I am looking to buy an old Range Rover for a bit of off-road fun. I have been offered a log book and VIN plate representing a 1971 Range Rover (I presume the rest of it has been cannibalised for spares). Is it perfectly OK to find, say, a 1985 RR and use it as a donor vehicle for this VIN plate and registration number, thereby having a 1971 car that is 99.9% a newer car? Is this practice legal, slightly illegal or very illegal?

Dave
I went through the same thing with a Mini, it is most definately illegal, the question should be is it worth breaking the law for sake of the road tax each year? The problem is that the newer RR would already have oa identity and so you would be 'ringing' it.
It's up to you of course but I don't think I would bother.
Ron

Thanks for your help Ron, I have since found out the following info:

Road Tax Exemption & Hybrid Vehicles

DVLA have recently introduced a tightening of the procedure for registering re-built vehicles, which applies particularly to Land Rover vehicles with their 'meccano' type constructions, and therefore particular suitability for hybridisation.

If you are planning to build or buy a hybrid with 25 year tax exemption, beware.

Points are allocated to various major sub-assemblies of the vehicle, and if you wish to retain the 25 years exempt status, you have to 'retain' 8 points or more of the original vehicle.

Chassis 5 points
Suspension 2 points
Axles 2 points
Transmission 2 points
Steering 2 points
Engine 1 point

Yup.. Very Illegal :D

yep -- but a common practice with cars like Mini's, Beetle's ford Escorts and illegal too

I think the DVLA monitor Ebay etc

but in practice v v difficult to police

I have a 1964 Coopers S -- and it always amuses me when the post office says, 6 or 12 months Tax sir

Only ten years too late :D

:D

Indeed, it is amazingly common in the MG world.

Watch a Tax Exempt Vehicle go for £1,000's on E-Bay .... which has no floor, rust riddled body, wrecked engine, smashed gearbox, no wheels.

Then, watch an identical car (which is immaculate, but a year late for the Tax Exception) struggle to get to £750!

Reason? The Tax Exempt vehicle is 'transformed' into a later vehicle ... due, of course, to many hours of rebuilding, adding a floor, curing the terminal rust and mending all the mechanicals ;) :lol1:

It's rife and impossible to police - unless, of course, you go silly ........ did they make a Subaru Impreza Turbo in 1972? :D