I'll be asking for the VIN when ordering parts for other people.

[92saturnsl2]

Or the hood was swapped. So the sticker on the hood doesn't match the engine in the car.

I suspect the VIN was trustworthy. More likely to swap the hood than engine and ECU, harness, etc.

That's exactly what it was-- I discovered the front end had previous damage (probably deer or something) and hood was swapped. The VIN # checked out as a normal 2.5L engine. Hood said 1.6L (turbo) which was the source of the confusion. I'll have people give me VIN numbers from now on, from the door panel mfg sticker.