I was told by my friend who is getting an STI that he got the VIN number already because he is #1 at the dealership. Does anyone else here have a VIN number if they are #1 on a waiting list ?

thanks

 

M

 

Ok, you don't know what your talking about. When a car is manufactured, it goes through the almost the entire process as a non-serialized vehicle. The vin #'s are some of the last items to be put on. I know this because I've ordered cars before they were even built, and the only way you know exactly when your car will arrive is when your specific car has been serialized. So in that respect, my guess is that one of the reasons why dealers don't know exactly how many units they are getting, and when exactly they will be getting them, leads me to believe that they don't have serial #'s of the cars they are going to receive. That pretty much means that many of the cars that are destined for the US aren't even fully built yet. Why else would the release date be so far out? Obviously, some cars have been built, and therefore they have been issued vin#'s. It has been my experiance, that a car that is pre ordered, gets serialized a month and a half or two before the arrival date. Obviously, this may not hold true to every manufacture.

 

Ahhh, my good man: You forget what effect money and power have on government! The boys around here invest in what is called a "Manufacturer's Plate." This is a plate given to the car companies to put on their prototypes and mules. It is my understanding that insurance and identification are associated with the plate, not the car. I have not yet seen a VIN tag on a prototype or mule, usually they have numbers stickered on them from the manuf.. I understand that insurance is purchased by the plate and can so be transferred between vehicles and it is the responsibility of the OEM to keep tabs on the plates.

They sure as hell don't go down to Progressive to insure a million-dollar protoype, anyway. They've got connections for that.

 

i agree....also i think ur friend is full of BS and ur believing him becasue he cant get a car that isnt made yet...and if it is made how would he know he is geting that exact one...btw what does OEM stand for?

 

OEM --> Original Equipment Manufacturer

 

u tellem!!!!!!! =) update us plz

 

Archman33 is 50% correct.

Further, just because a vehicle is operating on US roads doesn't mean it has been 'registered' and/or insured.

Every state in the union allows individual manufacturers and dealers to purchase from them 'Dealer' (Used car dealer or New car dealer), 'Manufacturer', and 'Temporary' usage plates.
Thats not even going into 'Diplomatic' plates.

All of the above types of plate are "registered" to an individual or corporation and not to the vehicle itself. Diplomatic plates are the only exception as they are registered to the country of use at the address of their embassy. The plates are then assigned for individual use by the country of origin's embassy.
(BTW, at all costs avoid tangling with a diplomatic tagged vehicle/driver as diplomats, their family, staff and 'associates' are not subject most US and/or state motor vehicle laws. This due to reciprocity by other countries for our own overseas employees, diplomats and support staff).

No insurance is required per vehicle when driving under Dealer, Manufacturer or Temporary Usage plates. The vehicle(s) operated under these plates are typically insured under the individuals or corporations own blanket liability insurance policy.
Also, the registration douments for the plate itself are sometimes taped by the owner to the back of the plate or filed on-site.

As for VIN numbers, pre-production vehicles are generally not authorized for sale to the general public by manufacturers so they do not typically assign individual units a 'traditional' VIN number.
Vehicles without a VIN number at all are not allowed for sale or private ownership as per DOT and individual state laws.
Even if a manufacturers sample vehicle does in fact have a VIN number assigned it may not be reflective of an actual VIN producton series. It may be a 'short' VIN which is used by the manufacturer to idenify the pre-production series and individual vehicle unit.

As for manufacturer VIN assignment that too varies but generally the per unit VIN is known during the production phase. This number is most often stamped or cast into various primary items throughout the car as its going through pre and/or final assembly.
These items include stamping the trans casing, firewall, and/or engine block as well as the chassis/frame.
The additional and more easily visible & accessible VIN stickers & placards are also printed and applied during the final assembly process. BTW, depending on the manufacturer and model final assembly can occur either from the factory or following overseas shipping at an off-site location.

Manufacturers do not often report to dealers the VIN number(s) for customer ordered vehicles until final assembly is complete and the vehicle has passed preliminary, if any, pre-shipping system checks.
Once the vehicle has passed final assembly it is then that the manufacturer most often releases the VIN to the dealer who in turns releases it to the buyer.

As for the original post by RPMVideo it is remotely possible your friend has recieved a VIN from the dealer as at this point as Subaru's first allocation units has been built and should be on the way to the US & CA via overseas freight carrier from Japan.
But IMHO, it's unlikely that Subaru would have released that information to any dealers just yet. Unless the Subie's have already reached US port and are prepped for overland freight shipping to individual dealers. Again, its within the realm of possibility but I doubt they are here just yet.

RPMVideo, the best way to know for sure is to ask your pal for his VIN# as proof positive to be sure its not a regular WRX VIN.
It would be especially great if he would allow you to post it here as we fellow STi waiters (I'm #7 on my dealers list) could then use this value to contact our respective insurance carriers to secure a more relatively accurate quote toward individual coverage.

This response was a bit lengthy but I hope it helps clear up the confusion.

- Janq

 

who cares? they get here when they get here. I'm willing to bet that nobody here is an "authority" on VIN numbers and insurance law.