1972 VIVA ESTATE FASTBACK--- HELLO..

[HONEY318]

HELLO THERE, I'M RICHARD FROM SUFFOLK, JUST BOUGHT MYSELF A 1972 (I THINK) VIVA 1256CC 2 DOOR ESTATE. I GOT TOLD IT WAS TAX EXEMPT . ITS REGISTERED IN MARCH 73 BUT DVLA SAID IT HAS TO BE BEFORE JAN1ST UNLESS I CAN PROVE IT WAS BUILT BEFORE... HMMM SHOULD BE FUN !!LOL. WELL I LIVE IN SUFFOLK , LOVE CARS AND ENJOY GOING TO SHOWS, SO I THOUGHT WHY NOT TAKE A CAR ? AND SO IT BEGINS....... HA HA HA

[fistfullofV5's]

Hello Richard, and welcome to the forum but do turn off your caps lock as it looks a bit shouty
With regards to dating your car have a look at the VIN plate, which if you look through your passenger side windscreen from the outside you will see riveted to the top of the dash. Now count along 6 characters. If the 6th character is a number 2 your car will have been built in 1972 and you are in the box seat and do indeed have a tax exempt vehicle. If it is a letter C then it was built in 1973 and there's a good chance it missed the tax free boat. Even then DVLA might require a letter from the manufacturer or an owners club as proof of year of manufacture. More senior members of the club than I will have experience of this procedure. Good luck with your car and enjoy it, even the times when you are lay on your back underneath it!
Dave.

[HONEY318]

Thanks for that.. i have looked everywhere and i think it is a 72 model as so many small bits give it away.. sloping in front wings, letterbox spedo, just looked on here at some trim codes, and such like, and the 93315 bit at the start is 72.. as the 73 says they are d numbers.. all i know is i'm getting to know a whole lot more than i did 3 days ago.. hee hee.. i guess someone will know.. lol.. still trying to get photo's up on here.. oh well, i will get there in the end..

[Mjones]

Welcome to the Forums Richard!

[HONEY318]

Welcome to the Forums Richard!

Thank you peter.

[hbpeter]

Hello and welcome, if your still stuck with the photos send them to me and I will post them up. What is the chassis number?

Peter

[magnumsteve]

Hello and welcome from another Suffolk estate owner! I have a 2dr Magnum estate and in Lowestoft so if you fancy a meet at the seaside when you are road ready give me a shout. Get some pics up when you can.....

[HONEY318]

Hello and welcome, if your still stuck with the photos send them to me and I will post them up. What is the chassis number?

Peter

Hello again Peter,
well, i have alsorts of numbers, here we go, under the bonnet near the battery box area 93315 DOM 096912 2GN 1X3 . .. 274 395 400 430 661 ... or under the tax disc area 9D15DCX143237.
i really hope its a 1972 BUILT model.. but hey ho.. it has the wings that slope down to the bonnet, and a letterbox style spedo, and its got what look like double edged wheel arches.. ??
quite looking forward to going out in it.. ( be a while though !) engine is as sweet as with no knocks or rattles.. 1256cc . its MVB 645L .

[pbottomley]

93315 DOM 096912 2GN 1X3 . .. 274 395 400 430 661

broken down as follows:

93315 = Model

2GN = exterior colour
1X3 -= interior trim
the remaining number identify the options fitted when built

More on these items here:
http://www.vauxhallviva.com/?page_id=290
http://www.vauxhallviva.com/?page_id=302
http://www.vauxhallviva.com/?page_id=706

9D15DCX143237

suspect that should read 93D15DCX143237

9=vauxhall
3=Viva HC
D=Deluxe
15=2 door estate
D=1256cc
C=1973
X=ELLESMERE PORT
the rest is the unique chassis number

Therefore its a 1973 car according to the chassis number, the club doesn't have records of when specific cars were built so no point asking that one. BUT it maybe worth contacting Vauxhall them selves for advise.

[Mjones]

Interesting. The chassis number of my L reg HC Estate is very similar, 9D15DCX135915. Along with a big pile of MOTs that came with the vehicle, I have a certificate signed by Andrew Boddy and Terry Forder of the Vauxhall Heritage Centre to confirm that PPJ 177L was manufactured in December 1972. As to whether my local DVLA office will accept this remains to be seen. We shall see...