danglerb

I went digging in my old receipts and found the VIN for the 928 I traded in in 1987, nothing in the smog check database, nothing in carfax. ;(

VIN WP0JA0927BS820122
Year/Make/Model: 1981 PORSCHE 928
Body Style: COUPE
Engine Type: 4.5L V8 FI SOHC
Manufactured In: GERMANY
Search Results: 0 records found in our database

JEC_31

These are databases containing millions of entries and billions of digits, conglomerated out of millions of paper documents from thousands of diverse sources - and the reality of human error is an omipresent cloud over it all.

Maybe you're one digit off...

Maybe the car's original records got "lost" in the system when someone's file cabinent got burned or flooded... and it hasn't been able to make any new records 'cause it's dead, scrapped or stored.

Maybe it witnessed a crime and went into the Sportscar Protection Program and had it's identity changed...

danglerb

Vin has a check digit, and it says its ok, and the doc I found was from the dealer, even checked a couple different ones to make sure the squiggle really was a J and not a 2. Anything prior to 1991 I guess is chancy in the database. I also found the plate number, but I traded it in to Beverly Hills Porsche and first thing they do is surrender the plates. Salesman told me they had a buyer that wanted it before I picked up the new 944T. Crashed or stolen, kind of depressing. I made the mistake of looking at a house I sold once. OTOH the house was such a wreck the first time, I went by again a year or so later and it was a bit nicer.

Casual searching everything VIN check related I found seemed feed to either CarFax or Experian's Autocheck.

RicerSchnitzzle

Change the first 'A' to a 'B' and see what comes up. I thought JBO was the USA code with ZZZ for Euro or ROW. Could be wrong.

Giovanni

Could it be the car was totalled, exported or sold for parts a long time ago? My 84 has 0 records, maybe because it has not been on the road for a good 5 years?

Andre Hedrick

Gemme a "B"eat for it to be an '81.

danglerb

With a B it comes up as invalid. I tried the carfax thing as well since it checks for VIN numbers close to what you entered if it doesn't get any hits. I am still digging around in boxes looking for my 944T folder, so I may find something more official VINwise than a repair order.

Vilhuer

Manufacturers can decide what kind of coding they use in 4th to 6th VIN positions. This so called VDS code is used to describe what safety equpment was installed. For some reason factory used JA0 in '81-82 MY's and JB0 '83 and after up to '90 when airbags came. WP0JA0927BS820122 is correct VIN for early '81 MY US model.