Re: Privacy concerns: Is there any risk posting your VIN or license plate?
The only benefit I see is so Gerry can make his lists, which is no doubt why he's pouring on the passive aggressive sarcasm. I have no doubt that all the record keeping Gerry has done over the years has helped a lot of people to track the history of vehicles, but I'm not gonna go out of my way make that kind of info so easily available. Like the OP said, I wouldn't have a problem sending it to an individual.
Wrong assumption, actually.
I have NEVER made any sort of blanket call for VIN numbers of folks' cars here. If a VIN number is posted in a "FOR SALE" ad then I have recorded it in the past, but I have not as a matter of course asked or stressed that folks should post their VIN numbers here on the site. Any VIN number that is posted, is only posted at the owner's decision/discretion.
Over the past few years, and especially the past few months -- I have not even had much time to even be on this site, because I'm traveling 50% of the time with my job. Literally there are 250+ threads -- many of them "FOR SALE" threads for cars -- that I have not even looked at yet because I have not had the time.
So to make a blanket statement/accusation/assumption that I am somehow trying to drive folks to post their VIN numbers so that I can somehow suck them up into my database is not very accurate, and more importantly not very appreciated. The inference that I'm up to no good and recording VINs for purely selfish reasons impugns both my intent and motives, and is not accurate.
I began "recording" VINs that popped up on 500Ecstasy about 12-13 years ago, and recording PDFs of eBay and Autotrader listings of cars for sale. I was much more aggressive about this in the past than I have been for the past 5 or so years, to be honest. And now that most cars (along with their VIN numbers) are being recorded here in the FOR SALE section, there is better documentation/discussion of them than a simple notation in my database.
It is inferences and accusations like SG-Motorsports' above that completely rile me up to the point of "WTF am I doing even spending the time and money I do in running this site?". I have never used this information in my own database in anything other than an upright and factual manner, posting it when a car comes up for sale or contributing to a discussion, or answering a private enquiry when someone has questions about a particular car that they are considering buying or looking at.
In the past, in a few cases, I have gotten belligerant and used factual information when a seller makes obviously wrong and/or demonstrably fraudulent claims pertaining to a vehicle's condition, mileage, or accident damage history IF I have definitive proof that what they are claiming is wrong, or they are deliberately hiding something. I see no wrong in doing this, and it has not been a regular occurrence.
Stevester500E: In terms of the comprehensive list of Worldwide and US VINs of E500E models ... and when it will be available on this site ...
I'll be honest with all of you. Probably never. This seems to be a very contentious and sensitive issue. Posting this information could open a can of worms, and could further the already "out there" perception among some folks that I am up to no good with my collection of information. Which again, is very very limited these days due to other priorities in my life. I have been going for stretches of up to a week at a time without even logging onto this site.
As of November 30, 2015, I will have owned and run this site for 7 years. And I have considered myself a part of the worldwide E500E community since August of 2003, which was a month before I purchased my own car. I would have hoped that over the past 12+ years, my actions and statements would have demonstrated my intent. I guess that is not the case, at least with certain individuals. Wow.
I have to admit, and I'll just say it ... I am
very offended and pissed off by the above statements. I guess it doesn't help that my dad died two days ago here in Seattle, and my father in law passed away last night in Bend, OR, so I'm a bit emotionally ripped up right now not to mention separated from my family (who are en route to Bend). My kids lost both of their grandfathers in less than 48 hours. So excuse my vehemence ... to a degree.
But when I'm over the emotion that's happening right now in my life, I'm still going to be plenty offended and pissed off.
Cheers from Seattle,
Gerry