Re: Wanted E30 Purchasing Advice

["Robert Sutterfield" <Bob@xxxxxx>]

>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 21:33:06 -0700
>From: rema@domain.elided
>
>I am looking for a 89 or 90 325iS.  I would like to know if there 
>is a conclusive method to determine if a 325 is in fact an iS.  
>Are there any codes in the VIN relating to a 325iS?

My email is a little mixed up so I'm sure someone has already pointed
you toward http://cbsgi1.bu.edu/bmw/vin.html where you'll find a chart
to decode the Vehicle Description Code.  The information you want is
encoded in the fourth through seventh characters in the VIN.  The car
you want will have a VIN starting with WBAAA13 (manual 325iS) or 
WBAAA23 (automatic 325iSA).

I found this invaluable when interviewing car sellers I found through
the on-line want ads, who often didn't really know what they had parked
in the driveway.  The ad might say "i" when it was really an "e" under
the hood, or it might claim a S when the was really a sedate 4-door.
Or the SO or family member might answer the phone in the owner's 
absence, and all they could tell me was from reading the VIN through 
the windshield.  This was a quick easy initial screen to avoid driving
all over Southern California to see cars I didn't want.  No matter the
confusion in the ad or the SO's lack of knowledge, the VIN is right.

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