2014 KIA SORENTO LX VIN 5XYKTCA61EG450097

This KIA Sorento LX is a 2014 model. The petrol engine has four cylinders. There is an automatic gearbox, with four-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 171,979 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years.

Primary damage in the record: right side. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With damage to the right side on file, the inspection should start with the pillars, sills and doors on the right side.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was present. 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.

The record shows a transfer document in place of a title. Without a title certificate, registering the car can take extra paperwork and checks.

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. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed. 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. This KIA Sorento LX has the VIN 5XYKTCA61EG450097. 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 gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN 5XYKTCA61EG450097 is the place to start.