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Buick VIN Decoder

Buick, founded in 1903, is General Motors’ oldest surviving brand. Today it sells mostly crossovers, but its history runs through the Roadmaster, Riviera, Electra and Grand National.

Built before 1981?

Can I decode a Buick VIN from before 1981?

Yes. Buick VINs from before 1981 are shorter than 17 characters and follow Buick’s own layout, so a standard decoder cannot read them. Our classic decoder reads them from as early as 1954, character by character, against the factory chart for each year.

Decode a classic Buick
Classic Buick VINs From 1954 Read character by character against the factory chart for each year.
Reading a Buick VIN

What do the first three characters of a Buick VIN mean?

The 4 in a Buick’s 1G4 prefix is Buick’s old GM division number. The same 4 opens classic Buick VINs from the 1960s and appears on Fisher body tags, so the digit has identified Buick for more than half a century.

What each of the 17 positions means

The 17 positions1G4 …
  • 1–3Manufacturer
  • 4–8Vehicle details
  • 9Check digit
  • 10Model year
  • 11Plant
  • 12–17Serial number
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