2006 FORD F-150 FX4/LARIAT/XLT VIN 1FTPW14596FA31312

This entry is for a 2006 Ford F-150. The fuel is petrol. The gearbox is automatic, with four-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 104,259 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

No primary damage is given in the record for this car, which is not the same as proof that it has never been damaged. Water marks under the carpets, rust in unusual places or a panel in a slightly different shade would point to damage nobody ever entered.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. The engine would not start, which can mean anything from a flat battery to serious mechanical damage. A key was there when the car was checked. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

According to the source data, the car has a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues. 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.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. The VIN on file for this car is 1FTPW14596FA31312. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN 1FTPW14596FA31312 is the place to start.