2017 FORD ESCAPE SE VIN 1FMCU9GD5HUB72040

This Ford Escape SE was built in 2017. The gearbox is automatic. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 91,948 miles. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year.

When the car was recorded, it showed side damage. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was present.

The car carries a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

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. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. 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. On a car with four-wheel drive, a whine or clunk when turning tightly at low speed needs a mechanic’s attention.

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 on file for this car is 1FMCU9GD5HUB72040. 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. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. 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. The history behind VIN 1FMCU9GD5HUB72040 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Ford Escape SE.