2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SXT VIN 2C4RDGCG0HR586360

This Dodge Grand Caravan SXT was built in 2017. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The engine is a 3.6-litre petrol unit with six cylinders. The specification is taken from the source data.

The clock stood at 177,100 miles when the data was entered. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. 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.

This Dodge Grand Caravan SXT is recorded with damage to the left front. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. With damage to the left front on file, the inspection should start with the left front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was there when the car was checked. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

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. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. 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. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. This Dodge Grand Caravan SXT has the VIN 2C4RDGCG0HR586360. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before going any further with this Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, it makes sense to look up VIN 2C4RDGCG0HR586360.