Vin number look up

[hlsr123]

I am new to this site. I have tried to look up a vin number for a 1970 for a vehicle I am looking at that only has 14 digits. All the look up websites I have tried do not work. They say they cannot find that number. Can someone let me know what else I can try or what the problem might be?

[Vander]

What information are you trying to look up with the vin exactly?

Carfax for example is only for vehicles 1981 and newer when a 17 digit vin was standardized.

[MikeSimon]

I faintly remember that California used to play weird games with the VIN number of the W113. But all W113 VINs have 14 digits. What are you looking for?

[JamesL]

If you’re hoping that the VIN checker will tell you how the car was optioned from the factory, it wouldn’t.
Your VIN will tell you model (113), variant (230,250,280), what side the steering wheel is on, auto or manual (no, not even if it’s a 5speed) and the number of the chassis.
You can get a little more info off the chassis plate stamp in front of your brake booster in the engine bay (eg original colour)
For everything else you need your data card.

[rwmastel]

And you can only get the data card with proof of ownership.

[hlsr123]

Thank you to everyone for the responses to my question about the Vin number look up.
I did think I could get ownership history from the Vin number but that sounds like that is not the case. I was looking at a vehicle and was hoping to do a bit of research. Thank you for the help.

[JamesL]

No worries, in the age of that sort of history at the end of a few keystrokes, it is a little disconcerting to find that older vehicles are not covered. And there’s a few members who’d love to know/track the family history of their car but that’s nigh on impossible.

My car has a number of prior owners (in the UK) and I only have some of their names as they kept receipts for servicing work etc. Otherwise, no chance.

However, ask away and if you want help looking at a car, there’s eyes here that can spot all manner of things (good and bad) from pictures.

[MikeSimon]

In some States you can do a "title search" with the VIN number, which may give you some info. CA maybe not.