Junkyard reports #10: The story of the Nissan Tiida that comes with someone else’s baggage

Used cars come with a history. A few scratches, some worn seats, maybe an old dent or two. That’s normal.

But every now and then, you may fall for a car, imagining yourself behind the wheel, and even buy it without realizing you could also be inheriting someone else’s drama.

Take this Nissan Tiida, for example. Someone clearly had a message for the person who owned this car and wasn’t willing to keep it to themselves. Apparently, this one couldn't be sent over the phone, so… they grabbed a can of paint and let their anger loose all over the Tiida.

And this is only part of the story. Before this Nissan was turned into a canvas, it had already suffered two damages, and its mileage history had taken an interesting turn, too.

So what if you decide to buy a car like this without digging into its past? Let’s see what you might be taking home.

A short dossier

Suspect: Nissan Tiida

Model year: 2018

Recorded damages: 3

Owners: 2

Country of residence: United States

Title brand: Salvage

Odometer brand: Not Actual

Portrait photo:

The story started long before the graffiti

Although manufactured in 2018 and already having an owner, our Nissan Tiida changed hands in 2019. Whether the previous owner simply wanted a new car or there was another reason for the change, we can’t know. But this was a pivotal change in Nissan's story, setting the stage for what would happen to it years later.

The graffiti may be the most eye-catching part of this Nissan’s history, but it wasn’t the first thing to go wrong. By the time it took the hit for someone’s infidelity, the truck had already been through two recorded accidents. Four months apart.

The first accident was recorded in February 2025, but there’s little information about what actually happened. Then later in June, the Nissan was involved in another accident that left a more serious mark on its history – a salvage title brand.

This type of title brand is typically issued when a vehicle has been damaged so severely that an insurer considers it a total loss. In other words, repairing the car would cost more than it’s worth. For this Nissan, the salvage title was clearly not the end of the story.

A “Not Actual” odometer brand was recorded at the same time, meaning the mileage shown on the odometer may not have been the vehicle’s actual mileage. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the odometer had been rolled back. The records don’t tell us why it was marked this way, so anyone considering a car with a similar entry would have another mystery to solve before handing over their money.

Another two months passed, and the Nissan’s story took an unexpectedly personal turn.

In August 2025, another incident appeared in the records, this time classified as vandalism.

And then things got personal

Instead of finding some peace in the last month of summer, someone decided to use the truck as part of their revenge against a cheating significant other, covering it in graffiti. We don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but apparently the Nissan was important enough to get caught in the middle of the argument. Whatever the story, the Tiida was left to display the evidence for everyone to see.

But the heartbroken ex didn’t stop at the exterior.

The Photo section of the carVertical report shows that they somehow managed to splash white paint all over the seats, dashboard, floors, and pretty much anything else within reach. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be a friendly breakup.

By the time it was over, the white paint had left almost no part of the cabin untouched.

Later that month, a completely wrecked Nissan Tiida was listed for sale.

What is the next owner actually getting?

This Nissan’s history is more than a collection of a few unusual entries. By the time it was listed for sale, it carried an “Not Actual” odometer brand, had been through three accidents, one of which resulted in a salvage title, and had suffered extensive vandalism in another. The damage shown in the photos is far from a few cosmetic imperfections.

In this case, everything is fairly obvious. If you were considering this specific Tiida, the most serious parts of its history would be hard to miss. But some damage leaves much less obvious clues.

A car can be repaired, cleaned up, and put back on the market with little to no evidence of its complicated past. Depending on the damage, salvage title cars may even receive a rebuilt title after passing all required inspections, allowing them to get back on the road.

However, this doesn’t erase what happened before. Previous accidents can leave behind poorly repaired structural components, electrical issues, safety-system problems, and other defects that are not always visible at the time of inspection. And to face these risks, you don’t necessarily have to buy a salvage-title car – more severe damage is sometimes enough.

How to check if a car has been in an accident

So how can you find out what happened to a car before buying it? Checking its history is a good place to start. Then, follow it up with a professional inspection to confirm what you find and uncover any additional issues.

For example, a carVertical report can show accident records from the earliest to the most recent, including when and where they happened, their cause, the parts affected, and estimated repair costs, depending on the available data.

But accidents aren’t the only things worth digging into. The report can also reveal mileage records, title changes, and other events from the car’s past. Put them together, and you may end up with a very different picture of the car than you’d get from looking at it today.

Let’s look at a few examples:

• The carVertical report revealed that this Volkswagen Tiguan suffered a heavy front-end impact, with estimated repair costs of around £20,000–30,000. As if that wasn’t enough, it was stolen a few years later.
• This Audi RS 3, for example, had 16 (!) owners overall. Not a single one kept it for more than a year. Coincidence? Well… Besides that, the car was involved in an accident that resulted in structural damage.
• Or take this Volkswagen Caravelle, which somehow had over 640,000 km simply vanish from its odometer. That’s not just a number on the dashboard. It could mean much more wear and tear than the odometer suggests.

These cars may be extreme examples, but that’s what makes them useful. A salvage title, serious accidents, mileage discrepancies, or vandalism records can tell you something important about a car’s past, even when the damage is no longer obvious.

The Nissan Tiida is a particularly wild example. Its story went from an ordinary ownership change to a revenge-fuelled paint job. Most used cars won’t have a history quite this chaotic. But you don’t need graffiti covering the seats to end up with a car carrying serious problems from its past.