2014 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 SL VIN 1N4AL3AP3EC131346

The Nissan Altima 2.5 SL described here left the factory in 2014. Under the bonnet is a 2.5-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 221,488 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

The record lists damage to the right front as the main problem on this car. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the right front wing, the suspension on that corner and the wheel alignment.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key was present. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The car carries a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. 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 petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. 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.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. The VIN on file for this car is 1N4AL3AP3EC131346.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. A history check on VIN 1N4AL3AP3EC131346 is the place to start.