2012 CHEVROLET CRUZE LS VIN 1G1PD5SH6C7133059

This Chevrolet Cruze LS is a 2012 model, finished in silver. There is a manual gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The engine is a 1.8-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 156,566 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. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed minor dents and scratches. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. A manual gearbox should change cleanly into every gear; a slipping clutch or a rattle at idle points to work that will be needed soon.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The VIN on file for this car is 1G1PD5SH6C7133059. 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. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 1G1PD5SH6C7133059.