2009 CHEVROLET EQUINOX LS VIN 2CNDL13F096243029

This entry is for a 2009 Chevrolet Equinox LS, finished in silver. The gearbox is automatic. Power comes from a 3.4-litre petrol engine with six cylinders.

The source data puts the mileage at 48,639 miles. 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. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The record lists damage to the right side as the main problem on this car. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the pillars, sills and doors on the right side.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. The record gives the VIN as 2CNDL13F096243029.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. 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 Chevrolet Equinox LS, check the history behind VIN 2CNDL13F096243029.