2008 NISSAN VERSA 1.8S VIN 3N1BC13E18L427153

The Nissan Versa 1.8S described here left the factory in 2008. Power comes from a 1.8-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. There is an automatic gearbox, with front-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The record gives the mileage as 151,542 miles. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. A service book or a folder of workshop invoices is the simplest place to find past readings.

In the source data, the main issue is damage to the right side. 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 pillars, sills and doors on the right side.

At the time of recording, the car ran and drove. 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.

A salvage title is on file for this car. A title of this kind usually means the car was written off as a total loss after damage.

A car’s history answers three questions: who kept it, how it was looked after and what went wrong along the way. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

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 should respond smoothly and without delay; jerks, slipping or hesitation on a test drive need investigating.

Every modern car carries a 17-character VIN, its identity for life, and no two cars share one. For this car, the VIN is 3N1BC13E18L427153. Scratches, fresh paint or a replaced plate around the VIN markings are warning signs in their own right.

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. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before going any further with this Nissan Versa 1.8S, it makes sense to look up VIN 3N1BC13E18L427153.