Let's discuss the "Price Class" in our VINs.

Trace 300 Hurst

Trace 300 Hurst

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Our cars have a Price Class of Low, Medium, High, Premium, Police, Taxi, and it's the second letter of VIN. The B and E Bods their Classes, too.

I was talking to @david hill the other day, and he was surprised to learn that my Hurst [CM23U0C226726] is considered a "Medium" price class, despite the "fancy-shmancy" Imperial interior, power everything, many standard options, U code engine, road wheels with H-70/15 tires, hidden headlights, etc. and the relatively high cost of the car. It even had a unique Owner's Manual, fer chrissakes! :rolleyes:

If David (who is very classy!) is surprised, I'm betting most of us would be, too.

So, if my "300" is considered Medium before it was shipped off to Hurst, what does it take to be High or Premium, or to plummet into the Low price class? Are there any 300s (or any other Cbods) out there with a CH or CP VIN?

We can assume what Police and Taxi service means, but what makes a car Low, Medium, High or Premium? Is "class" in the chassis and sheetmetal of the car, is it a convertible, is it options, or what?

People with E and B Bod knowledge about price class differences, please chime in.

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My 66 Town and Country lists as low class. It's loaded with chrome trim and the finest in fake woodgrain on the dash.
 
The class designation has more to do with the level of internal and external trim that was standard which, in turn, affected cost. Economy level cars had less external bright work, fewer internal color and material options as well and spartan standard items (one horn vs two). As we move up the price chain, cars received more and extensive external bright work and more luxurious and costly interiors.

I'm trying to think of an instance when a package car actually received a different price category designation than the underlying model.

There is some standardization across years and body line but in some years, there are only one or two designations (66-69 Chargers come to mind [XP and XP/XS only] as well as 72-74 E bodies)
 
Trace 300 Hurst said:
So, if my "300" is considered Medium before it was shipped off to Hurst, what does it take to be High or Premium, or to plummet into the Low price class? Are there any 300s (or any other Cbods) out there with a CH or CP VIN?
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Isn't the 300 designation changed to CS for the 71 model?
 
I always wondered why the fuselage Imperials have the YM to start the Vin. You would think that the most expensive car in the line up would be H.
The 70 Sport Fury (GT) vin always started with PH iirc. I thought the reason for that might be that the Sport Fury option was at extra cost and therefore above the regular Fury
 
I think it has to do with the base models price. Like my newport, its a 4 door sedan, it has 2 fender tags worth of options, but the vin is CL . My car was around $11,000 brandnnew so I've been told, which translates to $50,000 today. Could you imagine spending 50,000 on a car today? Not if its optioned! Which mine is! But its a Low price class because the base models cost around $7500 which is about $35000 today. Same price as a base model F150 with a long bed and a Coyote.
 
I think it is solely based on lowest level that the car is based on.
Sticking with OP car. It is based on a 2 door Newport. Then the trim and power options are replaced or upgraded from there. A Newport is the medium price class because the New Yorker is above it in its lowest level.
If you take a car like my Charger it is a "P" mainly because in all the Dodge lines it has a lot of standard equipment. Upper door pads, rally dash, two tone seat upholstery, even though you could get black and black, body only comes as a 2 door. There are "H" price class code Chargers with /6, and 318 and no upper door pads, but very rare.
All package cars like all R/T Dodges, 'Cuda, have a "S" for special.
4 door sedans are usually the low price line cars not because they can't be loaded up, but because of base/starting point.
 
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70bigblockdodge said:
All package cars like all R/T Dodges, 'Cuda, have a "S" for special.
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R/Ts, GTXs. 'Cudas et al carry the S classification because they are in a different price class and carry the high end interiors as well as, depending on the specific year and application, additional external bright work. They are in a separate price classification unto their own as they follow the typical guidelines of classification.

A package car would be something like an AAR or T/A, Super Bird, Daytona Charger, 300-H, SFGT, or 69 A-12 and A-13 cars. All contain specific, limited time and production items that are added on to an existing model and specifically designed to meet homologation requirements or to be be halo cars.
 
69CoronetRT said:
R/Ts, GTXs. 'Cudas et al carry the S classification because they are in a different price class and carry the high end interiors as well as, depending on the specific year and application, additional external bright work. They are in a separate price classification unto their own as they follow the typical guidelines of classification.

A package car would be something like an AAR or T/A, Super Bird, Daytona Charger, 300-H, SFGT, or 69 A-12 and A-13 cars. All contain specific, limited time and production items that are added on to an existing model and specifically designed to meet homologation requirements or to be be halo cars.
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Yes, poor choice of words.
Daytona is in its own world with XXS29 because they were Charger R/Ts before the conversion.
 
Samplingman said:
@Trace 300 Hurst, did you finally score an owners manual?? That’s probably harder to get than the car itself.
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Nope. The pics are from someone else's manual, I think off the interweb or somesuch. Indeed, I'd love to score one, and willing to pay through the nose for it.

Gotta love a skimpy little manual that uses the word "masculine" twice. :wideyed:

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70bigblockdodge said:
I think it is solely based on lowest level that the car is based on.
Sticking with OP car. It is based on a 2 door Newport. Then the trim and power options are replaced or upgraded from there. A Newport is the medium price class because the New Yorker is above it in its lowest level.
If you take a car like my Charger it is a "P" mainly because in all the Dodge lines it has a lot of standard equipment. Upper door pads, rally dash, two tone seat upholstery, even though you could get black and black, body only comes as a 2 door. There are "H" price class code Chargers with /6, and 318 and no upper door pads, but very rare.
All package cars like all R/T Dodges, 'Cuda, have a "S" for special.
4 door sedans are usually the low price line cars not because they can't be loaded up, but because of base/starting point.
Click to expand...
In the Chrysler line-up, the Newport (and Newport-based Town and Country) was Low. 300 was Medium (which is what the OP's 300 is), and New Yorker was High. I don't know where the Newport Custom slotted-in.
 
Mike66Chryslers said:
In the Chrysler line-up, the Newport (and Newport-based Town and Country) was Low. 300 was Medium (which is what the OP's 300 is), and New Yorker was High. I don't know where the Newport Custom slotted-in.
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The formal Newport Custom was all Low class so id assume the rest were Medium.
 
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