2013 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 SV VIN 1N4AL3AP7DC221601

This record covers a 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV, finished in red. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 182 hp.

The clock stood at 129,250 miles when the data was entered. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display.

This Nissan Altima 2.5 SV is recorded with front-end damage. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key is on file for the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Title status in the record: salvage. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. What a car has been through is seldom visible at first glance, and a respray can make even a badly damaged car look sound.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. The VIN of this Nissan Altima 2.5 SV is 1N4AL3AP7DC221601. 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.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. 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 1N4AL3AP7DC221601 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.