Stumbled across this when looking for something else. You guys likely already know about it but thought I would capture it here just in case.

https://www.gm.com/heritage/archive

If you back up to the parent site then you'll be able to get to other brand vehicles.

 

It is these documents in particular that caught my eye,
https://www.gm.com/heritage/archive/...formation-kits

 

How do they have Geo and not Pontiac?

 

Don’t know why Pontiac is separate but you have to use Pontiac Historical Services (PHS):
http://www.phs-online.com/

 

Thanks for that link. Pretty much all the info they have available. Many years ago I got the info package for my old Camaro in print form for free, then they started charging for this. Now this is free for the quick PDF download for most makes and models. Pretty amazing!

 

What is strange is that about a year ago they removed the information kits. Must have been due to a long-term redesign, or realizing they omitted the section from the redesign and finally re-added it.

 

I just used this site to get a packet of info on my JY '92 Firebird convertible, and I'm good with it. They provided some interesting stuff, the main thing I wanted was the dealer invoice which showed the main RPO codes on it which was nice because my label is gone, and I wanted to know where it started life at. I also received what appears to be a 14 page informational brochure the dealers would have gotten before the model year start-up for the '92's.

The RPO codes included a couple I hadn't seen before (I've done this before with some Corvettes I own and had the master list), and the invoice suggested my Firebird has some unusual history to it. It was ordered by Sheehan Pontiac in Lighthouse Point Florida, (now a GMC and Buick dealer) which is real close to Ft Lauderdale, and the VX3 RPO code translates to "Fleet Program--Florida Daily Rental 4 Month in Service. The actual wording is "VX3 FLT-?? / 100% REP--Florida". Huh? The invoice also says the word Fleet right after the dealership name and address at the lower left, most likely indicating it was ordered by that dealership's fleet provider people. There is also a paragraph in the right middle of the page that includes wording that states "Sales Class A, 5% list $1063.30 ". I take that as a Discount for ordering for a Fleet?
Do I hear "Rental car for Avis?" Avis had recently been purchased back in that time by GM and it's subsidiaries and just happened to have their main office in Ft. Lauderdale FL back then, maybe they still do. Pretty convenient. But it's just a guess for now.

The other strange code was an R6U, which was a "Credit in Lieu of Fuel", showing a list of -$19.00 and discounted to -$16.15 . I guess the dealership (or Avis?) didn't want any gas in it when it got there? Not sure what that one is all about. The cars HAD to have some gas in them to get them off the transporters! Another part I don't understand on the invoice is it says "Remit to GMAC No 238, then the serial nunber of the car, the inv amt, due 10-30-91, and the dealership number." Could it be the dealership financing the car purchase through GMAC? And then sending it back after 4 months? Anybody else showing something like that on your invoice?

All I know now is that was one expensive rental car for back then if that's where it went, it MSRP'd at $21,756 and invoiced to the dealer for $18,857 . A standard Firebird V6 coupe similarly equipped was listing for about $15K and cost the dealership around $13K.
'

 

Were you able to get the download and to actually view it later? I couldn't seem to actually save it on my computer which is kind of strange for a PDF download.

 

I any GM vehicle was manufactured in Canada or imported new by GM Canada, all the documentation is available from GM Heritage. Been there & done that for 2 vehicles - 1972 Buick GS & 1984 Trans AM

 

Yes, it was emailed to me about 4 days after I sent payment, there were four separate PDF's on one email, (one was just a cover letter), and they all saved to Document files where I printed them off.

 

Follow up on an above post... I had the local GM dealer run off the RPO codes for the second JY convertible I have, and it has very similar characteristics to the first car I had done. Car #2 as I call it was ordered as a "fleet car", with some other similar options as my first car had, and the only thing real different was Car #2 had California emissions installed and had to go through the California emissions certification. I guess this means it went to a CA dealership for eventual transfer to a rental company in that state.

I'll get the GM archives info ordered now and pin it down as to what dealership out there it actually started life at. I'm coming to the conclusion that a lot of 1992 V6 Jamaica Yellow Firebird convertibles were rental cars.

 

Of the 30 - 1992 JY Firebird Convertibles (non-Trans Am) in Compnine's database, they show 3 of them had the VX3 code and all 3 had the V6.

 

That seems to make sense that those two codes go hand in hand---if you were buying a Firebird convertible to rent out in sunny south Florida, you sure wouldn't want the drunken spring break college kids driving the crap out of your T/A or Formula V8 car, would you? The V6 seems like a natural to take your potential beating on.

I plan on doing some more research on finding out how this VX3 code worked for the dealers/rental agencies. One or maybe both got a portion of discount out of it by the time the papers all got signed. An old friend of mine used to do the inventory buying for a local Chevy/Pontiac dealership back in the 90's and I'm going to have to hunt him down now to see if he remembers hearing anything about how the rental agencies bought their cars.

That other curious code I have: the R6U Control Sales Item #20, appears on both car lists I got. Car #2 has an additional similar code, R9Z Control Sales Item #100 . Anybody know anything about these? My cars were built about 500 units apart early in the model year, both in Van Nuys, so if something else was being offered by GM as an additional incentive as car #2 was being ordered, it must have come pretty fast through the pipeline.
Mysteries mysteries....

 

And no Buick.