2018 RAM 3500 LARAMIE VIN 3C63R3JL8JG111963

The RAM 3500 Laramie described here left the factory in 2018. Power comes from a 6.7-litre diesel engine with six cylinders. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive.

The source data puts the mileage at 167,088 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed 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. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

No key is recorded with the car, and a replacement has to be coded to the immobiliser.

The record shows a salvage title. 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 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. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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 diesel particulate filter needs regular longer drives to clean itself, so the way the car has been used matters as much as its mileage. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. A car with four-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. For this car, the VIN is 3C63R3JL8JG111963. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. With this 2018 RAM 3500 Laramie, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 3C63R3JL8JG111963.