I happen to be looking at a 1968 Cutlass station wagon. One thing that doesn't sit right is the title lists it as a "Cutlass Ciera," which corresponds to a trim level that wasn't available until the 80s. Now in order to get the title the previous owner had the VIN checked at the DMV and it must have come back clear.

Now is this a major red flag I should run screaming from, or is it just another case of a DMV employee fat-fingering a trim level? If it's the latter, it wouldn't be the first time I've seen it.

 

Depends on how critical your DMV is about exact wording of the title... I would think that if the VIN on the title matches the VIN of the vehicle, the DMV should be able to correct the nomenclature error when they send you a new title... BUT, I would make sure you were able to get a correct title from your DMV to avoid any future issues.....

 

Thanks. I'll have to look into that.


I got the VIN earlier and compared it to the official Oldsmobile code. It matches the car's trim exactly, and a VIN check revealed no issues (aside from rolling over on a 5-digit odometer, but that's hardly an issue per se.) Looks like it's all up to the wonderful establishment that is the DMV.

 

You can call your local DMV and see what they think.

 

So long as the VIN is correct, that's all that matters. I've seem many cases of human error on things like this. Additionally, some DMV computer systems don't have the option of entering a model name - there's a drop down menu or similar system. It's possible that the "Cutlass Cruiser" doesn't exist as an option since most DMV computer systems couldn't care less about a nearly 50 year old car. Also keep in mind that the last time the Cutlass Cruiser name was used, it was on the Ciera wagon. I wouldn't loose too much sleep over this one.

 

I would make sure the VIN on the car matches the VIN on the title. I ran into this on an Aurora I looked at once. They advertised as a year newer than the car actually was. Luckily I had the VIN checked out before I went very far with the transaction.

Don W

 

^^ This.

I'm in Indiana & have had title/registration typos in the past. It's all about the VIN. They once (re)titled one of my bikes as a Honda C8750. I didn't notice it until I sold it and the buyer had no problem with the transfer.