How to Search for a Car Type by VIN Number
For most of us, a car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) may look like a random string of numbers and letters. But for those in the know, a VIN number contains all sorts of information about a car. A car's manufacturer, country of origin, manufacturing division, type of car and serial number are all encoded into the VIN's 17 digits. Identifying a car's type solely from its VIN is simply a matter of knowing how to read the VIN's few digits which pertain to the car's type. The VIN is located on the car's dashboard in front of the steering wheel.
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Instructions
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Look at the second digit of the VIN number to determine what manufacturer made the car. For example, an "A" at this position indicates Audi as the manufacturer, while an "H" designates Honda. See Vinguard in the Resources for a complete list of manufacturer digit codes.
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Look at the third digit in the VIN number to determine what type of vehicle the car is, or what the car's manufacturing division is. This number is assigned by the manufacturer, and meanings for this digit vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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Examine the 4th through 8th digits in the VIN number, known as the "VDS" or the "Vehicle Descriptor Section." These digits identify special attributes about the vehicle, such as the platform used, model, series, engine type or body style. As with the third digit, the meaning of this series of digits is assigned by the manufacturer and varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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Record the vehicle's entire VIN and visit DecodeThis (see Resources) to decode it in specific detail for free.
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Search for the type of car you're looking for in a series of VINs by identifying the unique digits for the manufacturer, division and VDS (digits 3 through 8) and excluding all VINs which do not match these digits.
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References
Resources
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