2016 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SE VIN 5NPDH4AEXGH719491

This record covers a 2016 Hyundai Elantra SE, finished in red. The car runs on petrol. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 126,802 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

No damage entry is on file for this car, and the bodywork still needs checking in person. Paint depth, panel gaps and the underbody show whether the body has been repaired.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key is on file for the car. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

Title status in the record: clean. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

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 car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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 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 Hyundai Elantra SE has the VIN 5NPDH4AEXGH719491. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. Look up the history of VIN 5NPDH4AEXGH719491 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.