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What you need to know


Vehicle history reports are now considered a popular point of information for car buyers and sellers. They are so typical that the most common question has shifted from “what is a vehicle history report?” to “which historical report did you use?”.

Historical information about Vehicles before 1981

Traditionally, vehicle history reports were limited to cars and light trucks with 17-digit VINs. This removes any vehicles manufactured before 1981. So-called classic, classic and vintage cars are excluded from the VIN check service. The buyer must rely on the seller to provide documents or information by mistake in the glove box. This can lead to random omissions or worse, outright fraud.

VINData's vehicle history report

VINData’s vehicle history report

The obvious difference: Short VIN

The VIN is an important information input for vehicle history reports. Most services require a valid VIN to generate reports.

The standard VIN models used by manufacturers today were introduced to the market with 1981 vehicles. These VINs guarantee two things: the uniqueness of the VIN (similar to a security number). social) so that no two vehicles have the same number and the information in the VIN about that vehicle can be deciphered easily. The decoded information precisely identifies the year, make, model and trim level and other specifications of the vehicle.

Many manufacturers began standardizing their VINs in the mid-1950s. However, prior to 1981, each manufacturer used their own numbering, so it was possible for more than one vehicle to be assigned the same number. VIN numbers, and therefore decoding the VINs of many manufacturers is not an easy task.

The difference is clear: VIN is very short

Vintage cars before 1950 or before the war often have very short VINs with 7 characters or less. This is usually just the serial number. Generally there is no decoding or pattern for these very old cars. The rate of overlap between manufacturers for “VIN” is higher than for vehicles manufactured after 1955. However, since very few of these older vehicles survive, there are not many VINs “squabbling” with other vehicles. This old car. Enthusiasts can be relatively certain that the serial number they have for the vehicle represents a unique vehicle.

The obvious difference: VIN position

In 1969, the US federal government mandated that vehicles have a VIN plate visible from the outside of the vehicle and located in the current standard location: mounted in the driver’s side panel. In vehicles manufactured before 1969, the VIN is not in the standard place – that’s wherever the manufacturer wants to put it, if at all. Enthusiasts believe in determining a VIN based on where the manufacturer is supposed to put it, or on documents like the title, registration, and financial/insurance certificates.

Obvious Similarities: The Importance of Titles

The State agency or Department of Motor Vehicles (BMV/DMV) is usually the state agency responsible for vehicle registration and registration. The laws and regulations that each state has are different. But in every state, the DMV title is a document that establishes ownership and other legal details like “brand” title status, ownership, and meter readings. Fortunately, the title papers are the same regardless of the vehicle’s age. Title information should be considered the foundation of any vehicle history report as it is the most important legal document.

The obvious difference: Availability of header information

For everyday driving cars and light trucks that have been produced in the last 25 years, there is almost always at least one DMV title record. There are some cases where the header record is not available:

– This vehicle is a government service vehicle (GSA) and has not been certified by the DMV

– The car is overseas and has not been named by the DMV

– The car has not been sold by the dealer, still new.

For classics prior to 1981, there may be other reasons for not having a title record. Each state DMV reports their data to a central federal government database called the NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System). This database is a database of records because DMVs also use it to compare information as they prepare vehicles. Each state has a different earliest reported record date. Title records for some states go back and report titles that were issued in the 1960s and even earlier. Other states’ reported records only go back to the 2000s.

Factors affecting the availability of DMV records for classic cars:

– When a vehicle is named – If that vehicle has changed ownership in the last 20 years, chances are there will be an ownership record for it

– Vehicle location – if the vehicle is in an older data-free state, there may be no NMVTIS record

– How long the current owner has owned the vehicle – their last owner’s barn for 50 years is usually not in the database

– State classic car title laws – most states like Texas require vintage cars to have a title; Other places like Vermont don’t. However, even if it is not required, many owners still choose title because it is a legal title document and makes it easier to finance and insure.

– State participating in NMVTIS – every state other than Hawaii now participates in NMVTIS

Obvious similarities: The passage of time

The good news is that while a vehicle may not have a record in the NMVTIS today, when it’s made headlines by the DMV next time – it’s likely to be! The DMV will record the brand status, any identification and other details about the vehicle in their own database and then overnight it will be available in the NMVTIS database.

“When shopping or selling a classic or modern car or truck, or you just want to learn more about the trip you have today, get a historical report from VINDatawith the official NMVTIS title and other data.

This article, originally written as published on ClassicCars.coman editorial partner of Motor Authority.



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