so reading that is pointless and do EVs have a number on the motor?

another reason to buy from reputable dealers, its there problem as they cannot transfer ownership on something they don't own
Yes the lengths they go to are getting better, but you still have to do the basics correctly - if the price sounds too good to be true, it usually is! The cheapest EV6s on AT are £16k. Assuming it wasn't a leggy one, it should have been up towards £18k...
Price isn’t always a giveaway either. Quite often the crims are getting the big money by selling them at pretty much retail.

Sheepshanks

38,920 posts

141 months

Monday 8th December 2025
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John D. said:
Could have been worse:

Solihull man discovers he has bought his own stolen car - BBC News https://share.google/QEGrP6SK5SnyzV0yi
That story seemed incredible to me at the time - they apparently did a very good cloning job on the car but both the cloners and the selling dealer left stuff in the car, and didn't clear the sat nav?

And, if you were a bit of a car guy, having had your old car nicked, would you really not think "hang on a minute, this is a bit too similar to my old car"?

bus_ter

342 posts

242 months

Tuesday 23rd December 2025
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- Met the seller in a carpark
- Advertised on Facebook
- Sold well below market value
- Seller only accepted cash in hand

The signs were all there. What sort of idiot hands over 13 grand in cash to someone they met on Facebook.