Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

Hi There,

I'm having a bit of a dispute with a dealer in the UK and I need a bit of info.

I picked up my "new" '06 model year Crossfire coupe from the dealer today. Should have been a good day - this is my second Xfire and I love the way they just fit into my life so well.

When I got home I checked the plate inside the drivers door frame to check the date of Manufacture - it's June 2005 !!! It's been sitting in a compound somewhere for 9 months.

The dealer is now telling me that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the car indicates that it is indeed a '06 model year car. Can you tell this from the VIN? If so, then how is it coded?

Sorry if this seems a bit Europe specific, but I don't know if the VIN is used the same way in the States.

Any help you can give gratefully received.

Thanks.

P.S. further details of my dealer experience in my post in the Europe forum.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

The model year is given by the tenth digit in the VIN. It should be a 6 for a 2006 model year. The manufacture date doesn't indicate the model year. Many cars are actually manufactured in the previous calendar year.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

Thanks for quick response.

Yes indeed - the 10th digit of the VIN is a 6, so '06 model year it is then.

I knew that cars for a particular model year could be manufactured in the previous calendar year, but a bit surprised that it can be as far back as June.
Ah well that's car companies for you. Can't even tell what year it is, let alone make any money!

Just out of curiosity, any idea of the changes that have been made to the coupe between '03 and '06 model years?

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

New cars come out in Sept not Jan. So it would seem that a car built in June came out in September and isn't that old.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

You're right - I'd forgotten about how big an deal the model year is in the US.

In the UK the marketing of new cars tends to focus on the change of the registration plates (tags?) not the model year.

Still doesn't change the fact that the "new" car I picked up today has sat in a compound for the past 9 months somewhere between Germany (where the car was made) and the UK.

Thanks for the reply anyway.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

I haven't seen any information on changes for '06 beyond adding some colors. There weren't really any significant changes between '04 and '05 (not counting introduction of the base model, roadster, and SRT6), so I'm guessing that trend continued. The only thing I can think of right off is the elimination of the auto dimming mirror.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

I don't know what your talking about or what it has to do with america but if a car has a model year 06' Its completely possible for it to have been made in jun 05'.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

the '05 300c was available at march of '04 when i got my xfire. so sometimes they come out very early. also i think what he was saying is that america makes a bigger deal about model year cars then other countries.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

Yeah - cars are marketed very differently in the UK from the States. Dealers very rarely talk about model year.

Anyway thanks everyone for your input and the good news about the auto-dimming mirror (I always hated it in my first Xfire).

Enjoy your cars and stay safe.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

forgive my stupidity... but what's an auto-dimming mirror...

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

Could be my British terminology again.

The auto dimming rear view mirror on my first xfire used to irritate the heck out of me because you couldn't switch it off as you can in other cars that have this feature.

At night if a car comes up behind you the rear view mirror automatically dims itself to stop you being dazzled by the headlights.

Sounds great until you're trying to work out whether the person driving close behind is:
A - Interested in your car because they think it's cool and they want to know what it is.
B - A nutter wanting to race you.
C - A police car trying to check if you're speeding.

As all you can see are two very dim headlights in the rear view mirror it's easy to make the wrong call (although in the UK it's usually A as there aren't that many Xfires about).

Anyway my new Xfire has a manually dimming rear view mirror and I'm happy.

Re: Can you tell the model year from the VIN ?
 

Just curious what the last 6 digits of your vin are!!

I was wondering how high a production number your CF is.

Thanks.