While often compared to the fingerprint—as in no two are alike—the Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is really more like the fully mapped DNA sequence of your Jeep Wrangler JK. From this seemingly meaningless set of alphanumeric digits, you can learn everything there is to know about your Jeep, from the engine type to the transmission it employs. You can even learn exactly where it was manufactured and what the gross vehicle weight was when it came off the factory line.

Why is this important? You may not have noticed, but each modern VIN (any vehicle made after 1981) contains exactly 17 characters, with the last six being your Jeep’s individual manufacture number. It is absolutely impossible for two vehicles to share the same VIN. If you are a collector, or simply enjoy the purity of keeping your vehicles as original as possible, this is hugely beneficial because the VIN will tell you the main vehicle attributes of your Jeep, such as the engine type and the transmission. This will aid greatly in discerning the value of your new toys or help you identify the correct parts for your rebuild. Another important benefit of the VIN is that it can be used to alert you when there has been a recall with parts used in your Jeep; trust us, the last thing you want when crawling a fifty-degree incline is a rig with faulty parts.

Needless to say, when you really want to get to the bottom of what sort of off-roader you’re getting into, the VIN is going to be your lifeline to the truth. This is especially useful when that pushy dealer is trying to pass off a 4.0 straight six as a 4.7 V8. Bottom line: people may lie, but the VIN is always going to tell you the truth.

This Jeep Wrangler VIN decoder table covers these Wrangler model years:

Jeep Wrangler sales figures (US and Canada)