2013 GMC SIERRA 1500 SL VIN 3GTP2UEA1DG333410

This GMC Sierra 1500 SL was built in 2013. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. The fuel is petrol. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 93,950 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. 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 main issue noted for this car is damage to the left front. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With damage to the left front on file, the inspection should start with the left front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car.

Title status in the record: clean. With a clean title the car can be registered and insured in the usual way.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. 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. A car with four-wheel drive has extra differentials and often a transfer case, which an inspection should cover alongside the engine and gearbox.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. For this car, the VIN is 3GTP2UEA1DG333410. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN 3GTP2UEA1DG333410.