2016 FORD FIESTA SE VIN 3FADP4EJ5GM204604

This record covers a 2016 Ford Fiesta SE, finished in red. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 1.6-litre flex-fuel engine with four cylinders, rated at 197 hp. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The car was recorded with 91,987 miles on the clock. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The main issue noted for this car is damage to the left front. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

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.

Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN on file for this car is 3FADP4EJ5GM204604.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before making a decision about this Ford Fiesta SE, check the history behind VIN 3FADP4EJ5GM204604.