2000 qx4 hesitant to buy..help please..

[ugharin]

Hi everybody. This is my first post. Ive come across the infiniti by chance when I went to this dealership looking for a ford escape/tribute or a montero sport. But now I am hooked and have been researching. I am not new to the concept of online forums and immediately looked up discussion forums on infiniti and came across this website a few days back. I ve studied and have some questions and hope I get some help. So here goes...

There is this good dealership in our small town ,bill stanford auto, and they have a 2000 qx4 with 123k miles on it for 6.9k. The following is what I have learnt and some of them are also the reasons why I am a little concerned.

1) The vehicle has been sitting there with them for a while - 6mons.2) The vehicle was originally purchased in NY immediately upon which there was an accident as reported by the free carfax. But no details available.3) Since then the vehicle has been used well by first and the next 2 owners. But no service records are available by the third owner who owned it for the max time.4) the dealership refuses to offer warranty as its got "too many miles" on it. Its gonna have to be an as-is.5) They are okay with me taking it out to get it checked by a mechanic and also got me the phone number of the previous owner to speak with.--------------------------------I am a little less convinced. I am particularly concerned about the accident report, and if the timing belt has been replaced at all. I learnt from looking up on gates.com that its an interference engne. I mean there are absolutely no service records by the third, last and longest owner. Below is the link to the website with pics and free carfax reports. I would really appreciate it if you experts could glance at it real quick.

I am not even sure if the previous owners have done all the necessary aintenance. I test drove it and its very quite and smooth but at one time, found the rpm to suddenly rise up to 4500 before the shift changed to the last gear. Is that slippage? I found absolutely no pickup but thats expected from a 168hp @5000 lbs. Other than that, things look ok although I have not done a thorough inspection yet.

Should I go for it? Anything inconsistent or suspicious? Anything I could do to check things out and ascertain the quality and standard of the vehicle? Any help is appreciated.

link:

http://www.billstanfordgm.com/...91753

[Lars]

Ok, first Qx4s and Pathfinders of this age are excellent vehicles. Given the lack of history and previous accident, I think the price for this one is just too much. Especially since they are unwilling to give even a 30 day warranty. Personally, I'd pass on this one and find another.

Good luck!

[ugharin]

Hi lars,Thanks for the reply.

I spoke to the previous owner today morning. He said that of the 5 yrs he had it, he never once had a problem. He had done the oil changes every 3k miles. He had the car from 60k to 123k miles.

He did put new axles in the front and changed the brakes but thats pretty much it. He did not do the timing belt and doesnt recall any other specific thing that he may have done. He said his daughter owned the car for the most part. They drove mostly on highways and never had a prob. He never took it to an infiniti dealer and hence probably why the carfax doesnot show any service records is what he states.

The dealer is now offering to put the timing belt on if I get the parts. The original price was 6500 but now would be 6750 for putting on the belt. He is also now willing to offer a warranty. The best kind with complete coverage including the engine, powertrain wear and tear etc with a 250 deductible with no cap would be 2200 is what he told me.

Until a month back, ive never heard of an infiniti qx4. I was looking for an escape or a montero. But now I cant get my mind off of it. It looks and rides very clean and good but I jsut want to be very cautious.

Is the price ally retoo much? l thought it was a steal. Can I find a 2000 or a 2001 qx4 for cheaper than that? I cant find anything on autotrader.com for a reasonable price and mileage.

Would you mind looking at the car and carfax in the link i provided? It would really help with an expert opinion. I am new and dont want to jump into anthing. I am in no hurry either and the only reason I am staying on top of this one is cause I am under the impression that this is a very good deal. The dealership is "Bill stanford gm "and pretty good and reputed.

[JonathanPrem]

I haven't really read your post but I would put bit more cash and get 01+ qx4 with 3.5L

[sicwitit]

Walk away. there are way too many of these trucks floating around to settle for one that has a bad history like this one, and they won't offer a 30 day war! If you are dead set on it though, and there isnt any reason to be from the discription, I'd suggest telling the dealer you would like to have a Nissan, or Infinity dealership do an inspection on the truck. The dealership that has the truck will try and tell you its not nessasary or that they already have had their mechanic inspect it or what ever. by taking it to a Nissan or Infinity dealership, you get an unbiased opinion on the condition of the vehicle. you will have to pay, but if you pay $80 or $90 today, you might save yourself god knows how much money 30 days down the road. I'd personally hold off and find one through different means...For all you know someone on this forum could be selling their 2000 or 01 for a similar price.

my .02cents

[sicwitit]

you also might wanna try http://www.craigslist.org You be supprised what you'll find there.

[Qxxx4]

yeah, qx4's are truly gems on the road, my dad regrets giving it to me, he gets more problems with his 06 frontier and moms 03 land rover than ive ever had. Ive never had a problem actually, but i do all my maintenance as required.

for 6900 you can get a better deal with almost half the mileage here in canada and cars are more expensive in canada. Look around and definately go for the 01 if it means ~$1500 difference, its worth the money. i always wish i had the 01 but seeing how mine is MINE and ive done regular maintenance its not worth upgrading.

good luck and dont get an escape/tribute. monteros are fine but NO to escape.

[KyooX4]

Yeah, that one sounds a bit shady. But by all means go with a QX4! I would look around for a 01-03 QX4, they have been upgraded over their preceding years (3.5l vs 3.3l, timing chain vs timing belt, nicer wheels IMO, I personally think the fog light assemblies are better looking).

