Does anyone know how to determine how "new" the car is based on the VIN?

 

You can tell a little by the last six digits of the VIN, if you know what number is current. The only way to get an exact date is from the dealer, but you can get an approximate date from the sticker in the driver's door jamb, which gives month and year of production.

 

The tenth digit in the vin is for the year.
v=97
w=98
x=99
y=00
1=01, 2=02, 3=03 and so on from there.