2014 NISSAN JUKE SL VIN JN8AF5MRXET350576

The Nissan Juke SL described here left the factory in 2014. Power comes from a 1.6-litre petrol engine with four cylinders, rated at 188 hp. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The recorded mileage is 160,298 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

In the source data, the main issue is damage to the left front. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Damage rarely stays where it is first seen: an impact can reach the mountings and airbags behind a panel, and water or fire the wiring and electronics.

When checked, the car could be started and driven under its own power. A key is on file for the car. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A salvage title is on file for this car. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

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. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. The automatic gearbox should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This Nissan Juke SL has the VIN JN8AF5MRXET350576. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. 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. For this 2014 Nissan Juke SL, the sensible next step is a history check on VIN JN8AF5MRXET350576.