2009 FORD F150 SUPER CAB VIN 1FTRX14W99FA08356

This entry is for a 2009 Ford F150 Super CAB. The gearbox is automatic, with four-wheel drive. Power comes from a 4.6-litre petrol engine with eight cylinders. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 183,122 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

In the source data, the main issue is side damage. 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 door pillars, the sills and the side airbags.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was present. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

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.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating. 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. This Ford F150 Super CAB has the VIN 1FTRX14W99FA08356. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. Before making a decision about this Ford F150 Super CAB, check the history behind VIN 1FTRX14W99FA08356.