2010 CADILLAC DTS LUXURY COLLECTION VIN 1G6KD5EY7AU108430

This Cadillac DTS Luxury Collection was built in 2010. Under the bonnet is a 4.6-litre petrol engine producing 275 hp. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 114,645 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. 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. Paint depth, panel gaps and the underbody show whether the body has been repaired.

As a non-runner, the car needs its engine, gearbox and electrics assessed before anything else. The engine would not start, which can mean anything from a flat battery to serious mechanical damage. A key was present. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The car carries 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. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

When a car does not run, a compression test and the condition of the oil tell a mechanic whether the engine can be brought back to life. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. The record gives the VIN as 1G6KD5EY7AU108430.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN 1G6KD5EY7AU108430.