2016 CHEVROLET COLORADO LT VIN 1GCGTCE38G1173750

This entry is for a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado LT. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive. The engine is a 3.6-litre petrol unit with six cylinders.

The record gives the mileage as 132,303 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

The main issue noted for this car is hail damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With hail damage on file, the inspection should start with the roof, bonnet and boot lid, and the glass.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A clean title is on file for this car. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was. A car with four-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. This car’s identification number is 1GCGTCE38G1173750. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 1GCGTCE38G1173750.