2012 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS VIN 5NPEB4AC6CH400541

This record covers a 2012 Hyundai Sonata GLS, finished in blue. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. The fuel is petrol. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 207,491 miles when the data was entered. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

The record lists damage from vandalism as the main problem on this car. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. No key was available with the car.

Title status in the record: salvage. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

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. The record gives the VIN as 5NPEB4AC6CH400541.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. 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. Before making a decision about this Hyundai Sonata GLS, check the history behind VIN 5NPEB4AC6CH400541.