2016 NISSAN VERSA NOTE S (SR)/S PLUS/SL/SR/SV VIN 3N1CE2CP9GL376389

This Nissan Versa Note S is a 2016 model, finished in white. Power comes from a 1.6-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The clock stood at 159,677 miles when the data was entered. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. High mileage alone does not rule a car out; what matters is whether regular servicing kept pace with it. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Title paperwork often notes the mileage at each change of owner, which makes it a useful cross-check.

No damage entry is on file for this car, and the bodywork still needs checking in person. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

A key was noted with the car. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

According to the source data, the car has a clean title. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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.

The VIN is a 17-character code assigned at the factory: it identifies the manufacturer, the model and its variant, and ends with a serial number unique to the car. The VIN on file for this car is 3N1CE2CP9GL376389. A VIN that differs between the documents and the car, or shows signs of tampering, is reason enough to walk away.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. A history check on VIN 3N1CE2CP9GL376389 is the place to start.