2015 CHRYSLER 200 S VIN 1C3CCCBB7FN743436

This entry is for a 2015 Chrysler 200 S, finished in brown. Power comes from a 2.4-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The recorded mileage is 143,260 miles. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed minor dents and scratches. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car.

A key is on file for the car.

The car carries a clean title. With a clean title the car can be registered and insured in the usual way.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This car’s identification number is 1C3CCCBB7FN743436. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. A history check on VIN 1C3CCCBB7FN743436 is the place to start.