2012 FORD FOCUS SEL VIN 1FAHP3H28CL276179

This entry is for a 2012 Ford Focus SEL, finished in brown. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 2.0-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 167,540 miles when the data was entered. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back.

The source data names no primary damage. That shows only that none was entered, so the body still deserves a close look. Water marks under the carpets, rust in unusual places or a panel in a slightly different shade would point to damage nobody ever entered.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

The record shows a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN on file for this car is 1FAHP3H28CL276179. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. 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. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 1FAHP3H28CL276179.