hey VIN question

[bojangles]

my car that I have not seen yet cause of lost paperwork... dont ask..
has this VIN number
SCCFD30C3SHF63088
the info here says that the 4th last digit should be 3 for a 95 1/2 model year esprit, but the car is an S4S which should be a 4.
any other S4S that have a 3 there?

[Skerd]

The S4s was a 1995.5 model year car. I think they stopped S4 production at the same time.

[bojangles]

OK the car should be a 95.5 MY.
but the VIN decoder says 3 for 95.5 and 4 for S4S
I have an S4S with a 3 as the 4th last digit..
what gives?

[andecorp]

I have two '96 S4s's and they both have a 4 as the 4th last digit.

[bojangles]

OK i got smart... silly me check the registry the answer is there...
seems the first s4s had a 4 for the 4th last digit
then they went to 3 for the MY 95.5 then back to 4 again for the few 96's..

Go figure

sorry for wasting time on a question when the answer was there..
Bruce

[karlfranz]

bojangles said:

OK i got smart... silly me check the registry the answer is there... seems the first s4s had a 4 for the 4th last digit then they went to 3 for the MY 95.5 then back to 4 again for the few 96's.. Go figure sorry for wasting time on a question when the answer was there.. Bruce

Actually, the way it works is that the "3" is used to identify all USA S4s cars (all are considered 95.5MY). The "4" is used to identify the S4s for the non-USA markets.

The first USA S4s was #63000.

Cheers,

KFM :-)
www.espritfactfile.com

[flowers]

KFM is right and I know as I got #...63000

Rich Flowers

[bojangles]

OK so we all agree -- now the only thing to do is update the fact file page that shows the US VIN decoder with different info.... who does that?

[karlfranz]

bojangles said:

OK so we all agree -- now the only thing to do is update the fact file page that shows the US VIN decoder with different info.... who does that?

That would be me. I wrote the VIN Decoder, but I fail to see the problem. A "3" shows 95.5MY and a "4" shows S4s as it should. Exactly what do you think is wrong with it so I can fix it?

[bojangles]

there is a section of the VIN info that is for US models... it shows that US cars with a 3 are for 95.5 cars ( maybe they are all S4S ? ) and that a 4 would mean a S4S.

I have a 95.5 US spec S4S... It is not clear what my serial number should be,,, ( it is a 3 that cant be changed)

If all the 95.5 cars are S4S it should say that next to the "3" information.. if there are some 95.5 cars that are not S4S then I dont know... that digit is kinda meaningless....

[solar]

i have a us s4s last 4 #s 3071

all us s4s are 3's all other s4s are 4s ?

[karlfranz]

bojangles said:

there is a section of the VIN info that is for US models... it shows that US cars with a 3 are for 95.5 cars ( maybe they are all S4S ? ) and that a 4 would mean a S4S. I have a 95.5 US spec S4S... It is not clear what my serial number should be,,, ( it is a 3 that cant be changed) If all the 95.5 cars are S4S it should say that next to the "3" information.. if there are some 95.5 cars that are not S4S then I dont know... that digit is kinda meaningless....

You're going to have to take that issue with Lotus. They are the ones who provided me with the information and this is exactly as it is reported in their internal documentation and their service manuals.

Personally, I don't find it that confusing. This is simply how Lotus differentiates between an S4s built for the USA and non-USA markets.

Remember, just because it seems meaningless doesn't mean it's wrong.

[bojangles]

Now that I know it is not a problem. But Imagine a buyer looking at a car far away ( across the continent ) and you are told it is an S4S ... the seller gives you the VIN and you consult the VIN page of the fact file... it says that with a 3 it is not an S4S..
Do you see the confusion yet?.....

[95LOTUS]

For peace of mind, my Esprit is #63080, a made for US S4S (it was originally purchased by the PO in Arizona, so I'm assuming it was made for the US).

Bill
'95(.5) S4S

[Skerd]

bojangles said:

Now that I know it is not a problem. But Imagine a buyer looking at a car far away ( across the continent ) and you are told it is an S4S ... the seller gives you the VIN and you consult the VIN page of the fact file... it says that with a 3 it is not an S4S.. Do you see the confusion yet?.....

Remember Lotus went from the S4 to the S4s in the last half of the 1995 model year. They correctly call all S4s cars a 1995.5 model year car. If a USA Lotus is a 1995, it has to be the previous S4. There was no 1996 S4s for the USA, but there was for other parts of the world.