2016 SUBARU IMPREZA PREMIUM VIN JF1GJAB62GH017628

This Subaru Impreza Premium was built in 2016. The engine is a 2.0-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. The drivetrain combines a CVT gearbox with all-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The car was recorded with 94,262 miles on the clock. 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. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: front end. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key is on file for the car.

A salvage title is on file for this car. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. 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 is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. The CVT gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. With all-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. This car’s identification number is JF1GJAB62GH017628. 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 shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN JF1GJAB62GH017628.