Vin and Serial number versus title

If OP has a Ford, he could have been ripped off big time if he bought an 05 thinking it was an 06. There were significant changes in the chassis. I bought mine based on Ford VIN, regardless of what coach builder says. However, some people could care less.

havasu wrote:

Bird Freak wrote:

havasu wrote:
Vehicles are not titled until sold. So the chassis could have been made in 2004, shipped to HR (Monaco?) for a build in 2005 and then delivered to a dealer and sold to a customer in 2006. It's first use would have been in 2006 hence the title year.

I imagine it's quite common for a MH to sit at a dealers for 6 months before being sold.

This is like saying my pick up was made in 2003 but it didn't sell of the dealers lot until 2005 so now its a 2005. Vehicles of all kind are titled from the date of build. In the case of rv's the build date is when the coach was built not the chassis. Even HR says it is a 2005.

Call it whatever you want, I was explaining why the title was 2006, HR said it was 2005 and why the chassis was 2004

As a title is a 'registration of ownership' and is issued by the DMV, it is only issued when the vehicle is sold for the first time. Of course some dealers will title vehicles in their own names to skew the sales figures.

You are correct about when the title is issued but the year is determend by the certificate of origin when the coach is built.

Plus when you sell it, it will be a year newer.

Be careful of your digging. If you got a loan on a 2006 and you get it corrected to 2005 and you took out a loan the loan company may want to re-run the value and loan amount-to-value ratio and it will not come out in your favor!

IN canada BC,they do register by the vin# year of the chases,i do not why,but it is wrong to me .

I bought a used Motorhome from a dealer in Florida in 2000, the coach was advertised as a 1998 and titled in Indiana as a 1998. Indiana puts the title year as the date the coach manufacture finishes the coach. When I titled it in Florida, Florida uses the chassis VIN to determine the year. In my case, the chassis was a 1999 so that made me happy... I bought what was a 1998 from Indiana and a few days later had a 1999 title, future resale price obviously was better for me.
Bottom line is it depends on the state... whether they go by the coach date or the chassis date.

My Ford chassis VIN says "Incomplete Vehicle". Built in 2006. Bigfoot is the final manufacturer and has a separate VIN dated as a 2007 model.
That's what is on my registration, "2007 Bigfoot Motorhome".

havasu wrote:

Bird Freak wrote:

havasu wrote:
Vehicles are not titled until sold. So the chassis could have been made in 2004, shipped to HR (Monaco?) for a build in 2005 and then delivered to a dealer and sold to a customer in 2006. It's first use would have been in 2006 hence the title year.

I imagine it's quite common for a MH to sit at a dealers for 6 months before being sold.

This is like saying my pick up was made in 2003 but it didn't sell of the dealers lot until 2005 so now its a 2005. Vehicles of all kind are titled from the date of build. In the case of rv's the build date is when the coach was built not the chassis. Even HR says it is a 2005.

Call it whatever you want, I was explaining why the title was 2006, HR said it was 2005 and why the chassis was 2004

As a title is a 'registration of ownership' and is issued by the DMV, it is only issued when the vehicle is sold for the first time. Of course some dealers will title vehicles in their own names to skew the sales figures.

Then how come toward the end of the year dealers start having end of year close outs to get rid of the previous model year cars? No reason to get rid of the previous models if you can just change the model year on them when the calendar changes. All those unsold 2012 models all the sudden became 2013 models on Jan 1? That didn't happen.

What does happen is just like has been explained. The model year of your motorhome is going to be the year the house was attached to the chasis and it was shipped out of the factory. My motorhome is a 2004 model, but my chasis is a 2003 and my VIN will indicate the chasis is a 2003. But my model year is a 2004 and that is what is listed on the title. All a little confusing, but perfectly legal.

I'm sure that years ago the motorhome manufacturing groups must have lobbied for this otherwise because of build time they would often be a model year behind. If somebody buys a new motorhome in 2013 they generally want it to be a 2013. I'd venture to say that most of the 2013 motorhomes sitting on the dealer lots today are sitting on 2012 chasis. By October or November that may not be true, but it is now.

The dealer had it listed on their website as a 2005, then when I wanted to test drive it he found the title with the keys and said this is a 2006 model.

My 2012 winnebago on a 2011 Ford chassis is licensed as a 2011 Ford in WI. I had others that were licensed the reverse. With a motorhome that is 7 or eight years old isn't the key the condition including miles, tires etc and not the year. After a few years the year probably is totally trumped by the condition.