2005 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER VIN 3C4FY48B05T636430

The Chrysler PT Cruiser described here left the factory in 2005. The petrol engine has four cylinders. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 88,578 miles. Little distance per year can mean long periods of standing, light use or a tampered clock, and only older entries tell these apart. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The record lists damage to the right side 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. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the pillars, sills and doors on the right side.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was present. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

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

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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.

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. For this car, the VIN is 3C4FY48B05T636430. 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. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list 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 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 3C4FY48B05T636430.