2017 CHEVROLET CRUZE LT AUTO VIN 3G1BE6SMXHS562742

This entry is for a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze LT Auto, finished in blue. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The engine is a 1.4-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 115,599 miles. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

Primary damage in the record: rear end. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key was present. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The record shows a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. This car’s identification number is 3G1BE6SMXHS562742.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Look up the history of VIN 3G1BE6SMXHS562742 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.