2018 FORD ESCAPE SE VIN 1FMCU0GD7JUD01137

This entry is for a 2018 Ford Escape SE. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. The specification is taken from the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 58,017 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The record lists damage to the right front as the main problem on this car. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With damage to the right front on file, the inspection should start with the right front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was present. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

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. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

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.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. The record gives the VIN as 1FMCU0GD7JUD01137. 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.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing 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. With this 2018 Ford Escape SE, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 1FMCU0GD7JUD01137.