1993 VOLVO 240 VIN YV1AW8800P1958690

This record covers a 1993 Volvo 240, finished in brown. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with rear-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 2.3-litre petrol engine producing 116 hp. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The clock stood at 315,323 miles when the data was entered. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

The main issue noted for this car is side damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the door pillars, the sills and the side airbags.

A key was present.

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. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. 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, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. For this car, the VIN is YV1AW8800P1958690. The VIN usually appears at the base of the windscreen, on a door pillar and stamped into the body, and all of them should match the documents.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. The history behind VIN YV1AW8800P1958690 is the natural starting point before any decision about this Volvo 240.