My name is Jesse Segovia - I'm brand new to this forum and not yet a Nissan or Infiniti owner. I'm looking to buy a pre-owned QX56 and I think I may have found a good buy but I'd like to get some advice. A local dealer has a 2011 QX56 that looks like it's in good condition and the price seems to be reasonable - around $30K. They've had the car for almost a year and lowered the price three or four times - the dealer says it's a great car but it's just not a good market for used cars, and he wants to sell it personally and not return it to the auctions which is why he's had it for so long. If I buy it I'd ask if I can take it to a local Infiniti dealer for a thorough going over (will the dealers do that and how much do they charge?) and I'd like to buy an extended warranty for it. The carfax report apparently says the airbag was never deployed.

What do you think? Should I trust the Infiniti dealer to tell me if it's in god shape or does the fact it's been around for so long put up warning flags? There's also a 2012 QX56 in the area that's going for around $32K that seems to be in better shape but I like the color of the 2011 better (although neither of them are black, which is the color I really want). I've looked around a bit but it seems there's a huge variety of prices for these cars, from around $30K to $40K even for the same year. I know there are different models but the only thing I absolutely need to have is 4WD given our winter weather.

Thanks very much!

i dont care what car you get. if its used take it to a mechanic you TRUST.

excluding the interior trims options and the HBMC if you have that, the car is in the same boat as others cars: tires, frame, tranny, engine, leaks, exhaust, car fax report, where its been is also important.


was it in the rust belt? was it a rental? check for manifold leaks, check for oil change intervals. this car uses a DIG engine and if the car hasnt been driven much, it could have sludge in the oil jets, so check maintenance records.

check for any DTC's at the obd port.

the qx is a great car. ive as 2012 fully loaded and i absolutely love it.

if you let infiniti smoke it over, they will give you an estimate and diagnosis of any issues. it will be in writing so if anything goes wrong later, its in writing. this goes for any dealer.

id be concerned its been sitting. has it been garaged? out in the sun?

if the 12 is better for a couple grand, i would look at that one over the 11.