1982 MAZDA RX7 VIN JM1FB3310C0600662

This Mazda RX7 is a 1982 model. Under the bonnet is a 1.2-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through a manual gearbox.

The clock stood at 207,139 miles when the data was entered. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Little distance per year can mean long periods of standing, light use or a tampered clock, and only older entries tell these apart. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

In the source data, the main issue is minor dents and scratches. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since.

Without a key, a modern car needs a replacement coded to its immobiliser before it can even be started. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

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. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

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. A test drive says a great deal about a manual gearbox: listen for whining, feel for notchy changes and check that the clutch does not slip.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. This car’s identification number is JM1FB3310C0600662. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

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. 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 Mazda RX7, it makes sense to look up VIN JM1FB3310C0600662.