spacetech

In the 2nd Gen FAQ this is the listed V.I.N. Breakdown.

RX-7 89-91 (12/88 - 7/91)
JM1 FC 331 * K 0 ######
JM1= Mazda Passenger Car
FC= RX7 Coupe
33= Coupe
35= Convertible
1= 1308cc rotary non-turbo
2= 1308cc rotary turbo
331= Coupe w/auto shoulder belt
332= Coupe Turbo w/auto shoulder belt
333= Coupe w/o auto shoulder belt
334= Coupe turbo w/o auto shoulder belt
351= Convertible w/o airbag
352= Convertible w/ airbag
*= Check Digit
K= 1989
L= 1990
M= 1991
0= Hiroshima Plant
######= Serial number


Build dates by serial number:
Model year-----Production Date----Serial Number
1986--------------8/85 - 6/86------100001-200000
1987--------------6/86 - 7/87------500001-600000
1988-------------7/87 - 12/88-----600001-700000
1989------------12/88 - 12/89-----700001-800000
1990------------12/89 - 11-90-----800001-900000
1991--------------8/90 - 7/91------900001-950000


Here is the V.I.N. of '90 Vert JM1FC3526L0711882

Broken Down

FC352-Convetible W/Airbag
L- 1990
0- Hiroshima
711882- the 11,882nd 1989 FC Built. ???? 1989? What Gives?

Anyone ever seen something like this when breaking down their VIN?

coldfire

iTrader: (1)

i'm assuming you have never gone shopping for a new car?
if you have you would see that in the last quarter of the year you usually see the next year's models.
so if i went into a Mazda dealership this October to buy a Miata (i don't think it's girly....Miata), i could buy a 2008 model probably.

my 1989 FC was made in 88.

My5ABaby

iTrader: (7)

It appears coldfire hit it on the head. I never liked the whole selling an '08 in '07 type thing.

Oh, and the new Miata is lame, but I still like that they're putting out a convertible hardtop version. I have a major softspot for convertible hardtops.

spacetech

actually, I took that fact into consideration. But here's the detail that gets me: The serial numbers from 700001-800000 are listed in the chart as Model Year 1989. Maybe it's just a typo in the chart... because how can a car which is letter coded (L) 1990 Model Year, have a Serial Number which is coded 1989 Model Year? It's those two discrepancies that baffle me.

Seeing that Mazda sold 9,743 1990 model year RX-7s in the U.S. (Not sure about Foreign numbers) I can only assume (I know--it's the ***** of all F*Up's) that the serial numbers 700001-800000 were those vehicles which were produced in the Mazda Fiscal Year 1989 and not Model Year 1989. The serial number would put this vehicle's production toward the end of 1989.

That's just a guess... does anyone have any solid information on this matter?

daviddeep

iTrader: (4)

I revived this thread because you didn't get an answer, plus I have a closely related question.

That is puzzling why your car would have the "L" year code but a serial number starting with a 7. However FWIW, your 'Vert was probably not the 11,882nd '89 FC built. From what I understand, Mazda sometimes skipped entire blocks of VIN numbers during production so it is difficult if not impossible to really pin down how many cars were made during a given model year using the VINs. Also for whatever reason, Mazda only tracked RX-7 sales in calendar years, not model years.

I believe Mazda changed the VIN numbers on a batch of unsold '89 GTUs cars to resell them as model year '90 cars. I wonder if they did this with some 'Verts as well.

My related question is this: according to Icemark's FAQ about "What did my car come with," Mazda continued to build S4s until December of 1988. Were these cars actually sold in dealerships as '88s in early 1989? I would think that after September 1988, nobody would have had much interest in a "new" '88 car since everyone else's '89s would have been out by then. Does this mean the S5 car wasn't released until early to mid-1989?

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, the VIN numbers for FC's are pretty jacked up. Unlike some car makers there is no rhyme or reason to the serial numbers. As for the date, its probably what coldfire said, although it would make more sense for the model year to match up with the production code in the VIN. Who knows. I should go look at mine, it was an '87 build in 10-06. My car turns 21 this October! If it was turboed I might have to celebrate with some alchy injection....