2014 INFINITI QX60 VIN 5N1AL0MM9EC545981

The Infiniti QX60 described here left the factory in 2014. Power comes from a 3.5-litre petrol engine with six cylinders, rated at 265 hp. The gearbox is automatic, with four-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The car was recorded with 180,004 miles on the clock. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

This Infiniti QX60 is recorded with front-end damage. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Some damage shows its consequences only later: corroded connectors and electrical faults can surface months afterwards.

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

A salvage title is on file for this car. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

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. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. With four-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. The record gives the VIN as 5N1AL0MM9EC545981. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. 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. Look up the history of VIN 5N1AL0MM9EC545981 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.