Nissan Altima 2011 with 18K; ~$12000. Good or bad?

ilyasyildirim

Hi - I am looking for a used Nissan Altima to buy and checked out a 2011 Nissan Altima with 18K mileage on it. The price is $12K. According to the seller, there is no damage/accident on the car and that he bought the car from an auction. I showed the car to a car mechanics, and the mechanics said that there should be a sticker under the hood showing the year/model/etc. The car looks fine though. How can I check if a Nissan Altima has an accident or not? The VIN number is 1N4AL2AP3BC157225. Thanks in advance.

Kirstie_H

The best way is to purchase a one-time CarFax or AutoCheck vehicle history report. While neither guarantee 100% accuracy, if your mechanic can't see anything, a clear report should ease your mind.

ilyasyildirim

Hi kirstie_h - Thanks for the response. Can anyone in the list check VIN # 1N4AL2AP3BC157225 and send it to me if they have free carfax check account? Getting a one time report is really expensive. Thanks in advance.
All the best,

Kirstie_H

Please don't ask people to do that for you - it's not ethical. No one has a free account. Some people pay for bulk accounts, usually dealerships. No one is going to risk losing their CarFax account in order to help you circumvent CarFax's fees.

Carfax is $35 for a single report, and Autocheck is $30 for a single report - at this point, it's either worth the money to be as sure as you can that it hasn't been in an accident, or it isn't. Maybe the seller would be willing to split that cost with you, if he's sure.

ilyasyildirim

I did not know they could lose their carfax account. Sorry about that. Just forget about what I asked. Thanks.

Kirstie_H

No big deal.

If you don't want to buy the Carfax, but would still like advice from some pros on whether the missing sticker means anything serious or not, let me know and I'll point you to a good discussion.

ilyasyildirim

I will appreciate that Kirstie. The price seems to low, which rings some bells in my head. From outside, the car looks great, though. Thanks again.

Kirstie_H

Hop on over to our Real-World Trade-In Values discussion (just click on my link).

Put in all of the info that you know about the vehicle you're looking to buy, plus the info from the mechanical inspection, and ask if it looks like a good deal or too good to be true. A lot of our "regulars" follow that discussion. Good luck!