2013 NISSAN JUKE SL VIN JN8AF5MV3DT222501

This Nissan Juke SL was built in 2013. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Power comes from a 1.6-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 174,536 miles when the data was entered. A clock converted from miles to kilometres should be documented, since the swap can hide the true mileage. A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

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

The record describes this Nissan Juke SL as a non-runner. An engine that will not start could have a simple electrical fault or internal damage, and only diagnostic work can tell which. A key is on file for the car. Running condition describes a single moment, and standing or work done since can change it.

The car carries a clean title. There is no salvage or similar mark, so the car was never recorded as a total loss.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. No single office holds the whole story of a car: registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders each keep their own part. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

Regular oil changes and timely work on the timing belt or chain decide how well an engine copes with age. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. With no test drive possible, the automatic gearbox has to be assessed on a lift and with diagnostic equipment. With four-wheel drive, mismatched tyres can strain the centre differential or coupling, so all four should be the same make and similarly worn.

The tenth character of the VIN stands for the model year, and the eleventh for the plant that built the car. For this car, the VIN is JN8AF5MV3DT222501. 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.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. The past is on file; the car’s condition today is a job for a mechanic, who can check the structure, underbody, electrics and any repairs on a lift. Before going any further with this Nissan Juke SL, it makes sense to look up VIN JN8AF5MV3DT222501.