2016 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5 S VIN 1N4AA6AP9GC440779

This entry is for a 2016 Nissan Maxima 3.5 S. The fuel is petrol. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 135,657 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

Primary damage in the record: side. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. With side damage on file, the inspection should start with the door pillars, the sills and the side airbags.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was present.

The car carries a salvage title. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. 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. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. The VIN of this Nissan Maxima 3.5 S is 1N4AA6AP9GC440779.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN 1N4AA6AP9GC440779.