Any Registry is all about the VIN, this is the car's pedigree and Manufacturers go to great lengths to identify their products by the VIN using an industry standard. There are a few differences between VIN systems used in Japan, Australia and North American

The FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) VIN format is used in North America, whereas the Australian VIN format is the ISO (International Standards Organization) format.  Both formats consist of 17 digits but the allocation of digits is different, of course the JDM - Japanese Domestic Market - vehicles use a totally different non 17 digit format.

Some owners are very protective of their VIN even though it is prominently displayed through the windshield and other locations. I'm aware of at least one Owner who went to the trouble of taping over it (which is illegal by the way) so as not to share sighting privacy and vehicle safety concerns.

Keeping it to yourself may seem secure but in fact, just the opposite is true.

The serial number or VIN that each car carries does more than identify that particular car and when it came down the assembly line. When coupled with the known owner's name and location it serves as a form of insurance. If a registry of VINs is kept up to date it becomes virtually impossible for these cars to be stolen and resold because the registry lists the current owner. Professional car thieves realize this and car clubs that utilize registries experience very little thefts reported.

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So the VINs breakdown as follows: