[Samwisegangie]

Hi guys I have been of the face book group for a couple of months and thought I'd get a full membership
My car is a 216GTI in diamond white and tempest grey and it is my daily driver.

One bit of history if like some help with is the car is a 1994 but has no cat and is registered as a 1991 any ideas why this would happen ? Can I get a build date from the vin ?
Thank you
Sam

[Montegoman]

You won't get a build date from the VIN as the build dates for R8s aren't available. I may be able to compare against other cars on our database to assess the likely build date. Your car has short indicators so is pre October 92. I suspect your car was first registered abroad possibly in Jersey and possibly used as a hire car for a while before being registered in the UK. I bought a late Montego at 15 months old that had been a hire car in Jersey. The date of first registration on the V5 was May 1996 which was when i bought it even though i knew it had been used for 15 months and it was given a 1995 M registration. Rover supplied quite a few slow selling models to hire companies on the channel islands and then took them back after 1 -2 years. It was something to do with VAT and of course, hire cars on the channel islands didn't do many miles! My Montego had only done 2,000 miles although it had still managed to accumulate a lot of sand in the carpets in that time!

[JOHNDQ]

94 with pre 93 wings what's engine code D16 A9 or D16 A8?

[Samwisegangie]

D16A9 but with no cat

[Samwisegangie]

You won't get a build date from the VIN as the build dates for R8s aren't available. I may be able to compare against other cars on our database to assess the likely build date. Your car has short indicators so is pre October 92. I suspect your car was first registered abroad possibly in Jersey and possibly used as a hire car for a while before being registered in the UK. I bought a late Montego at 15 months old that had been a hire car in Jersey. The date of first registration on the V5 was May 1996 which was when i bought it even though i knew it had been used for 15 months and it was given a 1995 M registration. Rover supplied quite a few slow selling models to hire companies on the channel islands and then took them back after 1 -2 years. It was something to do with VAT and of course, hire cars on the channel islands didn't do many miles! My Montego had only done 2,000 miles although it had still managed to accumulate a lot of sand in the carpets in that time!

Thank you for the information will try and get some history from DVLA

[Colonel Mustard]

From what I can glean from the internet and comparing it with other vehicles in the vehicle register, I would estimate the build date to be Autumn 1990.

[Samwisegangie]

From what I can glean from the internet and comparing it with other vehicles in the vehicle register, I would estimate the build date to be Autumn 1990.

Thank you that explains all the pre 1994 bits but the reg still has me stumped I love the car rho

[redandwhitE]

Am I missing something or is the reg. about right?

Built(ish) in last third of 1990 and registered in 1991: seems perfectly straightforward.

I'd be interested in finding out why owner thinks its a 1994 car.

Was it still possible to specify the lower grey paint as late as 1994?

[Samwisegangie]

Am I missing something or is the reg. about right?

Built(ish) in last third of 1990 and registered in 1991: seems perfectly straightforward.

I'd be interested in finding out why owner thinks its a 1994 car.

Was it still possible to specify the lower grey paint as late as 1994?

Register date on logbook is 1994 but car seems to have the 1991 bits

[JOHNDQ]

D16 A9 is the early GTi with no cat or lambda sensor