Buying Used Cars in Tulsa: How VINs Can Help You Find A Right Vehicle

If you’re looking to buy one of those rare and hard-to-find used cars from Tulsa dealers like House of Cars and Cycles, make sure to ask for the car's vehicle identification number (VIN).

The 17-character VIN is every vehicle’s unique fingerprint, following a standard format set by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1981. It was created originally to help authorities track stolen vehicles, but has since been used for other purposes. Barbara Marquand of insurance info website Insure.com decodes the VIN and breaks down the information it represents.

The VIN Anatomy

As an example, below is the VIN of a 2009 Range Rover Sport HSE SUV. The car has traveled 71,210 miles and operates on a 4.4-L V8 gas engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.

SALSK25489A213885

The first digit is an "S," which means this car was made in England. The second digit is an "A," which means it was made by Jaguar. The third digit is an "L," which refers to the manufacturing division or type of the vehicle, which in this example is Land Rover.

The fourth to eighth digits (SK254) originate from the manufacturer, and identify the basic specs of the vehicle: weight and horsepower, platform (sedan, van, pick-up, etc), model-specific code, body type (convertible, 2-door, 4-door, etc), and number of cylinders.

The ninth digit is called a check digit that determines the accuracy of the VIN as provided by the manufacturer. This digit is calculated through a specified formula, and can be anywhere from 0 to 9, or an “X” which is a “10” expressed in a single digit.

The tenth digit identifies the model year, and the "9" in the example stands for 2009. The eleventh digit refers to the plant that made the vehicle.

The last six digits collectively make up the Vehicle Identifier Section, and refers to the vehicle’s sequence in production.  

More Than a History Check

VINs may be used to check a car’s history, a report of which can be purchased for a small fee from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. Additionally, insurance companies need the VIN when you buy coverage, and the police will need it to help track down the vehicle in case of theft. Some insurance companies actually offer discounts for cars with the VINs etched on windshields.

So when you see these 12-digit codes on windshields of Tulsa, OK used cars for sale, rest assured they are there to provide added security for the vehicle.

(Source: The secret life of your car's VIN, Insure.com, July 16, 2014)