2009 KIA SPECTRA LX VIN KNAFE221095629803

This KIA Spectra LX was built in 2009. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Power comes from a 2.0-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 131,734 miles. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: front end. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was present. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, and no two cars share one. The record gives the VIN as KNAFE221095629803. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. The history behind VIN KNAFE221095629803 is the natural starting point before any decision about this KIA Spectra LX.