2007 FORD F350 SRW SUPER DUTY VIN 1FTWX31P87EA76873

This Ford F350 SRW Super Duty was built in 2007. The gearbox is manual. The car runs on diesel. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 136,610 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The record lists mechanical damage as the main problem on this car. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With mechanical damage on file, the inspection should start with the engine, the gearbox and the running gear.

A key was present. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

A clean title is on file for this car. A clean title is a good sign, though it says nothing about wear, maintenance or how the car was driven.

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. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. A diesel used mainly for short trips may need attention to its particulate filter, EGR valve or injectors. On a manual car the clutch is a wear part, and a replacement in the service history is an ordinary entry rather than a warning sign. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. This Ford F350 SRW Super Duty has the VIN 1FTWX31P87EA76873. 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. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. For this 2007 Ford F350 SRW Super Duty, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN 1FTWX31P87EA76873.