2016 CADILLAC SRX LUXURY COLLECTION VIN 3GYFNEE36GS565779

The Cadillac SRX Luxury Collection described here left the factory in 2016. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The petrol engine has six cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 107,530 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The record lists front-end 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.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was there when the car was checked.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

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. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was. A car with all-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

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 car’s identification number is 3GYFNEE36GS565779. 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 professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 3GYFNEE36GS565779.