2018 TOYOTA COROLLA LE VIN 2T1BURHEXJC075507

This Toyota Corolla LE was built in 2018. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 1.8-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 132 hp. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 158,068 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. 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. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed front-end damage. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. The engine did not start. A key was there when the car was checked. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

Title status in the record: salvage. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. 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 clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. This car’s identification number is 2T1BURHEXJC075507. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 2T1BURHEXJC075507.