77 Tradewind Vin/Serial Check

[JCurry2885]

Anywhere online I can run the serial/vin to see previous owner information, registration info etc? I found on the online vin checks, but they only take 17 digit vins, which my trailer doesn't have.

Thanks!

[rmaldeney]

My wife and I just bought our first Airstream. We are looking for the vin number. But are not having any luck. Research tells us that it is on the "A" part of the trailer. But all we found was the Serial number on the side of the Airstream. I have attached it below. Any guidance would be helpful.

Thank!
Rob & Tammy

[JCurry2885]

What year is your trailer?

Originally Posted by rmaldeney

My wife and I just bought our first Airstream. We are looking for the vin number. But are not having any luck. Research tells us that it is on the "A" part of the trailer. But all we found was the Serial number on the side of the Airstream. I have attached it below. Any guidance would be helpful.

Thank!
Rob & Tammy

[JCurry2885]

Just to update my original thread here. We had to get a bonded title, so we actually had to have an auto theft task force inspection which ran the serial number through a database and found previous owner information. That along with all the paper work and normal surety bond we now have the bonded title, but where is says VIN, it lists the serial number. In case anyone was curious.

[rmaldeney]

Originally Posted by JCurry2885

What year is your trailer?

It's is a 1970. But with my wife's research it was built in 1969. We are now getting it re-titled here in IN. Yes lots of paperwork.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by rmaldeney

It's is a 1970. But with my wife's research it was built in 1969. We are now getting it re-titled here in IN. Yes lots of paperwork.

The serial number decodes as a 1970 25' Tradewind Land Yacht built in Jackson Center during April 1970 (not 1969) from the "4 70" stamped into the serial number plate.

Perhaps your wife was confused by old serial number decoders that stated the "sequential number" at the end of the serial number was 3-digits in 1969 and 4-digits in the 1970s. That information was incorrect. The sequence number did not change to 4-digits until 1971. The latest "Airstream VIN Numbers Pre-1980" in the Document Archive on the Airstream website, which now covers the years 1959 thru 1980 is much improved and corrects errors in the previous pre-1980 Decoder. Here is a direct link to that decoder: https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...2020-06-16.pdf

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by JCurry2885

Anywhere online I can run the serial/vin to see previous owner information, registration info etc? I found on the online vin checks, but they only take 17 digit vins, which my trailer doesn't have.

Thanks!

The latest "Airstream VIN Numbers Pre-1980" in the Document Archive on the A1rstream website, which now covers the years 1959 thru 1980 will allow you to properly decode your serial number for the years before they became 17-digits (in 1981). Here is a direct link to that decoder: https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...2020-06-16.pdf

This will confirm what you have, but the only potential way to find previous registration information is to contact the appropriate licensing agency in your state government to see if they might allow you to run a title search. Maybe, maybe not. Things have tightened up in recent years due to privacy concerns.