Agreed w/ Rynn about the clock thing. I was confused by this (and a few other things) for quite a while thinking my 'tour was a '98, not a '98.5 (which it is).
The best thing to do is check the FAQ for the VIN decoder. It should give you a solid answer on which MY you fall in. Mine has a build date of 9/97.
Regardless, welcome to the group!