2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5 VIN JTEBU14RX40052314

The Toyota 4RUNNER SR5 described here left the factory in 2004. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with four-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 4.0-litre petrol engine. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 213,980 miles when the data was entered. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

In the source data, the main issue is minor dents and scratches. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A clean title is on file for this car. With a clean title the car can be registered and insured in the usual way.

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. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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.

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. The VIN on file for this car is JTEBU14RX40052314. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. 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. Before making a decision about this Toyota 4RUNNER SR5, check the history behind VIN JTEBU14RX40052314.