2016 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5/2.5 S/2.5 SL/2.5 SR/2.5 SV VIN 1N4AL3AP9GC256726

The Nissan Altima described here left the factory in 2016. The gearbox is automatic, with front-wheel drive. The car runs on petrol. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The record gives the mileage as 186,983 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

The source data names no primary damage. That shows only that none was entered, so the body still deserves a close look. Paint depth, panel gaps and the underbody show whether the body has been repaired.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

The record shows a clean title. Nothing on the title points to a total loss or a flood.

Behind every used car lies a string of events: who owned it and for how long, what the inspections found and which repairs and claims were made. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

The ninth character of the VIN is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen, so a mistyped or invented number does not add up. The VIN on file for this car is 1N4AL3AP9GC256726. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. 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 making a decision about this Nissan Altima, check the history behind VIN 1N4AL3AP9GC256726.