There is maybe one exception. I once found a low-mileage total due to hail damage. It was basically a new car besides looking like it had been blasted with 100’s of golf balls. Either fix the body as best you can yourself or live with it.
I once saw one like this for pennies on the dollar and was considering it. It was out of state so would need to be recertified for use in my state before it could be tagged and insured on the road. There were all kinds of other hoops I was going to have to jump through so I abandoned the idea pretty quickly.
Mechanically the car was great. The interior was great. The body looked like a massive shotgun blasted golf balls at the thing! Something like this would make for a great commuter car to put miles on or a farm truck.
If the Fit hadn’t been in accidents, I would choose it over the Versa, but if these are the only two you are considering, I would take the certified pre-owned Versa. I own a 2016 Fit and I’m very happy with it but wouldn’t have bought it in a situation like yours. Just my 2 cents FWIW.
Only those who are well experienced with repairing chassis and bodies and recognizing all the possible hidden problems can have a reasonably fair chance of getting their money’s worth and avoiding di$a$ter$.
Thanks so much for all the feedback everyone! I’m now a very happy owner of a certified pre-owned Nissan Versa Note SV- they got a better model in so I didn’t have to settle for the base model Versa! Heck yes. Thanks again for all your awesome help.