2020 NISSAN VERSA S XTRONIC CVT VIN 3N1CN8DV5LL910143

This Nissan Versa S Xtronic CVT was built in 2020. The engine is a 1.6-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. There is a CVT gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

At the time of recording, the car had covered 115,779 miles. The instruments count in miles; the same distance in kilometres is about 1.6 times the figure. A car that has covered this much distance for its age has worked hard, and a mechanic should judge the wear accordingly. Gaps of several years between logged figures deserve attention, as does any reading lower than the one before it. Service invoices and inspection reports each carry a mileage figure, and lined up in order they show whether the clock tells the truth.

In the source data, the main issue is front-end damage. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work. 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.

A note in the source data says the car did not run. An engine that will not start could have a simple electrical fault or internal damage, and only diagnostic work can tell which. 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 salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

Registrations, changes of owner, inspection results and accident claims together make up what is called a car’s history. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

An engine that has had its oil changed on time is far less likely to cause trouble later, and workshop invoices are the proof. Many modern petrol engines are turbocharged and direct-injected; where they are, the turbocharger and injectors belong on a specialist’s checklist. On a car that does not run, the CVT gearbox cannot be judged on the road; the colour and smell of its fluid and a diagnostic scan give the first clues.

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. This car’s identification number is 3N1CN8DV5LL910143.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. Paperwork is only as complete as the people who kept it, so a report with few entries lowers the risk without removing it. A professional inspection makes sense whatever the paperwork shows, because no report measures corrosion, worn bushes or a poor repair. Before going any further with this Nissan Versa S Xtronic CVT, it makes sense to look up VIN 3N1CN8DV5LL910143.