About to buy used 2011 infiniti M56x with 130k miles, kinda scared

[dineshsahu]

Hi everyone! I used to have a g35xS, and I like that one, but I wanted something with 8 cylinders. I'm looking at a used 2011 infiniti M56x with 130k miles. I wanted to know a few questions, and you guys seem pretty knowledgeable!

1. Is there any markers to tell if the used car has the driver assist features? Like, for example, I know it has upgraded audio because of the speakers in the driver seat, that kind of thing.
2. The car is at a chevrolet dealership, should I get a PPI?
3. What are good warranty options? Do any of you guys have aftermarket warranties? How much are they/did you pay if you do have them?
4. When looking at the car, are there any specific things I should look out for? Anything that typically goes out early?
5. I haven't been able to find good reliability reports or anything for this car, do you guys know this car to be reliable? I'm hoping to get to 200k miles on this car.
6. Kind of a weird question, but can I stream youtube music through the bluetooth? I've heard that there's no aux port on these cars.
7. Any specific electronic/internal car features I should test? Any way to tell if something is failing or has failed? Anything that typically fails? (for example, maybe the cooled seats?)
8. Is there another car I should consider?

Really hoping for all your expertise on this one guys, as I am pretty nervous haha! I'm going to go a few hundred miles to go see this car this weekend, so quick responses any anything I can ask the dealer beforehand on the phone would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum.

1. You can tell if it has more than usual the buttons on the steering wheel (intelligent cruise) or by the left knee on the panel (lane departure warning), etc. I have a fully loaded 11 M56x which has the suede roof liner and java interior...those were options on ONLY the top top of the line models as far as I know. I have the speakers in the seats, extra wheel controls for intelligent cruise, extra knee panel buttons, etc.
2. It wouldn't hurt to get a PPI on any car that has a decent amount of miles on it.
3. The aftermarket warranty most get here is the "Elite" warranty which can be purchased from various (if not all) Infiniti dealers. There is a thread on this. HOWEVER, at your mileage, I doubt they'd sell you one. And if they did, it'd be STUPID expensive. I have no knowledge of other 3rd party warranties that'll warranty a 200kmi car, for example.
4. On the '11 M56x, I'd check if the car had it's timing chain recall done. If not, and because that recall is expired, I'd stay away from the car personally. If it's had it done, you can continue trying to buy it.
5. I'm at 114kmi on my '11 M56x and I'd say the car has been very reliable. The only issues that I needed warranty repairs for were the key fobs randomly going out (both of them - got new ones) and an issue I caused myself (shorted a harness in the dash among other things trying to install LED bulbs without disconnecting the battery)
6. Yep. I stream everything through BT. Waze, Spotify, YouTube, Google Play Music, Snapchat, etc. Keep in mind that depending on your phone and BT version of said phone, you may have sporadic issues. BT's firmware on the phones today are much newer than the BT firmware on the car...so there will be issues naturally.
7. We had a few members here buy used M's that had heating/cooling (HVAC) issues. So I suggest blasting the AC and the heat for a few minutes to make sure ALL the vents are working and not just one side of the car, etc.
8. Hell no. I love my M56x. Seriously. It's ruined V6's for me. I might never be able to get another ho-hum V6. I got rid of my 07 M35x (trade in) for this 11 M56x with 140kmi and that thing was SOLID. My M56x has been just as solid and I plan to keep it to 200kmi and beyond...as long as it's not like $5k a year in expenses.

[dineshsahu]

Cool, thanks for answering! So you don't think a warranty would be worth it? How do I know if the timing chain has been done? I'm having trouble telling from these pictues do you think you could take a look? Sorry, I don't know if links are allowed.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/

Anyways, thank you very much for your time!

[Ilya]

You'd have to ask the dealer or get the VIN and go to your local Infiniti dealership and have them print the cars service history (it should be in a central database). I'd definitely get as many records as possible and then have it inspected by a 3rd party.

Based on those images, looks like you don't have intelligent cruise (also can tell this by looking at the front bumper and seeing no sensor or at the top of the front windshield and seeing no camera). Also looks like it doesn't have the AFS bi-xenon headlights (the lights turn slightly when you turn the wheel in certain situations to help you see through corners).

[dineshsahu]

ok thank you! Do you think a carfax report would be enough?

[Ilya]

Nah, you won't be able to tell possible mechanical issues from a car fax and if it had minor damage that was fixed hush hush and not reported to insurance, you wouldn't see that either. If you're really concerned, get a proper inspection or otherwise accept the risk unfortunately...

[pedsemdoc]

Having just bought a car sight unseen except for internet photos, I strongly recommend a PPI on a preowned car that is out of manufacturer's warranty. I looked around at a few companies and settled on a national chain that was a little more expensive (about $340) but they listed a 158 point inspection they perform on the car in addition to extra photos, road test, plus a video.

