2016 KIA OPTIMA EX VIN 5XXGU4L39GG078138

This KIA Optima EX is a 2016 model. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The car runs on petrol. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 112,056 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. 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.

When the car was recorded, it showed side damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With side damage on file, the inspection should start with the door pillars, the sills and the side airbags.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The car carries a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN of this KIA Optima EX is 5XXGU4L39GG078138. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN 5XXGU4L39GG078138.