2016 NISSAN ROGUE SV VIN KNMAT2MT1GP628159

This entry is for a 2016 Nissan Rogue SV. Power comes from a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox.

The number on the clock proves little by itself; earlier figures logged at services and inspections are what make it believable. Older figures usually turn up on service invoices, inspection reports and past title paperwork.

The record lists front-end damage as the main problem on this car. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

No key is recorded with the car, and a replacement has to be coded to the immobiliser. 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 car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. Much of a car’s past cannot be seen: a good body repair leaves no obvious mark, and neither do years of hard driving.

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

A history check works by VIN because the number never changes, unlike registration plates and owners. For this car, the VIN is KNMAT2MT1GP628159. 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.

Depending on what is on file, a VIN report may include past registrations, mileage readings, damage entries, branded titles and theft checks. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. A history report says nothing about the car’s present condition: the frame, corrosion, electrics and the quality of any repair are judged on a lift by a mechanic. Before going any further with this Nissan Rogue SV, it makes sense to look up VIN KNMAT2MT1GP628159.