2016 HYUNDAI SONATA SPORT VIN 5NPE34AF7GH374805

This record covers a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Sport, finished in brown. The car runs on petrol. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 196,000 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it.

The record lists front-end damage as the main problem on this car. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

The record describes this Hyundai Sonata Sport as a non-runner. The engine could not be started. A key is on file for the car. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The car carries a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

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 clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. With no test drive possible, the automatic gearbox has to be assessed on a lift and with diagnostic equipment.

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 car’s identification number is 5NPE34AF7GH374805. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

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. 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. Before going any further with this Hyundai Sonata Sport, it makes sense to look up VIN 5NPE34AF7GH374805.