2014 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5I LIMITED VIN 4S3BMBL62E3022502

This Subaru Legacy 2.5I Limited is a 2014 model. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. The gearbox is continuously variable (CVT), with all-wheel drive.

The record gives the mileage as 181,808 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

Primary damage in the record: front end. 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.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was noted with the car.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The CVT 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. This Subaru Legacy 2.5I Limited has the VIN 4S3BMBL62E3022502. 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.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. 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. A history check on VIN 4S3BMBL62E3022502 is the place to start.