2009 TOYOTA COROLLA LE VIN 1NXBU40E09Z050513

This Toyota Corolla LE is a 2009 model. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The fuel is petrol. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 215,866 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it.

When the car was recorded, it showed damage to the left front. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With damage to the left front on file, the inspection should start with the left front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car.

A salvage title is on file for this car. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. 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 clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

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, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. The VIN on file for this car is 1NXBU40E09Z050513. 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.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before making a decision about this Toyota Corolla LE, check the history behind VIN 1NXBU40E09Z050513.