2019 NISSAN SENTRA SR VIN 3N1AB7AP9KY412965

This Nissan Sentra SR is a 2019 model, finished in blue. Under the bonnet is a 1.8-litre petrol engine. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The record gives the mileage as 110,810 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. A car that has covered this much distance for its age has worked hard, and a mechanic should judge the wear accordingly. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

This Nissan Sentra SR is recorded with minor dents and scratches. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was present. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. 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.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. 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.

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. The VIN on file for this car is 3N1AB7AP9KY412965. 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.

What a history report can list depends on what has been documented about the car: registrations, mileage readings, damage, branded titles and theft reports. A repair paid for in cash at a small workshop leaves no trace in any database, so no report can list it. 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. A history check on VIN 3N1AB7AP9KY412965 is the place to start.