2016 FORD MUSTANG V6 VIN 1FA6P8AM3G5273149

This Ford Mustang V6 was built in 2016. The fuel is petrol. The gearbox is automatic. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 39,408 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. A car that has covered little distance for its age still ages: rubber seals, tyres and brake fluid deteriorate with time as well as use. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

When the car was recorded, it showed damage to the right front. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The record shows a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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.

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 of this Ford Mustang V6 is 1FA6P8AM3G5273149. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. Before going any further with this Ford Mustang V6, it makes sense to look up VIN 1FA6P8AM3G5273149.