We're often asked how to decode a VIN or serial
number on a specific make and model. Understanding a car's
serial number can help differentiate collectibles from all others,
confirming and verifying the year of production, trim level, engine size, etc. While we do not have
complete discrepancy data on the VINs of all classic automobiles,
we're continually researching and gathering as much info as we can to try to help you to
decode your classic's VIN.* Whether or not we have decoding
data on your vehicle below, don't forget to register
the vehicle with us to see what historical information may be
available in the registry.
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The 17 digit VIN
(for all vehicles since 1981)
*
If your vehicle is newer than 1981,
with a standardized 17-digit VIN, and you'd like a full vehicle report
with all registration and odometer history, please visit
Car Proof.
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1st digit
- Country in
which the vehicle was manufactured. Example: (1, 4 or 5) U.S.,
(2)
Canada, (3) Mexico, (6) Australia, (9) Brazil, (J) Japan, (K) Korea,
(L) Taiwan, (S) England, (V) France, (W) Germany,
(Y) Sweden, (Z) Italy.
2nd digit
-
Manufacturer. Code partially dependant on digit 1. Example; (1) Chevrolet,
(2 or 5) Pontiac, (3)
Oldsmobile, (4) Buick, (6) Cadillac, (7) GM Canada,
(8) Saturn or Isuzu, (9)
Acura, (A) AMC, Audi, Jaguar or Maserati, (B) Dodge or BMW,
(C) AMC or Chrysler, (D)
Mercedes-Benz, (F) Ford, (G) GM or Suzuki, (H) Honda,
(J) Jeep, (L) Lincoln or Daewoo, (M)
Mercury, (N) Nissan, (P) Plymouth, (T) Toyota,
(V) VW or Volvo.
3rd digit
-
Vehicle type or manufacturing division - code dependant on digits 1 and/or
2.
4th to 8th digits
- Features; such as body style, engine code, series, trim, etc. -
code dependant on digits 1, 2, 3 and/or
10.
9th digit
- Check
digit to identify VIN accuracy.
10th digit
-
Model year. (B) 1981, (C) 1982, (D) 1983, (E) 1984,
(F) 1985, (G)
1986, (H) 1987, (J) 1988, (K) 1989, (L) 1990,
(M) 1991, (N)
1992, (P) 1993, (R) 1994, (S) 1995, (T) 1996,
(V) 1997, (W) 1998, (X) 1999, (Y) 2000,
(1) 2001, (2) 2002, (3) 2003, (4) 2004,
(5) 2005, (6) 2006, (7) 2007, (8) 2008,
(9) 2009, (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012,
(D) 2013, (E) 2014, (F) 2015, etc.
11th digit
-
Assembly plant - code dependant on digits 1, 2, 3 and/or
10;
Examples (list is not complete): (A) Lakewood, GA or
Sindelfingen, Germany.
(B) Lansing, MI, Baltimore, MD, Oakville, ON or Pupyong,
Korea. (C) Lansing, MI. (D) Doraville, GA. (E)
Linden, NJ, Pontiac, MI or Mishawaka, IN. (F) Fairfax, KS or
Flint, MI. (G) Framingham, MA. (H) Flint, MI or
Alliston,
ON. (J) Janesville, WI or Fenton, MO. (K) Leeds, MO, Kenosha,
WI, or Kosai, Japan. (L) Van Nuys, CA. (M) Lansing, MI or
Puebla, Mexico
(N)
Norwood, OH. (R) Arlington, TX or Windsor, ON. (S) St.
Louis, MO, Ramos Arizpe, Mexico or Warren, MI. (T) Tarrytown,
NY, Edison, NJ or Shreveport, LA. (U) Hamtramck, MI. (V)
Pontiac, MI. (W) Willow Run, MI or Iwata, Japan. (X)
Fairfax, KS. (Y) Wilmington, DE. (Z) Fremont, CA,
Spring Hill, TN, Fort Wayne, IN or Hazelwood, MO. (0)
Pontiac, MI. (1) Wentzville, MO or Oshawa, ON. (2)
Moraine, OH or St. Therese, QC. (3) Detroit, MI, Kawasaki,
Japan or St. Eustache, QC. (4) Orion, MI or Scarborough, ON.
(5) Bowling Green, KY or London, ON. (6) Oklahoma
City, OK or Ingersoll, ON. (7) Lordstown, OH, Wixom, MI or
Fujisawa, Japan. (8) Shreveport, LA (9) Detroit, MI,
Tillsonburg, ON or Oshawa, ON.
12th to 17th digits
- Sequential production number
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* We cannot be held
responsible for errors or omissions, if you notice any please let
us know. We kindly ask any interested parties to please
refrain from copying this data for use on other websites but rather link back
to us to help support the non-profit Classic Car Registry service and our
parent company. We'd be glad to return a reciprocal link. To exchange links, please click
here.
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