2016 FORD FUSION SE VIN 3FA6P0H72GR125833

The Ford Fusion SE described here left the factory in 2016. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The recorded mileage is 144,545 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. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The source data names no primary damage. That shows only that none was entered, so the body still deserves a close look. Paint depth, panel gaps and the underbody show whether the body has been repaired.

A key is on file for the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

A clean title is on file for this car. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. For this car, the VIN is 3FA6P0H72GR125833. 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 gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. 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. The history behind VIN 3FA6P0H72GR125833 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Ford Fusion SE.