Another Weird VIN Cry For Help

[averyo]

Hey Samba Gang, sorry for another VIN post. I promise I've combed through a TON of posts and guidelines on VIN, MCODE, etc. and haven't found my answer. Help here would be greatly appreciated.

Here is my mystery. Trying to settle on a price and arrange delivery on a bus I'm interested in buying. Seller is not an experienced VW owner so he's having trouble finding the VIN or MCODE plate on the vehicle. Owner is willing to drive it 90 minutes to my place for final purchase but we'd like to be sure it will go through before he drives all this way. I don't want to buy it if there are too many weird identification issues.

What I know:
-Advertised as 1974
-Currently Titled and Registered in California
-CA title Vehicle History box is empty (not marked as salvage, non-usa, etc)
-Vehicle ID Number on Title is 21H0045006
-Looks like a late model bay (high turn signals in front, large signals in back)
-Left hand drive
-Panel Van with no side windows, rear hatch does have a window
-Engine replaced, looks like pre-72 engine.
-No decklid access hatch to engine
-Bus has been repainted a few times and he cannot find the door jamb sticker
-Bulkhead (not a walkthrough) and he cannot find the MCODE plate anywhere on the wall behind either seat or on back of the wall.

I want to be sure the VIN on the title actually ties to the bus and it doesn't have a weird import (or stolen!) history.

Any thoughts or opinions on if 21H0045006 is a
-Real legit VIN?
-German or Brazillian?
-Too suspicious to purchase if we can't find anything on the van itself for identification?

[alman72]

vin for sure is on dash drivers side, looking thru glass. not sure if mplate is behind the seat or under the dash on the air vent on a 74. T-cash has a great write up somewhere on M plate locations...

edit- bam!
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7551789#7551789

[averyo]

[averyo]

Thought of one more clue, I'll add to original post:
-No engine access from decklid, I thought '74 had that.

[averyo]

Quick update, seller just found it stamped in the engine compartment. Number matches the registration and title so I'm good there. Now I'm wondering if it is a weird import or something. I want to be sure that is cool so I don't have issues with CA title in the future.

[Wildthings]

Probably an import, but with that VIN alone I know of no way to establish a model year. I would be leery of purchasing it for use in a state with strict environmental laws like California.

[alman72]

[averyo]

[busdaddy]

[SamboSamba22]

[alman72]

with the older motor and no interior engine hatch, may be a older bus with a nose reskin. what style bumpers front and rear? early or late ? 68-72 early and 73-79 late roundish vs squareish. early fronts wraparound.

[averyo]

[SGKent]

If you and the seller are holding a valid California title and registration meet at the DMV tomorrow morning and have them calculate the transfer to be sure there aren't $4000 in back fees due on it. I did that with the seller on mine and low and behold she owed $1400 on the bus to the state, and I was paying her $1200. It would have cost me $2600 for that bus instead of $1200. She knew it because she had the paperwork on some of those items when we met. They allowed her to pay $600 of the $1400 because she was a single mother who pleased hardship, and waived $800 so I got the bus for $1200 like agreed but she only walked away with $600 in her pocket.

The no decklid sounds weird. There was a 1974 panel van up here for sale for while we looked at while buying some other parts which was really a 1972 the nose, vin and some other parts had been replaced on. The seller who did the work told me that. I don't have any idea where it ended up or who he sold it to.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[caffeinebean]

As far as the VIN is concerned, could the "4" been mistaken for an"H"? Pretty close looking when stamped in metal.

[averyo]

[averyo]

Thanks for all the tips folks, this was helpful.
Since the seller and I found the chassis stamp in the engine compartment and that matches the current reg and title I'm going for it. Wish me luck!

[Wildthings]

VW built all kinds of odd variants over the years, particularly for the third world market. They were known for using up extra parts from earlier years and creating "blended" rig as the first new vehicles of a model year were built. Maybe yours was built for the Canadian market? At least it has a VIN, I have seen Mexican buses that had no numbers at all.

Servicemen and diplomats brought rigs home from around the world as well.

[jtauxe]

[averyo]

Double checked the H, definitely an H and not a 4. Clearly stamped in the engine bay.

DMV SUCCESS! No drama title transfer and registration. Chassis number is legit and no back fees due.

The engine and no deck lid engine access definitely point to some kind of variant but it must have been in California so long it doesn’t matter.

I’ll post some photos next weekend for folks interested in the mystery.

[caffeinebean]

Glad to hear it went smoothly with DMV. I have used AAA Registration service on a"special" vehicle before and that went smoothly as well.