2016 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5 SV VIN 1N4AA6AP3GC396469

This Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV was built in 2016. Power comes from a 3.5-litre petrol engine with six cylinders. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox.

The record gives the mileage as 119,742 miles. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

This Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV is recorded with front-end 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 radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. A key was noted with the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

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. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The VIN of this Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV is 1N4AA6AP3GC396469. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. 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 any decision, check what is known about VIN 1N4AA6AP3GC396469.