2018 RAM 1500 TRADESMAN 4X4 5'7 BOX VIN 1C6RR7KG0JS306578

This RAM 1500 Tradesman 4X4 5'7 BOX is a 2018 model, finished in silver. The engine is a 3.6-litre petrol unit with six cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with four-wheel drive.

The record gives the mileage as 33,055 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. For a car of this age the mileage is low, which is exactly the kind of figure that deserves confirming from older entries. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

No primary damage is given in the record for this car, which is not the same as proof that it has never been damaged. Paint depth, panel gaps and the underbody show whether the body has been repaired.

A key was there when the car was checked.

The record shows a transfer document in place of a title. Without a title certificate, registering the car can take extra paperwork and checks.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. 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. 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 should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The record gives the VIN as 1C6RR7KG0JS306578. 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. 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. Look up the history of VIN 1C6RR7KG0JS306578 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.