2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS VIN KMHDH4AE6DU649016

This Hyundai Elantra GLS is a 2013 model. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 1.8-litre petrol engine producing 148 hp.

The clock stood at 109,846 miles when the data was entered. 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.

When the car was recorded, it showed flood damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

When it was checked, the car could not be driven. The engine would not start, which can mean anything from a flat battery to serious mechanical damage. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

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. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. While the car does not run, stored fault codes and a look at the fluid are the only early evidence of how the automatic gearbox has fared.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This Hyundai Elantra GLS has the VIN KMHDH4AE6DU649016. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN KMHDH4AE6DU649016 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.