2016 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA GRAND TOURING VIN JM1NDAD71G0114932

This Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring is a 2016 model, finished in blue. There is an automatic gearbox, with rear-wheel drive. The petrol engine has four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 25,466 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. The mileage is modest for the car’s age, but long spells of standing bring their own wear, from seized brakes to dried-out seals. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

In the source data, the main issue is damage to the right front. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the right front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

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

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. 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.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. This Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring has the VIN JM1NDAD71G0114932.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN JM1NDAD71G0114932 is the place to start.