2014 RAM 1500 ST VIN 1C6RR7KTXES169118

The RAM 1500 ST described here left the factory in 2014. The car runs on petrol. The gearbox is automatic, with four-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 179,612 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. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

This RAM 1500 ST is recorded with side damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

According to the source data, the car has a clean title. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. The VIN of this RAM 1500 ST is 1C6RR7KTXES169118. 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. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before making a decision about this RAM 1500 ST, check the history behind VIN 1C6RR7KTXES169118.