2013 FORD F150 SUPERCREW VIN 1FTFW1ET1DKE90055

This record covers a 2013 Ford F150 Supercrew. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The fuel is petrol. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The recorded mileage is 141,955 miles. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: underbody. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was there when the car was checked.

According to the source data, the car has 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 answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. On a car with four-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. The VIN on file for this car is 1FTFW1ET1DKE90055. 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.

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. Before going any further with this Ford F150 Supercrew, it makes sense to look up VIN 1FTFW1ET1DKE90055.