2022 NISSAN VERSA 1.6 SV XTRONIC CVT VIN 3N1CN8EV9NL852281

This entry is for a 2022 Nissan Versa 1.6 SV Xtronic CVT, finished in white. The gearbox is continuously variable (CVT), with front-wheel drive. The engine is a 1.6-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 16,961 miles. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. Low mileage for the car’s age is good news only if older readings confirm it. 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.

This Nissan Versa 1.6 SV Xtronic CVT is recorded with damage to the right front. A damage entry is a starting point for the inspection, telling the mechanic where to look first. Whatever the cause, a diagnostic scan of the car’s electronics shows fault codes that a visual check misses.

A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The record shows a salvage title. At some point in its life, the car was declared a total loss. Once issued, a branded title stays with the VIN for good, and it affects registration and insurance for every later owner.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

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. A petrol engine in good order starts cleanly, idles evenly and pulls without hesitation. 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. For this car, the VIN is 3N1CN8EV9NL852281. 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.

A VIN report shows what has been logged: earlier registrations, odometer figures, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks, wherever such data exists. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. 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. Look up the history of VIN 3N1CN8EV9NL852281 first, and let what it shows guide the inspection.