Hey guys, intro and question thread in 1. Jassi here from Canada!

So I'm looking to buy MY first own car and was looking to maintain a sub 6k budget as there are many stories of your how your first car would end up. I'm not a heavy driver by no means though. So I came across a G35 2003 Coupe for only $3500 here's some quick detail s from the post;

-3500 $ is final price
Automatic w/ 200k km odometer
HID HALO lights
catback borla exaust
fiber carbon hood
sports pkg bumper
spoiler
cold air intake
push button start
bremba brakes
shift knob
and so much more
g35 price is reduced because car motor connecting rod broken else everything in perfect and working condition

here are a couple of pictures (the condition looks fine)
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/ ... Q/$_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/ ... V/$_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/ ... a/$_20.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/ ... L/$_20.JPG

Now comes the catch, it has a broken "motor connecting rod". Now I've searched online and it seems this part varies from 500-800 dollars. Now the questions I'm trying to get to is does anyone have experience with such a broken part, how much would a rough installation of it cost at an indie shop? And even for lets say a total of 1500 for parts/installation/repairs, would this car be a good steal at around 5k?

Thanks guys! Great community ya'll got here!

A broken connecting rod will run big labor dollars to fix. Not to mention, what other damage was done when it broke: bent valves, damaged head, scored cylinder walls damaged crank, etc.? Run, do not walk, away from that car. Its gonna be a money pit unless you do the vast majority of the work yourself. Even then, machine shop costs and other parts are going to get expensive.

This might be a good deal to someone looking for a project car. This is going to take some decent money and time commitment to get it going again. I would not recommend this to a first time car buyer or any casual car buyers for that matter.

There might be some "diamond in the rough" or rare steals on G35s out there for sub $6,000, but at this price point I think a nice Corolla, Altima, etc. is what you should aim for. At around $9-10k you can start to get a nice well-maintained and reliable G35/37 that is worth the investment.

If you can manage to wait a little bit longer and save up to that higher price range, I definitely recommend getting a G35. It's extremely fun to drive and usually very reliable. Gas costs will be mediocre at best, but it's worth it to me. It's just too big of a risk to buy the one you found in my opinion though.


Good luck on the search,
Lars

Look for another vehicle based on your budget. That coupe is going to need a new motor.