2017 CHEVROLET CRUZE LS VIN 1G1BC5SM7H7253115

This Chevrolet Cruze LS was built in 2017. Under the bonnet is a 1.4-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

This Chevrolet Cruze LS is recorded with 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.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was present.

The car carries a salvage title. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

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. 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.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. 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.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. The VIN of this Chevrolet Cruze LS is 1G1BC5SM7H7253115.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. 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 1G1BC5SM7H7253115 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.