2022 FORD ESCAPE SEL VIN 1FMCU9H93NUB67540

This Ford Escape SEL is a 2022 model, finished in red. The fuel is petrol. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 11,339 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. A car that has covered little distance for its age still ages: rubber seals, tyres and brake fluid deteriorate with time as well as use. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: front end. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

As a non-runner, the car needs its engine, gearbox and electrics assessed before anything else. The engine could be started. A key was there when the car was checked. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

When a car does not run, a compression test and the condition of the oil tell a mechanic whether the engine can be brought back to life. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. With no test drive possible, the automatic gearbox has to be assessed on a lift and with diagnostic equipment. A car with four-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN on file for this car is 1FMCU9H93NUB67540. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN 1FMCU9H93NUB67540 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.