2017 FORD FOCUS SEL VIN 1FADP3M25HL269735

The Ford Focus SEL described here left the factory in 2017. Power comes from a 2.0-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive.

The clock stood at 101,665 miles when the data was entered. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. 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.

When the car was recorded, it showed front-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. 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.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This Ford Focus SEL has the VIN 1FADP3M25HL269735. 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. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN 1FADP3M25HL269735 is the place to start.