Your 1988 Monte is vin #'d as a 1988 model but was built in Feb. 1987, that is odd! My point about the factory assigning the model year is not to dispute that there are any significant differences between 1987 and 1988 Monte SS's but the model year designation is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the content of the vehicle. A vehicle manufacturer is free to make an identical car for 20 years and by assigning the correct vin number he has 20 model years. This of course assumes that the vehicle conforms to the Federal emmission and safety requirements of the particular model year.
