2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER LS VIN 1G1JF12F557167522

The Chevrolet Cavalier LS described here left the factory in 2005. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Power comes from a 2.2-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 103,675 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. Low mileage for the car’s age is good news only if older readings confirm it. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The source data names no primary damage. That shows only that none was entered, so the body still deserves a close look. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

A key is on file for the car. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The record shows a clean title. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

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. The VIN on file for this car is 1G1JF12F557167522. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. A history check on VIN 1G1JF12F557167522 is the place to start.