2016 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 SV VIN 1N4AL3AP8GC157167

This entry is for a 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV. The engine is a 2.5-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 138,220 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. 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 main issue noted for this car is damage to both front and rear. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key is on file for 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. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss.

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 past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. On a petrol engine, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. The VIN on file for this car is 1N4AL3AP8GC157167. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. 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. Look up the history of VIN 1N4AL3AP8GC157167 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.