Guides
Buying used? Read these first.
Plain-language guides on VINs, service history and how to avoid getting burned on a used-car deal. Written by the team at VIN Story.
All guides
- ·4 min read
VIN vs registration number
A registration number identifies a car on the road. A VIN identifies a car as a thing. They serve different purposes and can both change over time — but only one of them is permanent.
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- ·4 min read
Buying used: a 10-minute history check
Before you drive across the country to view a used car, run this ten-minute background check. It costs almost nothing, fits on your phone, and rules out most disasters before they start.
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- ·5 min read
How to spot odometer fraud
Odometer rollback is one of the most profitable used-car scams in Europe. Here are the signals that give it away — and the one check that makes the dashboard reading verifiable.
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- ·5 min read
What is a vehicle service history?
A service history is the documented record of every visit a vehicle has had to an authorised workshop. Here is what it contains, why it matters, and how to verify one for a car you're considering.
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- ·6 min read
How to read a VIN number
A 17-character VIN encodes the manufacturer, the vehicle attributes and a unique serial. Here is what each position means and how to decode one yourself.
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Check by brand
Looking for brand-specific information? Each landing page covers what the manufacturer’s service record contains and what to watch for.