2020 FORD EXPLORER XLT VIN 1FMSK8DH6LGC02737

This Ford Explorer XLT was built in 2020. The car runs on petrol. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 135,729 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. High mileage alone does not rule a car out; what matters is whether regular servicing kept pace with it. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back.

This Ford Explorer XLT is recorded with damage to the left side. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the pillars, sills and doors on the left side.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. An engine that will not start could have a simple electrical fault or internal damage, and only diagnostic work can tell which. A key was noted with the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The record shows a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. 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.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues. With four-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

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. For this car, the VIN is 1FMSK8DH6LGC02737.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN 1FMSK8DH6LGC02737 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.