2015 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 SV VIN 1N4AL3AP5FC290841

The Nissan Altima 2.5 SV described here left the factory in 2015. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 182 hp.

The clock stood at 115,946 miles when the data was entered. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

The main issue noted for this car is rear-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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 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 record gives the VIN as 1N4AL3AP5FC290841. 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. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. A history check on VIN 1N4AL3AP5FC290841 is the place to start.