2013 MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION MR VIN JA32W5FV2DU011733

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR described here left the factory in 2013. The gearbox is automatic, with all-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre petrol engine. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The clock stood at 104,240 miles when the data was entered. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years.

In the source data, the main issue is front-end damage. 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. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was there when the car was checked. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The car carries a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. On a car with all-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. The record gives the VIN as JA32W5FV2DU011733. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Look up the history of VIN JA32W5FV2DU011733 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.