2013 FORD F150 SUPERCREW VIN 1FTFW1ET7DKF57998

This Ford F150 Supercrew is a 2013 model. Under the bonnet is a 3.5-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The car was recorded with 191,431 miles on the clock. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

In the source data, the main issue is rear-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 boot floor, the rear panel and the chassis rails.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was present. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

A clean title is on file for this car. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

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. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

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. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. This Ford F150 Supercrew has the VIN 1FTFW1ET7DKF57998. 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. 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. Before making a decision about this Ford F150 Supercrew, check the history behind VIN 1FTFW1ET7DKF57998.