2018 BUICK REGAL SPORTBACK ESSENCE VIN W04GP6SXXJ1109367

The Buick Regal Sportback Essence described here left the factory in 2018. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre petrol engine producing 250 hp. The gearbox is automatic.

The recorded mileage is 167,196 miles. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

Primary damage in the record: flood. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. The engine could not be started. A key was there when the car was checked. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. This car’s identification number is W04GP6SXXJ1109367. 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. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN W04GP6SXXJ1109367.