2017 NISSAN VERSA 1.6 SV VIN 3N1CN7AP8HL860815

The Nissan Versa 1.6 SV described here left the factory in 2017. Under the bonnet is a 1.6-litre petrol engine. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data.

The source data puts the mileage at 120,059 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

The main issue noted for this car is damage to the right side. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work. With damage to the right side on file, the inspection should start with the pillars, sills and doors on the right side.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The car carries a salvage title. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. 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.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. For this car, the VIN is 3N1CN7AP8HL860815. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. The absence of an entry is not proof that nothing happened; it may only mean that nobody wrote it down. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. With this 2017 Nissan Versa 1.6 SV, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN 3N1CN7AP8HL860815.