M45 Sport Verification

[gibz4]

Hi guys,

I put a deposit on what i think is an 06 M45 sport. Is there a way to tell if the car is a sport besides the 19 inch wheels? I know the stitching on the steering wheel is orange for the sport version but i just need some peace of mind. There was no picture of the pedals but what is throwing me off are the headlights.They seem to not be blacked out or it just might be the lighting. I've attached a link to the pictures of the car to get your opinions. Hope this is within the rules. Is there a way to check the model from the Vin #? The seller gave me an autocheck and it says the car is an M45 base/sport. very confusing...

http://www.ecarlist.com/showroom/1548/photos/35032

[fiveliterbeater]

no, it is not a sport. easiest way to tell is always the headlights. a second thing to notice is the rosewood trim which comes standard on the non-sport M45. don't let the wheels fool you. as soon as i got my non-sport M45, the first thing i did was buy the 19" sport wheels and ditch the 18's. looks waaaaayyyy better. and apparently, so does the guy selling the M.

[gibz4]

no, it is not a sport. easiest way to tell is always the headlights. a second thing to notice is the rosewood trim which comes standard on the non-sport M45. don't let the wheels fool you. as soon as i got my non-sport M45, the first thing i did was buy the 19" sport wheels and ditch the 18's. looks waaaaayyyy better. and apparently, so does the guy selling the M.

The stitching on the steering wheel though is orange.. is that not from a sport? I've seen other sport versions with rosewood at local dealers though...what are your thoughts?

[jankenpo30]

Based solely on those pics...I'd say no. Steering is not n indicator either way I that I know of....but

A) The seat stitching doesn't appear to have the gray trim like mine, or it does not show very well.

B) Missing aero kit with rear spoiler & body kit. While I've seen a few sports w/o these...very few.

C) Hard to tell on the headlights, but they dont' appear to be blacked out.

It looks suspiciously like someone slapped some sport wheels on it, an that's about it. Other than that, you have to get a look at the suspension to know for sure.

EDIT: Rosewood has no bearing, I have a sport with rosewood.

[fiveliterbeater]

my thoughts are the same; not a sport. not that there is anything wrong with a non-sport. they tend to be more quieter and have a more subtle ride. i think it's a nice feature to have the orange stiching on the steering wheel, but i can almost guarantee you that car is not a sport. nice car BTW though. i love that color.

[gibz4]

well the broker dropped the car off at an Infiniti dealer for an inspection and i will verify with the dealer if the car is indeed a sport.. The first thing that threw me off was the non blacked out headlights as well but i couldn't really tell from the pictures. So tomorrow will verify my assumptions. If so i will demand my deposit back. Has anyone dealt with a broker by the name of Auto Imports located in Concord, CA? Or as anyone looked at this car in person? I live in LA and am going only by the pictures that were posted. Seems like some of the photos that were up loaded were from a Crimson colored M45 that they had already sold..

[Joebob715]

probably a 35... tell them you want a pic of the pedals, see if they are metal. another easy way to see a Sport model

[gibz4]

probably a 35... tell them you want a pic of the pedals, see if they are metal. another easy way to see a Sport model

Ya that was what i was looking for in the pictures. Well i'll ask the dealer to make the verification since they should know the difference and what parts are missing. Good thing i found this out tonight since i was supposed to fly out to pick it up this thursday. If it is found out that the car is NOT a sport then the Broker needs to refund my deposit.

[AtlM]

Carfax shows it as a sport...

[gibz4]

Carfax shows it as a sport...

Yes and the Autocheck that the Broker sent me said that the car was an M45 Base/sport..... Anyone have a clue what this means?

[jmcclain01]

You can get these cars in pretty much any configuration you want to. I think it's hard to say that any one particular characteristic will help you determine it's a sport. The only true tell is the suspension, which if you can't get under the car you'll never be able to tell. I know they offer the sport with the Rosewood interior and I'm sure they could have ordered it with out the smoked headlights. I would wait to hear what the dealer says and trust run the VIN number and see what comes out of that. Too bad they don't have the window sticker.

Looks like a beautiful car though, I hope it turns out to be the real deal.

[NightWatch]

Do the 06 Sport's have Rear Active Steer? If so, the easiest way to be sure is to turn the car to the "On" position without starting it and see if there is an RAS idiot light that comes on. If there is no RAS light then its not a Sport. The only way to get a RAS in 2008 and 2009 was if you got the Sport package. It was not available separately and it is not something that you can add after the fact.

[ken in az]

2nd on the RAS light on the dash. Or you could stick you head up under the rear bumper and actually look for the rear steering unit attached to the lower control arm.

My vote it that it's a non-sport, here's why. Interior does not have the different color piping on the seats. Headlights are not blacked out. Grill is not smoked out.

One thing that stikes me about this car is that there is only one photo of the drivers side headlight - and it appears to be blacked out where as there are plenty of other pics showing the passenger side headlight clearly not blacked out.

[M35 Sport]

It is kinda hard to tell. You say the Infiniti car dealership confirmed it was sport? Another thing you can do is call Infiniti customer service hotline with the VIN and they can tell you if it came with sport package. The headlights make you wonder though. Was the car in a accident?

