2012 FORD FOCUS SEL VIN 1FAHP3M21CL470350

The Ford Focus SEL described here left the factory in 2012. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. The fuel is petrol. The specification is taken from the source data.

Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it.

The main issue noted for this car is front-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

A car that does not run has to be moved on a trailer, and its real condition is known only after a thorough assessment. The engine did not start. Without a key, a modern car needs a replacement coded to its immobiliser before it can even be started. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

Title status in the record: non-repairable. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

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. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. While the car does not run, stored fault codes and a look at the fluid are the only early evidence of how the automatic gearbox has fared.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. This car’s identification number is 1FAHP3M21CL470350. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

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. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN 1FAHP3M21CL470350.