2017 FORD FUSION SE VIN 3FA6P0H71HR142625

This Ford Fusion SE was built in 2017. The engine is a 2.5-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. The gearbox is automatic. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The car was recorded with 113,874 miles on the clock. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it.

This Ford Fusion SE is recorded with damage to the right front. 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.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. This Ford Fusion SE has the VIN 3FA6P0H71HR142625. 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.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. A history check on VIN 3FA6P0H71HR142625 is the place to start.