2015 DODGE DURANGO SXT VIN 1C4RDHAG5FC176345

This entry is for a 2015 Dodge Durango SXT, finished in red. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Under the bonnet is a 3.6-litre petrol engine. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The car was recorded with 109,658 miles on the clock. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

When the car was recorded, it showed rear-end damage. 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.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was noted with the car.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This Dodge Durango SXT has the VIN 1C4RDHAG5FC176345. 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.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. 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 1C4RDHAG5FC176345 is the place to start.