2003 M45? Anything I should know before purchase

[03M45CT]

Hey guys I am new here, I am a few days away from purchasing a 2003 M45 from Rhode Island, It has 59,000 MILES on it. $11500 is the price. Anyway is there anything I should ask or check out before I sign the title.

Thanks

[NightWatch]

While the M's tend to be among the most reliable vehicles out there, a 2003 with 59K on should definitely have an extended warranty purchased for it. Courtney at Scottsdale Infiniti routinely sells Infiniti Elite warranties to NICO Club members. You may want to contact her for pricing.

[Manok]

Hey guys I am new here, I am a few days away from purchasing a 2003 M45 from Rhode Island, It has 59,000 MILES on it. $11500 is the price. Anyway is there anything I should ask or check out before I sign the title.

Thanks

check the basic things

carfaxbrakesmaintenance...59K is just breaking it in.

[dusred]

The 03 M's have lots of problems.

If I was you I'd steer away from that year.

[CakeDaddy]

The 03 M's have lots of problems.

If I was you I'd steer away from that year.

Nice and detailed!

I'll stand up for the 03's since I actually OWN one. Look at the brakes, oil change records in great detail, press the trunk release on the remote to make sure the struts are good and of course car fax. My 2003 has been good to me. You hear a some storeis of the gauge cluster, but after further review... Im seeing gauge issues on 2006M's and FX models, but do some research on the gauge issues. Stand behind the car while some else starts it to make sure it isnt smoking. Also, with it having 59K miles on it... you are due for a for service at 60K, so be ready to fork out $500-$600 in the next 1000 miles or so.

The only problem I have with this car is that I can only fit 5 strippers in it at a time.
Modified by CakeDaddy at 5:26 PM 3/8/2009

[03M45CT]

Well hmm now I am having second thoughts with this, It has 57K on it, so basically should I be worried that within a few K, the engine will start burning oil, I mean what's the chance it wil start to burn oil, do all engines have this problem . PS(The guy replaced the whole dash cluster 2 weeks ago). But is a 2003 M45 with 57K for 11600 a good deal. I commute to school and need a reliable car, burning oil would not be an option.

[NightWatch]

As far as reliability and repairs go, all M's, even a 2003 are better than most providing it has been properly cared for. It is imperative that you have service records for the vehicle. If the dealer cannot provide service records, walk away. If you cannot afford an additional $1500 - $1800 for an Infiniti Elite extended warranty... also walk away.

Scheduled maintenance outside of oil changes need to be performed at 15K intervals and you should be prepared to fork out a bit to have these done. You can have it done at a Nissan dealer instead of Infiniti and it will save you a few bucks, but bottom line - these cars are NOT inexpensive to maintain, they are after all "Luxury" cars. I'm a little concerned that this might not be the best car for someone on a student's budget. Is $11,600 a good deal? If the car has been properly maintained and not abused it is not a "bad" deal, although I've seen 2003 M45's for closer to $10,000.

Good luck.

[03M45CT]

Thanks, Checked carfax and the vehicle was a lease and then at 21,000 registered as personal, and then sold again at 34,000 miles and now he is selling it at 57K. Another thing is I did some searching and found the same 2003 year m45 the guy says it has 63 on the body and that the NEW engine has 22K on it. Would that be a better deal:? It's the same price.

[dusred]

Nice and detailed!

I'll stand up for the 03's since I actually OWN one. Look at the brakes, oil change records in great detail, press the trunk release on the remote to make sure the struts are good and of course car fax. My 2003 has been good to me. You hear a some storeis of the gauge cluster, but after further review... Im seeing gauge issues on 2006M's and FX models, but do some research on the gauge issues. Stand behind the car while some else starts it to make sure it isnt smoking. Also, with it having 59K miles on it... you are due for a for service at 60K, so be ready to fork out $500-$600 in the next 1000 miles or so.

The only problem I have with this car is that I can only fit 5 strippers in it at a time.

Modified by CakeDaddy at 5:26 PM 3/8/2009

Umm. . . excuse me. From what I understand the first year M's had alot of problems.

[maxnix]

Anyway is there anything I should ask or check out before I sign the title.

Yep, the Infiniti Dealer Performed Service History. Verify 3,750 OCI. Have an Infiniti Senior Technician inspect the car for you after reviewing the service history, assuming it passes the criteria for each of you .

Extended warranty always good, but only if it is Nissan backed from dealer. IoS sells them at a good price.

Courtney [email protected](480)941-0055

zer...ranty

[szh]

Umm. . . excuse me. From what I understand the first year M's had alot of problems.

Nope.

1. Only a certain percentage of the 2003 M45 and the 2002+ Q45 had problems with higher than usual oil consumption.

2. Some have and are starting to exhibit the "gas tank is not empty" problem - mine just did it for the first time some weeks ago. Fixed under warranty ... people do get the Extended Warranty, right? Like I recommend doing?!?

Everything else has been relatively "normal" level of problems so to speak. Yes, there are reports of some expensive repairs with electronics going out, but this is a problem with all modern cars today - lots of electronics means potentially expensive repair. I strongly recommend Extended Warranties on all modern cars (not just the M)!

Z