2011 SUBARU IMPREZA 2.5I VIN JF1GH6A68BG809159

This entry is for a 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.5I, finished in grey. The fuel is petrol. The drivetrain combines a manual gearbox with four-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 165,519 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

When the car was recorded, it showed damage to the right side. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

A key is on file for the car.

Title status in the record: clean. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

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. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. On a manual car the clutch is a wear part, and a replacement in the service history is an ordinary entry rather than a warning sign. With four-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The record gives the VIN as JF1GH6A68BG809159. 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.

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 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. For this 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.5I, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN JF1GH6A68BG809159.