In the grand scheme of things, does the VIN number indicate anything other that just a number? I mean build dates can be late even though you seem to have a low VIN.. So tht sort of rules out the "I got a lower VIN so my car's earlier deal"

Also, are they any range of VINs that seem to be cropping up with the most problems? If any...

I've read some of the VUIN decoders but they only say the numbers are numbers.. with the last being some sort of serial..

 

RX-NUT,

Any veh after 1981 must have 17 characters....

1st character is country code (US is a 1 or 4)
2nd character is maufacturer
3rd character is vehicle type or manufacturing division
4th-8th characters are vehicle features such as body style, engine,tc
9th character is indicated VIN accuracy as a check digit
10th character is model year (ie 2004 (4))
11th character is assembly plant for vehicle
12th-17th characters is sequence for vehicle production as it rolled off the assembly line (ie : what number your car came off the line---keep in mind, that's just for that specific plant)

Hope that's what you were looking for.

 

so if my 12th-17th characters are 105069...?

 

Um....ok, I have no clue...It can't be the 105,069th car...Hmmm...Weel, that's just what I got from an online VIN Decoder. I give up. :D

 

Thx regardless... I too was looking for what jdaled was asking. I know how to break the VIN down, I just wanted to find out if anyone knew what the RX-8 VINs meant.. Meaning if "higher" VINs had more problems, etc etc..

 

As far as I know, all RX8s are made at a single plant (Usina). So it might seem that all you need to know is the sequence to know how early your car was made -- of those with VIN numbers. Remember, folks, the U.S. is not the same as the world. Half the RX8s made so far stayed in Japan, and we may have shared some of the rest with other countries. (I don't know. Sooner or later we will, but maybe not yet.) Because Mazda never planned to sell cars here until the Spring, and started series production in January, probably the first large batch stayed home. I think my VIN, 12-17#s 100717, probably means my ordered-first-day-possible car was the 717th made with U.S. specs (emissions, etc.), maybe in mid-April, as I was told by the dealer.
Mitch

 

So if my VIN# ends in 110022 does this mean its the 10,022 car made?

(apparently it was in Tacoma port around July 15; I ordered Aug 15; it should arrive here to me ~Sept 15).

I'd prefer a later made car....