[gibz4]

2nd on the RAS light on the dash. Or you could stick you head up under the rear bumper and actually look for the rear steering unit attached to the lower control arm.

My vote it that it's a non-sport, here's why. Interior does not have the different color piping on the seats. Headlights are not blacked out. Grill is not smoked out.

One thing that stikes me about this car is that there is only one photo of the drivers side headlight - and it appears to be blacked out where as there are plenty of other pics showing the passenger side headlight clearly not blacked out.

I just came from my local Infiniti Dealer and gave them the Vin number to check the maint. on the car and the papers show that it is an "M45 V8 Sport" Now I will call the Infiniti Dealer that is doing the prepurchase inspection and ask them to describe the steering wheel, pedals, seats to see if they are the sport trim.

[NightWatch]

I have to agree with Ken.... if it is in fact a "Sport" it is an odd one. There are too many things in the pictures that don't add up. You said you got a CarFax report? Are you sure this isn't an accident recovery vehicle? Maybe they didn't replace some parts correctly?

[ArbitrageMan]

Do the 06 Sport's have Rear Active Steer? If so, the easiest way to be sure is to turn the car to the "On" position without starting it and see if there is an RAS idiot light that comes on. If there is no RAS light then its not a Sport. The only way to get a RAS in 2008 and 2009 was if you got the Sport package. It was not available separately and it is not something that you can add after the fact.

This idea gets my vote as well.

[gibz4]

I have to agree with Ken.... if it is in fact a "Sport" it is an odd one. There are too many things in the pictures that don't add up. You said you got a CarFax report? Are you sure this isn't an accident recovery vehicle? Maybe they didn't replace some parts correctly?

I did get a Carfax Report as well as an AutoCheck and no accidents were reported. Then again not all accidents are reported to the DMV and Carfax. I talked to my local dealer and they checked the records on the car and it says the options on the car are: "Journey Package Sport." Does this designation of sport differ from Infiniti M45 Sport? The Infiniti dealer that is doing the prepurchase inspection is checking out the car for me to see if it has rear active steer, orange stitching on the wheel, extra piping on the seats and alum. pedals. So i'll wait and see..

[ken in az]

Production date is pretty early so it is very possible you got an oddball sport version.

Telltale sign will be the RAS - if it doesn't have that then it isn't a true "sport"

[gibz4]

Well i'd like to thank all of you for responses and insight, i just got a call from the dealer doing the pre-inspection and they gave the car a clean bill of health, he also did confirm that the car IS indeed a sport with rear active steering. The piping on the seats though according to his sales guy was not part of the trim for that specific production time but it did come later. The headlights he said were smoked so i guess it was just the glare from the photos that made it seem shiney chrome. The only problems with the car were low rear brakes and 4/32 left on the tires. So i'll try and negotiate with the broker to get a lower price. But thanks again to everyone who chimed in.

[jmcclain01]

That's great news, it's a beautiful car and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as we all enjoy ours.

[jankenpo30]

The early production date would explain lack of aero kit & spoiler. I remember them being slow on the uptake when they introduced it.

Chalk it up to another oddball sport. There are some out there. Enjoy

[gibz4]

The aero kit is up next.. just gotta save up the cash for the extra $1200+ so i'm gonna start wit the rear deck spoiler... Anyone have one from Ebay and how did you like it? If not, should i just go with the one from InfinitiPartsUSA?

[AtlM]

[QUOTE=jankenpo30]The early production date would explain lack of aero kit & spoiler. I remember them being slow on the uptake when they introduced it.

Chalk it up to another oddball sport. There are some out there. Enjoy[/QUOTE

The options on mine are very similar. I have an '06 Sport without aero kit, but with Rosewood interior and no special stitching. But it does have the rear entertainment package without rear heated or reclining seats.

[gibz4]

I see lots of 06 M45's Sports on cars.com and autotrader without an areo kit so its not uncommmon. Sucks though that the whole kit costs about $1200+ to purchase after. So i'm just gonna have to purchase them piece by piece till i get the whole set starting with the rear deck wing. Anyone get the one off Ebay? hows the quality? Or should i go with the one from Infinitipartsusa.com?

[fiveliterbeater]

i got mine off EBAY and it's of EXCELLENT quality. it's called "thespoilerstore". cost me $120 including shipping. looks great and fits perfectly.

[gibz4]

i got mine off EBAY and it's of EXCELLENT quality. it's called "thespoilerstore". cost me $120 including shipping. looks great and fits perfectly.

Did the paint match up perfectly?

[jmcclain01]

I know this sounds stupid, but I got my OEM lip from teh dealer and installed by the dealer for under $400. Just nice to know they'll gurantee the work and quality.

[jankenpo30]

The options on mine are very similar. I have an '06 Sport without aero kit, but with Rosewood interior and no special stitching. But it does have the rear entertainment package without rear heated or reclining seats.

Just curious what is production date? When I bought mine, I couldn't find a sport w/o the kit. Not that I wanted it that way. I have rosewood as well and the stitching.

Far as I know, you can't get the premium package in a sport. Something about the rear recline not possible with rear active steer.

[fiveliterbeater]

Did the paint match up perfectly?

the paint matched up to the dime! very surprised.