Buying a 2006 M35x Sport - 118,000 miles

[Whyu1nunno]

Hello! I'm new here and am hoping to stay.... since i don't have my M yet.

I am considering a 2006 M35x with a clean title and carfax... but it has 118,000 miles on it. I don't think that's too bad for a 2006. I've had several nissans and used to drive an old QX before i gave it to my mom... this is due to me really never having a car that's older than a few years (My mom works for Nissan, so we keep up with all of our vehicles from there).

I've worked on other types of cars but nothing really serious.... and i was wondering what i should be looking out for given you guys experience with high milage Ms. Is there a checklist or something somewhere lol? I know there are some basic things and i hope that the engine/trans/etc is strong enough to get me 200k miles (maybe not possible but ideal for me...). I just know there have to be things to check for and/or replace as soon as I buy it (or make the dealer replace!) and i'm trying to prepare myself for whatever those things are. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Larz]

Welcme to NICO!
This is an excellent forum and indeed there are lots of members on here who have mileage close to and beyond yours. Mine is an 07 with about 90k miles. A few things to consider:
Change, or plan to change all the fluids in the near future - coolant, transmission, differential, and power steering. If you cannot document when they were last changed, just do it for safety sake.
Have the oil and filter changed at a NIssan / Infiniti dealership. It might be more than you like to pay for an oil change, but they will inspect brakes, tires, suspension, steering, etc and give you a report about their condition. You don't need to have them do anything more than the oil. But this, plus the fluid changes, will give you a good starting point in terms of maintanence.
Also, at the next brake job, have the brake fluid changed. It will cost about $100 extra. Over time, the brake fluid builds up moisture which weakens it and decreases it's ability to stop the car safely and in the least amount of distance.
I would also recommend an extended warranty if it's available. Also make sure you switch on every single option and play with every single feature on the car now, before the dealer warranty expires.

[DJPlayedYA]

I'm a dealer and my first suggestion would be to have the car inspected by a trustworthy mechanic. Hopefully you know a good mechanic or just google a local mechanic with good reviews. The dealership is not necessarily a trustworthy source of information because for the normal $100 inspection, they give it a once over and that's it. Plus they add in all types of bs half the time (brake flush, induction service, etc.) You need someone to drive the car and see how it feels and hear how it sounds too.

The most bothersome problem to me with the 2006 M's is the broken driver's seat rails. Make sure when you sit in the driver's seat that you...for lack of better terms...shake around a bit. It's super annoying to have one with that issue, plus they're relatively expensive to fix.

Now me, I'm super picky about cars. I would pull a spark plug and see what condition they're in and more importantly what brand they are; what brand tires are on it; what brand battery is in the car; was the valve cover gasket job done; etc. This tells you a lot about the previous owner. Were they pinching pennies or did they have the money to maintain the car properly?

[Larz]

Great point, DJ. It's not just 'doing' the maintanence - you need to use quality fluids and parts.

[Whyu1nunno]

Thank you very much for the posts guys. I’ll make sure to check all of these things ASAP. This is some spectacular advice…. I would’ve never thought to check some of these.

I also went to my local infinity dealer like you guys said to ask them what they thought I needed. I met a nice mechanic and he said I should do the following and gave me a quote of $643.67
•
• Replace engine oil and filter
• Rotate tires
• Replace climate-controlled seat filter
• Replace engine air filter
• Replace engine coolant
• Replace in-cabin microfilter
• Inspect automatic transmission fluid
• Inspect axle & suspension parts
• Inspect brake calipers, pads, rotors
• Inspect brake lines & cables
• Inspect differential oil
• Inspect drive shaft boots
• Inspect exhaust system
• Inspect front suspension ball joints
• Inspect fuel lines/connections
• Inspect fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
• Inspect propeller shaft
• Inspect steering gear and linkage
• Inspect steering linkage ball joints
• Inspect transfer case oil

Some of the things really weren’t that much (like an oil change was only about $40) it’s just that the accumulation of all of this stuff adds up which is fine. I’d much rather be driving a safe, reliable car and pay more up front. After all the inspections are done I can decided on which repairs need to be handled and in what order (if any are needed).

Also, I pulled the Carfax on the vehicle and it appears that it was pretty well maintained. The title is clear… no accidents or anything so I’m happy about that. I’m gonna take some tools and see if the dealer has the maintenance records. To see if the heavy stuff has been done. Hopefully I don’t have to pour too much money into this but. I’ll be going out there today to see what I can find out about her and post an update. Thanks a lot for your help so far!

[EniGmA1987]

If there is some unusual wear in the steering area then you should not buy the car. A few people here and there have had issues and it is very expensive to fix.

The air filters, both in cabin and engine, are very easy to replace with little to no time and the dealer charges a lot for them.

With 118,000 miles I would expect the suspension to look worn and some part in "need" of replacing. Most people dont care about it or do any replacement on the worn suspension areas because the car handles fine enough and all that, so unless there is something actually worn and causing a problem then most suspension items can be left for later. Though it will probably be "past due" for some new bushings and shocks/struts.

[Whyu1nunno]

I'll be doing a test drive later today once i leave the office. i'll be sure to check to see if she drives straight or prefers to wander all over the road. I didn't know that was such an issue with Infinity and did a little reasearch.. found some threads and petitions and all kinds of stuff.... thanks for brining this up. Its another thing i would've overlooked and probably attributed it to tires/alighnment/etc and considered it more minor than it really is. appreaciate the help.

[axefire]

I like a lot of peeps here have an 06 M35x. I bought it used 4 years ago. I have had no problems at, have done nothing but change the brakes, oil, tires, trans fluid, rear diff fluid, etc and now I'm looking to do the suspension because I have 117k miles and still going strong! definitely take the advice of the people above, get the car checked out by a dealer or buy a good mechanic but these cars are the best. In 06 the M set the benchmark for this class of car!


Welcome, good luck, and enjoy!