Body panel changing...

[racer]

I saw several threads of folks who have changed body panels to different colors. I thought that sounded pretty cool actually.. but then i got to thinking like an overstuffed car buff might...

So. I was curious, if embedded in the VIN is the original color code for the vehicle?

Also curious if, in a few years time, folks would look positively or negatively at a car whose body panels had been changed.

Do others worry that folks who changed body panels may be trying to hide potential past accident damage, vs a mere cosmetic change?

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by racer

I saw several threads of folks who have changed body panels to different colors. I thought that sounded pretty cool actually.. but then i got to thinking like an overstuffed car buff might...

So. I was curious, if embedded in the VIN is the original color code for the vehicle?

Also curious if, in a few years time, folks would look positively or negatively at a car whose body panels had been changed.

Do others worry that folks who changed body panels may be trying to hide potential past accident damage, vs a mere cosmetic change?

If you bought the car as an investment - lock it away in a garage an hermetically seal it - do not drive and reopen in 40 years.

In short, VIN is not embedded but is actually a sticker on each panel. Are you planning on keeping it long as a potential investment? Enjoy the car, paint it what color you want to if you'd like to paint it - swap the panels if you want another Smart color. Of course that is just my opinion and before you say, "what do you know" - I have a non-original colored 45 year old collector car in the garage ('63 Corvette "Split Window" that was originally Ermine White with a Saddle interior but is now Riverside Red and Red interior). The car is worth less but is MUCH more enjoyable being red versus white.

Do what you want to do to enjoy your car to the fullest. Of course you can just do a panel swap and keep the original panels wrapped up in the attic. That's another idea. In the early 80's I used to dumpster dive at the Ford dealership getting Mustang throw aways -- that stuff is gone now but I wish I would of kept it. What I was trying to say, there are different levels you can go to if you want to get insane about how you can get trying to buy a car solely for investment. A friend of mine bought a lot of GM muscle new in the late 80's and sealed it in his garage. He died and never got to enjoy the stuff. It sat brand new in his garage - window stickers on windows and plastic on seats for years.

[racer]

I wasn't going for the "collector car/investment" angle..I know that angle all too well.

But if you were buying a used "brand xyz" and saw that it had been repainted, you might wonder what else was wrong. Since SMART makes it relatively easy to change out panels, I wondered how easy it was to determine what the original color may have been for instance.

Does the VIN tell you the original color? I know on my Boxster the sticker under the front trunk lid revealed all kinds of info like colors, wheels, option packages etc.

[Turbo42]

yes it is coded in the vin number

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by racer

I wasn't going for the "collector car/investment" angle..I know that angle all too well.

But if you were buying a used "brand xyz" and saw that it had been repainted, you might wonder what else was wrong. Since SMART makes it relatively easy to change out panels, I wondered how easy it was to determine what the original color may have been for instance.

Does the VIN tell you the original color? I know on my Boxster the sticker under the front trunk lid revealed all kinds of info like colors, wheels, option packages etc.

Ahhh, understand now. #1 - since the car is so new you shouldn't of lost the window sticker yet which says the color (it did on mine) and also....what Babybenz said.

CARFAX does a pretty good job of keeping track of a lot of stuff but I understand how it can go under the radar due to the ease of panel change..no insurance etc.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by racer

So. I was curious, if embedded in the VIN is the original color code for the vehicle?

Also curious if, in a few years time, folks would look positively or negatively at a car whose body panels had been changed.

Do others worry that folks who changed body panels may be trying to hide potential past accident damage, vs a mere cosmetic change?

1. The VIN has no indicator about the car's color. 1a. Technically, all smarts are black or silver, the color of the Tridion, not the plastic panels.

2. The practice of changing panels is common. My only concern would be the color choice. If the car was bright pink, I'd ask if the originals were available. Or a barf bag. Or Pepto-Bismol samples to hand out.

3. Personaly I wouldn't care if some fender-bender broke the plastic panels. I'd worry about/look for frame damage, and the panels have nothing to do with that.

[smartHHO]

Originally Posted by babybenz

yes it is coded in the vin number

I could of swore that I read somewhere on these forums when it was asked awhile back. And the answer came back that it was only coded for the SILVER or BLACK Tridon, not the actual color of the car. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure a dealer even said that.

[Kermit]

On one of mine the car says red on the title. Same title also says Mercedes.

The other car is listed as black (though it was original from the factory a "Bumblebee" with bug guts red interior), title lists Smart.

[mvaldes]

My dealer said your only registration choices, at least here in NJ, are either the black or silver tridon colors.

[Turbo42]

the delaer even asks you for the vin to find the color