2015 NISSAN SENTRA SR VIN 3N1AB7AP3FY352803

This Nissan Sentra SR was built in 2015. The gearbox is automatic. The fuel is petrol. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 158,776 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

This Nissan Sentra SR is recorded with damage to the left rear. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since.

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.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

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

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. 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.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. For this car, the VIN is 3N1AB7AP3FY352803. 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.

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. A history check on VIN 3N1AB7AP3FY352803 is the place to start.