2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SL 500 VIN WDBSK75F36F118234

This Mercedes-Benz SL 500 is a 2006 model. Power comes from a 5.0-litre petrol engine with eight cylinders, rated at 302 hp. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 91,836 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. A car that has covered little distance for its age still ages: rubber seals, tyres and brake fluid deteriorate with time as well as use. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

No damage entry is on file for this car. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was present.

A clean title is on file for this car. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. This car’s identification number is WDBSK75F36F118234. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. 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 WDBSK75F36F118234 is the place to start.