The car I bought had both a clean Carfax and Autocheck history and over 50 high res photos on the dealer's site - but not everything is reported to them, eg. accidents not reported to insurance and/or no police report filed.

The Infiniti Elite warranty is the best, but they probably won't sell you one with that many miles. You could try a third party extended warranty company. My recent purchase was out of factory warranty - so I researched and ended up going with a CarCHEX titanium warranty (almost everything is covered except for the standard wear-and-tear items including factory navigation + added high-tech package to cover multi-media interface, Bluetooth, adaptive cruise control, etc. for 4 years/48,000 miles). It was a little over $6,000!!! But in the end, it will be worth it if something goes wrong.

Sometimes those cool gadgets can be an expensive pain-in-the-arse if they go "titz-up" in the vernacular of one of our great members/moderators, Larz. Unless you feel like you really need to have them, I wouldn't necessarily pass on the vehicle if the price is right.

The timing chain replacement would be expensive, but most of the electronic gizmos are what cost an arm and a leg if they fail - unless you buy a used replacement piece for a junkyard/pick yer parts place and have an indy shop swap.

What to test/look out for:
1. Check heating/cooling seat function - dials next to drive selector (Eco, Snow, Sport)
2. Check seat motor - move up down/back forth
3. See if side mirror moves correctly when reversing, sometimes the motor gets weak/tired and mirror won't return to normal position after moving down when reversing
4. Check back up camera
5. Connect to bluetooth with your phone, make a call, stream music - see how it sounds
6. Look at the dash, a few members on the older Ms have had dash cracking issues. (I have not, but I have a dash cover, and I use a windshield sun shade if it is out in the sun for more than a hour)

You would be hard pressed to find a car with this much power/torque and the amenities while also giving pretty decent build quality and a solid engine. I'm torn about selling my M37 vs keeping it as an extra car since my new purchase.

According to Truedelta.com the 2011 M had only 19 repair trips vs 38 for the 2012 model year and fewer than the 2008 - 22 trips, 2007 - 47 trips, and 2006 - 74 (granted, this is somewhat limited by the number of folks who report, with some of the other years only based on a handful of cars) but it does give you a rough idea of what issues the car might have.

Good luck with the purchase or if it doesn't work out, the hunt for a new M...

Craig

[satown210]

Wait you paid $6000 for an extended warranty.......wow.......cough cough sucker. You would of been much better off putting $6000 in a savings account.

I just got an extended warranty with my M. 48 months 60K miles. I got the Platinum which covers everything but wear and tear items. Covers all the technology, roadside assist, rental car, trip interruption etc. I made sure it didn't have a low Max payout. Some warranties even thought they cost $5000, they stipulate a max payout during the term of $3500.00. I've used this warranty co before and didn't have a problem with them refusing to pay for repairs. I paid $1400.00

[Ilya]

Yeah $6k is crazy expensive but we don't know what car Craig bought. He might have purchased a Ferrari for all we know...so it is what it is. For an M of any year, $6k is insane though. At $6k though, I almost hope something breaks on your car Craig just so you can at least get some use out of the warranty lol...just kidding.

But anyway...I think Craig added some other good information to go with what I replied with so OP should have plenty of things to check when he goes to see this car.

[satown210]

Yeah $6k is crazy expensive but we don't know what car Craig bought. He might have purchased a Ferrari for all we know...so it is what it is. For an M of any year, $6k is insane though. At $6k though, I almost hope something breaks on your car Craig just so you can at least get some use out of the warranty lol...just kidding.

But anyway...I think Craig added some other good information to go with what I replied with so OP should have plenty of things to check when he goes to see this car.

I thought he was talking about his M.

[pedsemdoc]

I thought he was talking about his M.

nope - I took the deep dive into a Euro supersedan, 2014 Audi RS7 ...my annual auto expenses just prolly went up 10x

[satown210]

There is a reason that warranty was $6000. The warranty company knows a thing or two about Audis LOL.

[dineshsahu]

Thanks guys for all the responses! The original dealer was scummy. Told us the car was there, then when we're about to leave to go there, I called them. Different sales person picked up. I asked him to confirm that there were no check engine lights on the car or anything, and then he told me that the car had sold 3 weeks prior. Ah well, probably didn't want to do business with them anyways haha. But I DID find another one 2 hours away that I'm going to look at this weekend!

[dineshsahu]

Update! I bought the one I saw on craigslist! So excited to be part of the club! I don't know how to post pictures, or if there's a spot for new owners to show off haha! Anyways, thanks again for all the help!

[EdBwoy]

Congratulations and welcome to the club!

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