2022 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS SE S-AWC/SE SPECIAL EDITION S-AWC/SEL S-AWC/SEL SPECIAL EDITION S-AWC VIN JA4ATWAA5NZ018089

This record covers a 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SE. The gearbox is continuously variable (CVT). Power comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 72,697 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. High mileage alone does not rule a car out; what matters is whether regular servicing kept pace with it. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

Primary damage in the record: right side. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

As a non-runner, the car needs its engine, gearbox and electrics assessed before anything else. The engine did not start. A key was noted with the car.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. 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.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. On a car that does not run, the CVT gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. This Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SE has the VIN JA4ATWAA5NZ018089. 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.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before going any further with this Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SE, it makes sense to look up VIN JA4ATWAA5NZ018089.