2016 NISSAN ROGUE S/SL/SV VIN JN8AT2MT2GW005899

This record covers a 2016 Nissan Rogue, finished in red. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. The petrol engine has four cylinders and produces 170 hp.

The recorded mileage is 140,773 miles. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Turning back an odometer takes little skill and leaves no visible trace, which is why earlier figures matter more than the display. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

No damage entry is on file for this car, and the bodywork still needs checking in person. Water marks under the carpets, rust in unusual places or a panel in a slightly different shade would point to damage nobody ever entered.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was noted with the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The car carries a clean title. Such a title means no salvage, flood or similar mark was recorded against the car; it does not rule out damage repaired without a claim.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. This car’s identification number is JN8AT2MT2GW005899. 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. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. With this 2016 Nissan Rogue, the first step is a look at the history behind VIN JN8AT2MT2GW005899.