What Is VIN Number?

VIN Number stands for Vehicle Identification Number, a unique number used in the automotive industry to identify a specific motor vehicle from all other vehicles.
Currently, all vehicles manufactured after 1980 have a 17-character VIN number printed on the frame of in other places on the vehicle. The vehicle may change owners, registration locations, color, parts or undergo a major repair but the VIN number will always remain the same. VIN Number is like a vehicle’s fingerprint: there are no two identical VIN numbers and you can always distinguish a certain vehicle from all other vehicles by its VIN number. The importance of the VIN number is growing, together with number of vehicles on the roads.

Why Is VIN Number So Important?

Today the VIN number is a very powerful tool in the used car market which protects used car buyers from problem purchases. Buying a used vehicle can be very risky because of numerous hidden used car problems. Some of them not just lower the actual value of the vehicle and increase its maintenance cost but seriously affect the vehicle’s safety characteristics. However, as the vehicle is being used, all the essential information about it is reported to authorities and special companies that collect vehicle history data in specialized databases. All this information can be retrieved at any moment in the form of a vehicle history report which helps potential used car buyers find out what happened with the vehicle since it left the plant and what hidden problems it may have. Today it takes a few seconds to run VIN check online and learn all you need to know about the vehicle’s past.



What Else Can VIN Number Tell Me?

  • VIN number alone is enough to know not just the make and model or the year when the vehicle was manufactured but even more specific characteristics, such as the shape of the head lamps, provided that you know how to decode VIN number.
  • VIN number helps identify the vehicle in case of a severe damage (accident, fire) or theft.
  • VIN number can tell where your car is registered. However, you cannot find the car by VIN .

What I Should Know about VIN Numbers?

VIN number shapes and standards were changing as the automotive industry was growing over the past century. According to current standards, the VIN is a 17-character code consisting of letters and digits. The VIN never icludes I, O and Q letters to prevent mixing them with digits.


Run VIN Check - know the truth BEFORE it's TOO LATE!


Tip of the Day

Buying a Used Car? A fabulous deal that saves you $500? STOP!
Did you run VIN number check?
The few dollars spent on the vehicle history report prevent losing thousands or even the most precious - life!

Run VIN number check NOW!

VIN Number Check Includes:

  • Lemon Check
  • Title Check (Salvaged, Clean, Total Loss, etc)
  • Odometer Problem Check
  • Accident Check
  • Full Registration Check
  • Damage Check (frame damage, flood, fire, hail, etc)
  • Theft Check
  • State Inspection Records
  • Ownership and Theft Check
  • Full Vehicle Use History
  • Loan/Lien Check
Know what you are buying BEFORE it's TOO LATE!

Hidden Car Problems

Car Buying Tips