are used g35s really worth it?

[nismodan69]

hi guys i currently have a 2001 mitsubishi galant 4 cyl (yes i know its really a ****subishi) and im going car shopping for christmas. there are three cars that i have been debating over and they are: 2007 mustang gt, 2007 nissan altima coupe 3.5 or a used g35 most preferrably 2006 or 2005. what would you guys suggest? the only thing im worried about is that g35s are sports cars. that means that most people drive them like they were racing in lemans. im scared that if i do buy a used g35 , i will have problems soon after i purchase it. well i have been on autotrader and cars.com and have found a few possibilities. the three main ones include a 2005 white coupe with the sport package with 16,800 miles for 20500, a 2004 silver coupe with 12,400 miles for 24,000 and a 2006 gray coupe with 17k for 24 as well. the first one sounded like a guaranteed buy but when i spoke to the guy he said he had bought it at an auction. the car had been stolen and he replaced the stolen parts. would you guys still buy it? i really want to buy a car that will last me another 4 or 5 years depending on how hard i drive it. so which one would you guys pick? used g35, new stang gt, or new altima coupe 3.5? any feedback would be highly appreciated. i really love the g35 and even with all the possible questions it is tied for number one with the altima. the only thing is that i know how annoying problems are. i purchased the galant with 66000 miles and in 8000 miles i have had to do alot of repairs (i.e. new radiator, new shocks, new thermostat, new water pump, new electrical wiring, etc..) soo yeah try to help me out guys

[zozoka1212]

Welcome o nico,

IMO the used car as you said never know how the previous owner handled the car. We have lots of member who bought their G used. It is just me I buy a new car I can afford. If I can't afford a new I don't buy it. I buy a cheaper one but new. As I said that's just me.

Mustang is a ford and as any other ford have reliability issue. Check out reviews.

Altima 3.5 coupe seems to be a nice car. There was a thread about g35 vs altima coupe if you do a search I am sure you'll find it.

You have warranty on the G even if something goes wrong infiniti will fix it for you. The g is pretty reliable car for a good price. If you have no problem to buy a used car then G would be your best bet.

zozo

[vortechg35]

As far as reliability of ford I have owned 3 mustangs, 1 explorer, 1 Taurus SHO, 1 Expedition, and currently have supercrew f150. The worst problem I have ever had is a wheel bearingand ford replaced under extended warranty at 60k. I also currently have my 03 G35 that I just purchased used and I was just careful about who I bought it from.

[joe603]

Welcome to NICO!

Buying a used car can be tricky. My advice is to buy the newest model you can afford with the least amount of miles. That being said, I'd stick to an 05 or 06.

To answer your question on the car at the auction, make sure it's not a salvaged title. You can get a steal on it...but you don't have any warranty and it will suck to resell it later.

[SVTCOBRA]

Three very different cars.First, I would get a carfax subscription if you are going to do a used car.

Second, GET THE MUSTANG!!!!! j/k (Hey ZOZO! )(I do think they are a big bang for the buck. )

However, you might want to run the VINs past your insurance agent.You can pick some similiar vins to what you want from cars.com or autotrader and you agent should be able to tell you how much it's going to be.

Oh, and I've also owned fords before (69 mach, 87 Tbird Tubro, 88 Bronco II, 90 Taurus wagon , 98 Taurus, 96 mustang, 97 cobra, 98 GT convert, 96 cobra convert, 99 Exploder 4x4) No major problems from any.

[SVTCOBRA]

To answer your question on the car at the auction, make sure it's not a salvaged title. You can get a steal on it...but you don't have any warranty and it will suck to resell it later.

Joe, are you saying that all bought at auction have no warranty? Or ones with a salvage title?

[joe603]

Joe, are you saying that all bought at auction have no warranty? Or ones with a salvage title?

Only one's with salvaged titles...most used cars are bought at an auction, you just don't hear about it.

[SVTCOBRA]

Only one's with salvaged titles...most used cars are bought at an auction, you just don't hear about it.

OK, thanks, that what I thought. Yeah, when I was trying to find my daughter a car and had the carfax, I did notice that most were bought at auction. (Also noticed quite a few G35's down here were brought from up north.)

