Quote: I think Scott unintentionally slipped on the ole slippery slope when he said "if it wasnt original, it was a fake." I dont think you should confine that to documentation only.
I'm sorry but I don't agree, I don't think I slipped at all. There is a clear difference between documentation and parts. I'm actually amazed that anyone fails to recognize that?
Master Scott.....I don't think it is a matter of not being able to recognizing the difference between the two! Lets get away from cars because our passion sometimes gets in the way of our judgment. Lets use a Diamond as the subject matter. Would it be better to have a "fake" Diamond but have an original "paperwork" appraisal? (It looks like an original Diamond, feels like an original BUT it is not original.) What about an original Diamond that does not have it's original appraisal or paperwork? Consider this.....would the Diamond be of lessor value if another appraiser examined it and re-issued paperwork that certified it's characteristics? Would the replacement paperwork be considered authentic to the Diamond or should it be classified as fake? Is the value of the Diamond determined by what it represents or the paperwork associated with it?
According to the logic being used in this thread, the Diamond (or car) is the "moot point" in the scenario. It has become the accepted belief that the tail actually DOES wag the Dog! Why consider the authenticity of an automobile any differently? The car IS what it IS regardless of a piece of paper! The absence or possession of paperwork doesn't change the vehicle's TRUE status in the least! If anything it only helps to make an uneducated buyer feel better about what they are getting into.
We have lost sight of the "real" factor as it pertains to our cars but use original paperwork as the main focal point. How can people in this hobby be completely satisfied with a car that doesn't possess 15% of it's original parts but then get all wigged out if it doesn't have factory documentation? Is the vehicle the collectible item or the paperwork? Why doesn't the same rationale about cars and paperwork run consistent throughout the entire "collector" theme? I would think that ANYONE who is concerned with the paperwork would be even MORE critical about the originality of the vehicle as it relates to the documentation. What good is original documentation if it doesn't represent something that is original? As I said in an earlier post, we have allowed ourselves to become brainwashed into an inconsistent and biased way of thinking. You can't critique one area to the nth degree while overlooking and accepting another area of similar resolve!
