2010 DODGE CALIBER SXT VIN 1B3CB4HA8AD571615

This Dodge Caliber SXT was built in 2010. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre petrol engine. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 100,532 miles. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back.

The record lists mechanical damage as the main problem on this car. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

According to the source data, the car has a clean title. With a clean title the car can be registered and insured in the usual way.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. 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. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The record gives the VIN as 1B3CB4HA8AD571615.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. 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 1B3CB4HA8AD571615.