How to Date Old Cars

Car spotting is fun and enjoyable.

Dating old cars is a good skill to pick up if you are in the business of selling and buying old cars. You will have to spend a great deal of time researching them and practicing identification because of the wide variety of manufacturers that have come and gone. In addition, dating older cars can get difficult because car companies have been forced to sell one-off concepts during the recession so the car market has a few very unique cars.

Instructions

1. Note the manufacturer of the car. All cars will display the logo of their manufacturer. The front grill or the hood ornament will display the logo and the name or both; in addition, the name or logo or both will be on the rear of the car. The steering wheel often displays the logo or name or both in the middle.

2. Note the model of the car by looking for the model name, which is usually displayed next to the manufacturer name on the rear trunk lid. The model of the car will tell you a lot in some cases as some models were only produced for one year. Some cars will have the model name on the side of the car in the form of badges; this is done on trucks more than other vehicles.

3. Open the driver side door and look at the side of the door, just above and just below the latch. Most cars will have an information plate attached with the make, model, serial number and VIN number. The VIN number is also displayed on the dash over the driver's side, often only visible if looking from the outside of the car. The VIN number is a government mandated serial number that can be used to track a car. The manufacturer will also assign a serial number to the car for its own internal records. Both of these numbers will give you the year of manufacture.

4. Contact the manufacturer with the serial number and the VIN number and request a car information report. Most manufacturers will be more than happy to provide the details on a individual car for a nominal fee. Alternatively, if you just want to know the age of the vehicle, consult specialty books on that model of car where they will most often give the years for a range of serial numbers.

References

• Progressive: How To Locate VIN
• AutoHausaz: Getting VIN