Decoding sport model off of VIN #

[jmatich]

Is there any way to find out if a 7 series has the sport package off of a VIN#. I went to one of the decoder sites and it will give you the vehicle code and transmission model from the last 7 digits. Is there any way to tell if it is from that info? I see too many ads that say sport package but are just cosmetic upgrades that have been done aftermarket not the factory package.

[Benzito]

If you are searching for Sport models presently, I'd be careful of a few of those on CL and Autotrader in the Seattle area ... some ads say they are Sport versions, but are clearly not (no Steptronic is and easy giveaway in the '99/'00 740i, that plus no shadowline trim and M steering wheel in the '01). I see lots of M Parallels on cars that are branded "Sport package."

[jmatich]

I see now from looking at pictures more closely that the sport has only a drive selection then to the left it has the +- for the steptronic. Is that the same shifter that would be on any sport model made then? I would still like to be able to find out from a VIN before driving for an hour to look at one to find out that they are lying

[slevy951]

Another trick I leared from someone on here is to check the spare tire. If it's a sport, it'll have the M parallel spare also. Most people who just buy the wheels won't spring for a 5th one just to sit in the trunk.

[Qsilver7]

This should be simple to figure out since the question gets asked rather frequently.

The options and the years that the sport pkgs were offered have been answered many times....click the following link for a complete breakdown of the Sport Pkg by model: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...85&postcount=7

There was a sport pkg for the short wheel base 740i from 1999-2001 and it is the most inclusive of all the sport packages...the 740iL & 750iL with sport packages were ONLY offered in the 2001 model year....and are also different in that they were more cosmetic in nature...but because of the upgraded standard equipment in the 750iL...a 750iL sport will appear to have more than the 740iL sport. M Parallel wheels became a stand-alone-option...so MPar wheels alone dont a sport pkg make...don't get fooled by a car having 5 MPars without having all of the other options.

And to answer your original question about the VIN...no...the VIN characters by themselves do NOT reveal a sport pkg. But if you go to one of the threads in this forum that has a forum member that has access to the BMW database...they can pull up the the car's service history and vehicle build sheet based on the car's VIN...and you can find out if the car was ordered with the sport pkg.

[e38audrey]

q = pwnz.