are we a '92 or a '93?

[pictureLOVE]

So we were sold a 1992 BB, but in digging around in the overhead compartment this weekend we found an old registration and despite her manufacture date being stamped 1992, she was actually previously registered as a 1993. Has anyone else ever come across this?

As a side note, the book we found has all her maintenance records, too, along with the (blank) carbon copy forms that would naturally be found on a prison bus, like security breech reports and prisoner incidents... BAH hahaha!!!

[ol trunt]

I don't think that is too unusual. For example if the bus was first registered in '93 it may have been built in '92 but registration trumps build year. Some states show both year and first reg date others don't. Whatever the plate on the bus shows is the model year of the bus--unless someone changed the plate, which will cause a big headache. If it was a Porsche or something I'd be concerned but I can't imagine anyone doing that on a bus--but you never know

[pictureLOVE]

[quote="ol trunt"I can't imagine anyone doing that on a bus--but you never know [/quote] It's a decommissioned prison bus. Maybe she was used as an escape vehicle...

[Sara]

First, I would be extremely excited if it was an escape vehicle. Maybe the tags are scratched off to obscure the identification numbers. Oh my goodness... how thrilling.

I wonder if someone registered the bus based upon the year it was manufactured and not necessarily made available for sale. I see this often on cars... people will look at the manufacture year which is sometimes different than the model year and register the car that way. No one's going to check up on a bus (I don't think), and the lack of knowledge most people have where buses are concerned means it probably wouldn't have raised a flag. Guess this means you get to choose whatever you want to do!

[pictureLOVE]

Originally Posted by Sara

Guess this means you get to choose whatever you want to do!

I'm all over '92. That's my year and I'm sticking to it.

[GreyEagle]

There are a lot of vehicles where the build year is different from the model year. Most vehicle manufacturers start building the next year model before the year actually starts.... But I like the unknown factor better being it was an old prison bus...
I guess you could do either......
My last motor-home was a 1999 model build in 1998... just saying???

[pictureLOVE]

Originally Posted by GreyEagle

My last motor-home was a 1999 model build in 1998... just saying???

I'm assuming 1993 is the correct year, despite the 1992 sticker. I took a picture of the plate and sent it to my insurance agent and she did the paperwork up for the insurance with 1992, so we'll just go with that since I am 100% sure someone will want to make money off me if I try and get it changed before I'm up for a renewal... frickin' vultures...

[GreyEagle]

Originally Posted by pictureLOVE

I'm assuming 1993 is the correct year, despite the 1992 sticker. I took a picture of the plate and sent it to my insurance agent and she did the paperwork up for the insurance with 1992, so we'll just go with that since I am 100% sure someone will want to make money off me if I try and get it changed before I'm up for a renewal... frickin' vultures...

1992 sounds good to me....

[Redbear]

I didn't see a photo of the data plate(s), but another possibility is the "Incomplete Vehicle" process. A chassis maker (IH, Ford, GM, etc.) often manufacture incomplete vehicles with no body, and the chassis are shipped to the specialty body manufacturer for completion. You see this a lot with ambulances, and I imagine also with Class C RVs and possibly Skoolies.

I believe in this state, the year of the frame trumps any later configuration. If you convert a 1950 Skoolie to an RV, it's still considered a 1950. I've read here in other states that when you get your new title as an RV, it comes through as being new the year of the conversion, such as a 1950 now becoming a 2014.

So it's possible the frame and drivetrain were put together in 1992, and the vehicle was completed in 1993.

Of course, on the other hand that could have nothing to do with it at all. Who knows why every State or Province might think differently on anything or everything?