2014 BMW 320I VIN WBA3B1C51EK131256

This BMW 320I was built in 2014. The gearbox is automatic. The engine is a 2.0-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The clock stood at 208,830 miles when the data was entered. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

In the source data, the main issue is damage to the right front. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Some damage shows its consequences only later: corroded connectors and electrical faults can surface months afterwards.

A car that does not run has to be moved on a trailer, and its real condition is known only after a thorough assessment. The engine did not start. A key was there when the car was checked.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

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. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. For this car, the VIN is WBA3B1C51EK131256. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. 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. A history check on VIN WBA3B1C51EK131256 is the place to start.