Some of the coolest builds we’ve seen are Frankensteined together from various donor vehicles. Some, like this manual-swapped V8 Mercedes GLK, are so well assembled that from the outside, you can’t tell that something special lies beneath. But this Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk out of Raleigh, North Carolina is an unfortunate monster; it was built on an older frame, one that had been reported stolen.
Raleigh, North Carolina, police spotted the Jeep parked outside a store, WRAL reports. According to a search warrant, the officer checked the registration, compared VINs, and found that while the vehicle appeared to be a top-of-the-line 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, the VIN stamped on the frame belonged to a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Overland. While the Overland frame appears to have been obtained legally, the Trailhawk that donated its parts to the build had been stolen. Police arrested the owner and charged him with possession of stolen property and altering serial numbers.
Buyer beware
Raleigh police warn that criminals may build Frankenstein cars out of stolen and legally obtained parts, then sell them to unwitting customers who can’t tell the difference to make a profit. Some states, like Florida, require such vehicles to be titled as rebuilt or assembled from parts. This is another case where a pre-purchase inspection can find issues like mismatched VINs and save you from trouble down the road. If you unknowingly buy a Frankenstein car containing stolen parts, you may not be charged with a crime, but the stolen parts will be returned to the owners, leaving you only with what’s left, which may be undrivable.
However, the Jeep in this case appears to have been built for the owner’s personal use, not for resale. Receipts from retailers and junkyards can prove that you obtained all of your parts legally. That’s easy if you buy from a business. If you buy from a private seller, do your best to make sure they’re not some sketchy chop shop. Ad postings and eBay auctions can help, as they document where the parts came from.
