Enter the 17-character VIN of your Saab to see the factory basics. Free, with no registration.
Look on the dashboard, the driver's door frame or in the registration document.
Type all 17 characters. The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN.
See the factory basics for free, and order a full report for the history behind the VIN.
Enter a 17-character Saab VIN and the decoder returns the manufacturer, the model year and the country of manufacture. It is free and needs no registration. Our data covers 11 Saab models, among them the 9-2X, 9-3, 9-4X, 9-5, 9-7X, 90, 900, 9000, 95, 96 and 99, with model years from 1959 to 2014.
A VIN does not record accidents, mileage, theft or previous owners, so the decoder cannot show them. That information comes from a paid vehicle history report.
The first three characters are the WMI, the code that identifies the manufacturer. For Saab we recognise six of them: 3G0, 5S3, JF4, YK1, YS3 and YTN. Between them they cover five countries of manufacture: Mexico, the United States, Japan, Finland and Sweden. The list is the set of codes we map to the brand, not a complete register, so a Saab VIN that begins differently is not a reason for concern.
Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle, and position 9 is the check digit. North American VINs must carry a real check digit, while many European VINs fill that position in a different way. Position 10 gives the model year, position 11 the assembly plant, and positions 12 to 17 are the serial number. The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN.
The model year character is the easiest part to check by hand. A 5 in position 10 means 2005, and an E means 2014, the last year in our Saab data. Standard 17-character VINs exist for cars built since 1981, so the oldest years in our range, back to 1959, come from the time before this format. The decoder reads only the 17 characters you enter.
Every VIN has six parts. This is what each of them means.
| Part | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| WMI | 1 to 3 | World manufacturer identifier: who built the vehicle and where |
| VDS | 4 to 8 | Vehicle descriptor: model, body type and engine, as set by the manufacturer |
| Check digit | 9 | Control value that helps confirm the VIN is valid |
| Model year | 10 | Code for the model year |
| Plant | 11 | Code for the assembly plant |
| Serial | 12 to 17 | Production sequence number of this vehicle |
On the driver's side, visible through the windshield.
On a sticker on the door frame or the edge of the door.
Printed in the vehicle registration or title.
Stamped on the firewall or the frame on many models.
A VIN is built from six parts, and each one says something about the vehicle. Our guides explain how to read it and what it can and cannot tell you.
Enter the 17-character VIN and see the factory basics in seconds.
Look at the registration or title documents first, then check the car itself. The VIN is commonly stamped on a plate at the base of the windshield or on the door frame. Make sure all 17 characters match before you enter them.
The first three characters are the WMI. We recognise 3G0, 5S3, JF4, YK1, YS3 and YTN for Saab, which point to manufacture in Mexico, the United States, Japan, Finland or Sweden. Other prefixes may exist, since our list is not exhaustive.
Read the 10th character. For example, 7 stands for 2007, 9 for 2009, A for 2010 and E for 2014. Letters and digits repeat in a 30-year cycle, so the model year should always be checked against the car itself.
It cannot show accidents, mileage, theft or the number of owners, because none of that is stored in the VIN. It also cannot tell you the car's condition.
Compare the VIN on the car with the one in the documents, and confirm that the decoded model year fits the car you are looking at. Then inspect the body and ask for service records. The body style, whether Wagon, Cabriolet, Hatchback, Sedan, SUV or Coupe, should match the listing too.