2019 LEXUS IS 300 VIN JTHBA1D21K5097785

This entry is for a 2019 Lexus IS 300, finished in black. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre petrol engine. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The clock stood at 120,626 miles when the data was entered. High mileage alone does not rule a car out; what matters is whether regular servicing kept pace with it. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

In the source data, the main issue is side damage. 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 noted with the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

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 record gives the VIN as JTHBA1D21K5097785. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. 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 going any further with this Lexus IS 300, it makes sense to look up VIN JTHBA1D21K5097785.