[zozoka1212]

I've had 3 Ford since I am here. First one replaced wheel bearing 3x in 2 years. Known issue I believe. Second they repainted the doors 2x and it was still crapy wheel bearing 1x I had to open the hatch with keys once a week otherwise it I could not open it later only with remote. third is 6 months old I had to replace wiper blades, windows motor no other issues yet. All under warranty since they were all less then 3 years old. Also when you close the doors you can hear the different when you sit in the seat you feel the different.When you drive it you feel the different. It just not as good.

I don't know my wife still likes them.

zozo

BTW I did not mean to start the war. I just wanted to put my .02 in.

Sorry it went that way.

[SVTCOBRA]

war? No war. We value zozo's input!

[telcoman]

Welcome o nico,

IMO the used car as you said never know how the previous owner handled the car. We have lots of member who bought their G used. It is just me I buy a new car I can afford. If I can't afford a new I don't buy it. I buy a cheaper one but new. As I said that's just me.

Mustang is a ford and as any other ford have reliability issue. Check out reviews.

Altima 3.5 coupe seems to be a nice car. There was a thread about g35 vs altima coupe if you do a search I am sure you'll find it.

You have warranty on the G even if something goes wrong infiniti will fix it for you. The g is pretty reliable car for a good price. If you have no problem to buy a used car then G would be your best bet.

zozo

I agree. Don't buy a used G unless you have the $$$ to fix anything that crops up. If its an automatic supose the transmission went & you had to pay over $5k for a new one. Could you handle that? If not wait until you can afford a new one.

Just my opinion.

Telcoman

[abdoman]

I have bought several used cars and never had any major problems with them. Look for the obvious:

Take the car to a trusted shop to inspect if you can, but if you can't...

Inspect the interior - does it look like it's been taken care of, smoked in or abused? If so avoid it. If someone doesn't take care of the interior the certainly didn't take care of the rest.

Run your fingers around the edges of all the doors, hood and trunk. If it's rough or you feel a ridge, it's been repainted so avoid it. Look for overspray too.

I know this is obvious but take it for a test drive. Make sure it shifts into all gears smoothly. Turn the radio off and listen to the engine and the way the car shifts as you give it gas and let off.

Have the dealership or garage put the car on a lift. Inspect to see if the car has any parts that look like they have been replaced or the car has been bottomed out.

Get the service records, if possible. I have found that this can be very difficult. I know this has been said, but run a carfax. It doesn't pick up everything but it will tell you where the car has been and how long it's been for sale at a particular dealer. This can give you a little more leverage at the dealership.

Try to buy the newest car possible and still under factory warranty.

I usually avoid any cars that have been modified as you can bet that it's been abused (most of the time!).

I would go for the 2006. Longer warranty and low mileage

[Kendahl]

Any time you buy a used car, it's vital to have it checked out by a qualified mechanic you trust. A reputable seller should not object to this precaution. If one does, he's probably hiding something.

How long do you expect to own the car? Eventually, all warranties expire and, after that, you will be paying for repairs yourself. A two-year-old G35 will still have a couple of years on the basic warranty and four on the power train.

You can buy an aftermarket extended warranty. However, the general consensus is that they are not a good deal. They cost too much and there are too many loopholes for the warranty provider to avoid paying. It's better to put the price of the warranty into a money market account and draw from it.

[Q45tech]

Almost every out of warranty used lux o sport is sold when the owner gets a repair quote that exceeds $3>5,000. The trick is to find out and use the defects to your advantage in lowering the asking price.

This requires you to become an expert in one year or one model or to find those few and far between experts and pay them to evaluate your choices.

As an example certain C/E class V8 MB have a history of eating 5AT between 85 and 110k ----- the cost to replace is $5,500 minimum. This cost is not reflected in asking price. They always find someone who doesn't do his homework and gets a surprise or two.

Before you buy PAY an expert technican to tell you what to look for and how to test, then PAY them again when you think you've found a winner!

Better to pay $100 4 times and save yourself a coronary and $5,000 in early repairs.