2018 NISSAN ROGUE SV VIN KNMAT2MT9JP603453

This entry is for a 2018 Nissan Rogue SV. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Under the bonnet is a 2.5-litre petrol engine producing 170 hp. The specification is taken from the source data and has not been checked against other documents.

The source data puts the mileage at 147,348 miles. Averaged over the car’s age, the mileage works out well above the usual annual distance, and wear on the suspension, brakes and interior should be judged with that in mind. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

The main issue noted for this car is damage to both front and rear. A damage type says what kind of damage the car had, not how serious it was or whether it has been repaired since. Given the kind of damage entered, a mechanic should look first at the crash structures at both ends and the alignment of the body between them.

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

The car carries a salvage title. Such a title means the car was declared a total loss and can return to the road only after repair and inspection. If any work has been done on the car since, photos and invoices should show what was replaced.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. 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, a rough idle, misfires or a warning light on the dashboard need looking into. 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 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. The VIN KNMAT2MT9JP603453 belongs to this 2018 Nissan Rogue SV. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

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. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN KNMAT2MT9JP603453 is the place to start.