2009 HONDA CIVIC LX VIN 19XFA16579E007659

This entry is for a 2009 Honda Civic LX, finished in blue. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The fuel is petrol. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 108,370 miles when the data was entered. 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 front-end damage. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. The VIN of this Honda Civic LX is 19XFA16579E007659.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before making a decision about this Honda Civic LX, check the history behind VIN 19XFA16579E007659.