2011 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S VIN 1N4AL2AP9BN406616

The Nissan Altima 2.5 S described here left the factory in 2011. Under the bonnet is a 2.5-litre petrol engine. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 148,494 miles. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

No damage entry is on file for this car, and the bodywork still needs checking in person. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

When it was checked, the car could not be driven. The engine could not be started. A key was there when the car was checked. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A clean title is on file for this car. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

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

When a car does not run, a compression test and the condition of the oil tell a mechanic whether the engine can be brought back to life. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. While the car does not run, stored fault codes and a look at the fluid are the only early evidence of how the automatic gearbox has fared.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. For this car, the VIN is 1N4AL2AP9BN406616. 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 gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before making a decision about this Nissan Altima 2.5 S, check the history behind VIN 1N4AL2AP9BN406616.