2014 RAM 2500 TRADESMAN VIN 3C6UR4CLXEG173362

This RAM 2500 Tradesman is a 2014 model, finished in silver. Under the bonnet is a 6.7-litre diesel engine producing 370 hp. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 198,458 miles when the data was entered. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The record lists hail damage as the main problem on this car. 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. A lift and a diagnostic check show what photos cannot: bent brackets behind a panel, chafed wiring or deployed airbags.

A key is on file for the car. 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.

The car carries a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

A diesel used mainly for short trips may need attention to its particulate filter, EGR valve or injectors. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. The record gives the VIN as 3C6UR4CLXEG173362. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. With this 2014 RAM 2500 Tradesman, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 3C6UR4CLXEG173362.