2008 CHEVROLET COBALT LT VIN 1G1AL58F587331654

This record covers a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT, finished in black. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 2.2-litre petrol engine producing 170 hp. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

When the car was recorded, it showed mechanical damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Some damage shows its consequences only later: corroded connectors and electrical faults can surface months afterwards.

No key was present.

A salvage title is on file for this car. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. This car’s identification number is 1G1AL58F587331654. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN 1G1AL58F587331654 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.