2012 CADILLAC SRX PERFORMANCE COLLECTION VIN 3GYFNBE36CS603617

This Cadillac SRX Performance Collection was built in 2012. This example is fitted with front-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 3.6-litre petrol engine. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The car was recorded with 162,145 miles on the clock. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

In the source data, the main issue is rear-end damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the boot floor, the rear panel and the chassis rails.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was present.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. This Cadillac SRX Performance Collection has the VIN 3GYFNBE36CS603617. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

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 VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. With this 2012 Cadillac SRX Performance Collection, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 3GYFNBE36CS603617.