I have an 01 and I absolutely love it. Never have I had any regrets or second thoughts about purchasing it. It runs great and I've had no major problems with it, and only like one or two very minor ones (one such was a very small oil leak that was solved by replacing two O-rings).

[Lars]

I still stand by what I said in the previous post. The unknown accident history is a no-go. You can find another QX4 in as good or better shape for the price, with a clean history. Plus now that you know more info... you can get a 2001 with the slightly bigger and more powerful engine.

My advice when looking for a car - any car - is DO NOT fall in love with one particular car. There are always others out there that are just as good or better for a similar price.

There is a reason that this particular Q has been sitting on the lot for so long. Leave it there. Don't make it your problem. Having said that, it may be a perfectly fine car, I just think that the unknown accident history is really a deal breaker.

[Andrew224]

I agree, for a little more $, you can get an '01. The power difference and nicer interior are well worth it.

Andrew

[jsm02cpa]

I did buy a 2000 last January, for $5500, and it had already had the timing belt and water pump done. It had 114,000 mil on it at the time. I think the price is too much. The engine is kind of doggie, so I'd put the money into getting an '01, like most of these guys have suggested.

If the price was $5000 and they were throwing in the timing belt, etc., (105,000 mil maintenance), then go for it, but that's not happening, so look for something else. There are alot of these out there, you'll find one. These other guys know what they are talking about, do yourself a favor and take their advice...Good luck!, you'll love a QX4.

[ugharin]

First of all, a big thanks to everybody for the replies. I checked all these msgs the same day they posted and I backed off from getting the infiniti from that dealer. I rented a car and got here to Miami the next day and am planning to get back the next week to alabama. I still have the preapproved check from my credit union but for the life of me, I cant find an 01 QX4 for around 6k-7k bucks anywhere(autotrader.com) within 200 miles of 36268(zip) or even here in South Florida. Basically, ive searched all of the the states - GA, AL and FL and theres NOT ONE!

Ive been told that one could find them everywhere and that these trucks are all over the place and that I oculd get one for 5k-6k but I am desperately looking for one and cant find any!!! Ive looked on autotrader, here in the forums and also on craigslist but no-go. Am I missign something? Is there a something specific? THe search is getting frustrating and would really appreciate any help from anybody. Thanks for the help.

[Lars]

Try these:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/....html

http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/1406121697.html

http://bham.craigslist.org/ctd/1409154260.html

[KyooX4]

There's an 01 in Tampa that looks spiffy. Has brush guard, tail light guards, aftermarket wheels. Mileage is 146k, don't know how high you want to go. Price is $5995.Autotrader link

There's another, an 02, in Jacksonville for $7995, mileage isn't listed.Autotrader link

[TheReplay]

Just need to keep your eyes peeled for the right one at the right price... Its going to be hard to "steal" a QX4 if for nothing else than the sole fact that there arent too many of them on the road as compared with say a pathfinder. Which to be completely honest would be a nice trade off if you could find an 01+ LE or SE/leather.

The other thing ive seen is that these vehicles sell for consistently more than what they are valued at by the major used value reviewers...

I definately agree tho, opt for an 01+

[ugharin]

HI thanks for the info...and also to everybody for the links. I am compiling a list with those and some more links I am pulling up right now.

I wouldnt mind opting for a pathy but have found that the used pathys and infinitis are pretty close in their prices. NOt much of a diff at all! I am trying to find an 01 qx4 with less than 11ok (maybe upto 120k) mies for less than 7500 (including title, tax, reg etc from a dealer) as thats the check I have from my bank.

I am also looking for a reputable dealer. The only way I can even surmise that is by looking at the dealers website, their inventory, their description, policies etc. NO real way to tell I think. I am also looking into ebay but I have never shopped on there or from a private party before and am a litte sceptical. My understanding is that a dealers vehicle would be in a fair shape as opposed to a private party which would have hidden problems with the car? I could be wrong.

Also, this would be my first SUV. I know the drill with buying used cars but am not sure about SUVs. Anything specific? I am avoiding cars with towing packages as they would likely have had a toll on their transmissions and engines.

I am also trying to think how much would an 01 qx4 would be worth say, in 2012. It would a 11yr old model and also a discontinued model (if that means much?).

ONce again thanks for all the help.

[ugharin]

Hi Kyoox4,

A couple of questions about the model in Tampa, Fl. It looks very good but its mileage is a little more (146k) thn what I was looking for (<110-120k).

1) How much longer will they last if I get them at that mileage of 140k -150k.

2) Upto what mileage can I use them confidently with interstate driving (around 1000miles) once in a while (2-3 times a year)? If it gets to 180k or 200k miles, should I restrict myself to city driving?

3) Will an 01 still be worth a fair bit in say 2012 with 180k-200k miles?

thanks for the links and the help.

[Empty V]

3) Will an 01 still be worth a fair bit in say 2012 with 180k-200k miles?

At that mileage you'd be lucky if you could get a fist full of 50's for any car. But then again something is only worth what someone will pay for it, and there are a lot of ignorant people in this world.

Billy

[jsm02cpa]

There are guys driving QX4's with over 200k on them right now, so they do hold up. Heck, my 99 blazer has over 200k on it, if you take care of a car, it will last.

I think the assumption is that you can get a vehicle cheaper if you buy from a private owner and not the dealer, you just have to find a private owner with the right story, they are downsizing, upsizing, whatever, and not just dumping the vehicle because it needs a lot of work. Best thing to do is ask them if they have their receipts. If they take care of a car, they will have the receipts stashed away. I do...

Good luck, it takes time, but you'll find the right vehicle eventually. Don't settle for something you won't be happy with, then you'll regret it later.