There;s a difference between the chassis number and "a vin". Your local DMV wants the paperwork from the last guy that owned it. Back in the 60s and 70s, different DMVs used different standards for VINs and they worked well for the american iron, but not the european stuff.
If you're in NY, the 14 digit mercedes chassis number got shortened by loosing the first digit, since it was always a 1. However, some DMV clerks did a complete hatchet job on the chassis number.
Another classic problem is when the car sat on a dealer's lot for 2 years before it got registered, so the DMV has the wrong year for the car on the paperwork. Both issues can be corrected if you have them and really want them fixed. Of course, every state is different.
There are plenty of places to find the chassis number on the car. Most have been pointed out for you. What's the next question? (there's always a next question).
-CTH
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