2016 BUICK LACROSSE LEATHER VIN 1G4GB5G35GF100202

The Buick Lacrosse Leather described here left the factory in 2016. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The engine is a 3.6-litre petrol unit with six cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 55,176 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

When the car was recorded, it showed front-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. Without a key, a modern car needs a replacement coded to its immobiliser before it can even be started. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

Title status in the record: salvage. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. 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.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. This car’s identification number is 1G4GB5G35GF100202. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. 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. Before making a decision about this Buick Lacrosse Leather, check the history behind VIN 1G4GB5G35GF100202.