2015 NISSAN SENTRA SR VIN 3N1AB7AP1FY337913

This entry is for a 2015 Nissan Sentra SR. The drivetrain combines an automatic gearbox with front-wheel drive. Power comes from a 1.8-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The clock stood at 160,584 miles when the data was entered. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

In the source data, the main issue 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.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. An engine that will not start could have a simple electrical fault or internal damage, and only diagnostic work can tell which. No key was available with the car.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a car that does not run, the automatic gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. For this car, the VIN is 3N1AB7AP1FY337913.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. 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. For this 2015 Nissan Sentra SR, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN 3N1AB7AP1FY337913.