2014 DODGE DURANGO SXT VIN 1C4RDJAG3EC349429

This record covers a 2014 Dodge Durango SXT, finished in black. Under the bonnet is a 3.6-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The record gives the mileage as 187,453 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

The main issue noted for this car is mechanical damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With mechanical damage on file, the inspection should start with the engine, the gearbox and the running gear.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car.

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. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was. A car with all-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. For this car, the VIN is 1C4RDJAG3EC349429. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. 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. For this 2014 Dodge Durango SXT, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN 1C4RDJAG3EC349429.