2017 TOYOTA RAV4 XLE VIN JTMWFREV9HJ116787

This Toyota RAV4 XLE is a 2017 model, finished in red. The engine is a 2.5-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive.

The recorded mileage is 176,094 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. A car that has covered this much distance for its age has worked hard, and a mechanic should judge the wear accordingly. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

In the source data, the main issue is damage to the 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.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was present.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

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.

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. 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.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. The VIN on file for this car is JTMWFREV9HJ116787. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. 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 JTMWFREV9HJ116787 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.