2013 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 VIN 1N4AL3AP9DC264157

This record covers a 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5, finished in silver. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox 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.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 84,270 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable.

The main issue noted for this car is minor dents and scratches. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the paintwork and whether any dent has reached the metal underneath.

A ‘runs and drives’ note means the car moved under its own power when it was checked. A key was noted with the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

The car carries a clean title. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

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 1N4AL3AP9DC264157. 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. 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 going any further with this Nissan Altima 2.5, it makes sense to look up VIN 1N4AL3AP9DC264157.