Anyone who is into the classic Pontiac GTO, knows of "The Judge". And you probably also know how much an authentic "Judge" sells for these days because of how rare this car is. The keyword here is "authentic". Well, unfortunately there are also plenty of scammers out there who will purposely clone a standard GTO or even a LeMans or Tempest into a "Judge" to try to scam someone out of thousands of dollars.

The is nothing different about the VIN of a standard GTO and a Judge and to make it more confusing, a standard GTO could be ordered with the same powerplant goodies, minus "The Judge" appearance package. And those can now be bought from aftermarket places and applied to a standard GTO. Obviously, if the VIN doesn't start with 242, then its not even a GTO. The best way to know that it is an authentic "Judge" is to get PHS documentation. And I would recommend actually getting this yourself, instead of having the seller provide this documentation. These days even these documents can be altered and copied.

But the problem with this is that you will have to wait a little while get get this information from PHS. Sometimes you need to know ASAP to make a quick decision. You can closely inspect the car visually, but remember, a standard GTO could have all the correct powerplant options with aftermarket stripes and decals.

There are a few tricks and fact to can help you be determine if it is an authentic GTO Judge or a fake. For more information take a look at You Be The Judge - How To Identify an Authentic GTO Judge.

Have a Grrrreat Day.