2016 RAM 1500 TRADESMAN VIN 1C6RR7KG1GS348993

This entry is for a 2016 RAM 1500 Tradesman, finished in blue. The gearbox is automatic. The petrol engine has six cylinders. The specification is taken from the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 7,310 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Little distance per year can mean long periods of standing, light use or a tampered clock, and only older entries tell these apart. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

No damage entry is on file for this car. Water marks under the carpets, rust in unusual places or a panel in a slightly different shade would point to damage nobody ever entered.

A key was present. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The record shows a transfer document in place of a title. Without a title certificate, registering the car can take extra paperwork and checks.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The VIN on file for this car is 1C6RR7KG1GS348993. 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 VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. With this 2016 RAM 1500 Tradesman, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 1C6RR7KG1GS348993.