2017 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S VIN 1N4AL3APXHC289283

This record covers a 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5 S. Power reaches the wheels through a CVT gearbox. The petrol engine has four cylinders. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The car was recorded with 145,360 miles on the clock. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years.

Primary damage in the record: rear end. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show.

The record notes that the car ran and drove. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

According to the source data, the car has a salvage title. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. 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, and no two cars share one. This Nissan Altima 2.5 S has the VIN 1N4AL3APXHC289283. 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. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. With this 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5 S, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 1N4AL3APXHC289283.