2014 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE LS VIN 1GNKRFED0EJ359905

The Chevrolet Traverse LS described here left the factory in 2014. Under the bonnet is a 3.6-litre petrol engine. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive.

The recorded mileage is 151,601 miles. 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. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

When the car was recorded, it showed front-end damage. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. A lift and a diagnostic check show what photos cannot: bent brackets behind a panel, chafed wiring or deployed airbags.

A key was present.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

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 record gives the VIN as 1GNKRFED0EJ359905. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. Look up the history of VIN 1GNKRFED0EJ359905 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.