HELP!! Regarding a used G35 purchase

[momo617]

Hey all. To begin with, this will be a somewhat lengthy post (lots of pics). But i know this is a tight-knit community with plenty of enthusiasts. So I hope someone can put their honest input. I'm also new to forums. If i am in the wrong place.. simply let me know. Thanks in advance!

So i'm in the market for a new car. I came across this 2003 G35 Sedan for sale.
Here are the cons
-Vehicle has 169k miles on BODY (i know, alot)
-Needs pedal sensor (responsible for "service soon" light)
-Needs new battery
-MIGHT need new brakes (see pics) might just be surface rust
-Other minor things need some cleaning/help. Could not test drive because the battery was dead , but i jumped it and it turned on and idled fine.
pros (i think)
-no rust, body in good shape
-clean title
-new used engine with 118k (done by previous owner, he has the paperwork)
-most other things work, lights, seat motors, windows.

The guy says he would keep it but he needs the money. Wanted 5400, i offered 4500. He came back at 5200, i offered 4800. Ultimately he said if he doesnt get a job by this weekend he will let it go for 4900. He says he will look into fixing it and might keep it if he cant sell it. Is this too much of a risk? He says hes willing to take to a mechanic and subtract the costs from 5400, but he says hes already done that. I do not want to offer more than 4800. My father is a mechanic even though he is currently out of the country until next week, and i am not scared to get dirty myself. What do you G owners think? Should i risk it? or skip it? I would love to own this G and take care of it.. but there are a lot of variables. Here are some pics (i know its dirty) let me know if links dont work, Thanks to AppleBonker for the tut on posting pics.

[AZhitman]

Welcome aboard!

Well, KBB says it's a $3000 - $3500 car. I'd keep an eye on AutoTrader and see what they're actually selling for. It's not a terribly hard car to work on, and they're a great car IF maintained...

I see a LOT of brake dust caked in the corners of the wheels, which means it recently got a bath (after not having one for a long time). The rotor rust isn't too concerning, they're probably cheap aftermarket rotors and they'll get surface rust within a couple weeks in damp weather. I'd be looking at whether they're smooth or scored, and checking every fluid (I'll bet the brake fluid is black, and trans fluid is brown).

Seeing it's a RI car, I find it really hard to believe there's no rust. Spend some time UNDER the car, for sure.

I'm always leery of buying ANYTHING you can't drive, and the seller sounds a little flaky. Is it for sale? Is there another issue causing a code that's masked by the TPS sensor? (BTW, that's a common issue on those) I'd be very cautious, and there's no way I'd buy it if you can't take it out and flog it for 30 minutes.

Here's a clean one for $4500: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... 3884&Log=0

Definitely do a search within a few hundred miles of your area on AutoTrader, and don't forget Craigslist.

The more I think about it, the more I think the seller's out to make some quick cash OR he's hiding something. Don't get hosed.

[momo617]

Welcome aboard!

Well, KBB says it's a $3000 - $3500 car. I'd keep an eye on AutoTrader and see what they're actually selling for. It's not a terribly hard car to work on, and they're a great car IF maintained...

I see a LOT of brake dust caked in the corners of the wheels, which means it recently got a bath (after not having one for a long time). The rotor rust isn't too concerning, they're probably cheap aftermarket rotors and they'll get surface rust within a couple weeks in damp weather. I'd be looking at whether they're smooth or scored, and checking every fluid (I'll bet the brake fluid is black, and trans fluid is brown).

Seeing it's a RI car, I find it really hard to believe there's no rust. Spend some time UNDER the car, for sure.

I'm always leery of buying ANYTHING you can't drive, and the seller sounds a little flaky. Is it for sale? Is there another issue causing a code that's masked by the TPS sensor? (BTW, that's a common issue on those) I'd be very cautious, and there's no way I'd buy it if you can't take it out and flog it for 30 minutes.

Here's a clean one for $4500: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... 3884&Log=0

Definitely do a search within a few hundred miles of your area on AutoTrader, and don't forget Craigslist.

The more I think about it, the more I think the seller's out to make some quick cash OR he's hiding something. Don't get hosed.

Yeah you have valid points. I dont think he's flaky. He genuinely said he wants to keep it if he finds the money to repair it (lost his job), but needs the money. I found the car on craigslist. As to the code, im not entirely sure. He said he will let me test drive it as soon as the battery is replaced. and to bring a mechanic if i wanted to (or we can go to a mechanic and check everything out. This car is from Rhode Island so it sees alot of snow. So lets say i check all the fluids and test drive it and i find no major issues, should i go for it? There aren't many around my area for that price. What else do you recommend i check? What do you think is a fair price? Remember it's a replaced engine with 118k miles. Thanks!

[AZhitman]

I think I'd still lean towards the high end of KBB. If you absolutely fall in love, and there's no glaring issues, you could always stick to $4500, but point out to him that it's $1k more than "good condition" KBB Private Party.

Heck, you can have a car from a non-rust state transported to RI for under $1k, so don't settle for something that's not great. The replaced engine isn't really a selling point, as there's no way to know the history of it (and as you can see on AutoTrader, there's some VQ35s with 300k+ on the clock).

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/look-b ... aphic.html

[AZhitman]

More stuff to look for:

Exterior
First thing is to visually inspect the exterior. Look for variations in the paint (there should be little orange peel, if any). If there is, it has probably been repainted at some point. This is bad because, unless the owner spent $4,000 on the paint job, it won’t come close to the quality of the factory paint.

Interior
Just make sure everything works. If the “Check Engine” light is on, run a scan (not just for active codes, but ALSO for "stored" codes. Some may have been temporarily cleared, only to come back after the full drive cycle (by which time you're down the road and your $ is gone). Having no battery means it needs to be powered up and driven a couple hours before you'll see ALL potential codes.

Engine
There are many things with the engine that can be easily inspected. A look inside the oil filler cap is worth 1000 words (or dollars). You need to really look down in there with a flashlight as far down as you can see, and you should only see cleanliness. If it’s black or really dark brown avoid buying the car as sludge in the engine will significantly shorten its lifespan, as well as decrease its power.

Check the engine oil. The level should be good and the oil a nice golden color if it has been recently changed.When you wipe it off, in the little round part of the stick, there should be no ‘goo’ there.

Other fluids: Brake fluid (should be clear; slightly yellow but it depends on the fluid they use); transmission fluid (red, and should NOT be brown or smell burnt, if it is then the transmission is on borrowed time); power-steering fluid (same as transmission fluid).

With the engine running at idle, you should feel no vibrations, it should run at about 650rpm fully warmed (just below the line between 500 and 1000). If it’s below this then the intake will need cleaning, and do NOT ADJUST THE IDLE SPEED, it needs to be corrected by cleanliness. You shouldn’t really hear much, you will here some slight ticking of the injectors opening. It’s very soft and anything less should be noted.

On the lift
Check for body damage, rust and other damage. Also check the suspension components, mainly the rubber bushings for cracking. They wear with age more than miles.

[momo617]

Wow, thanks a ton! Next time I will do a thoughrough inspection of all of the above, aswell as test drive it. If all is well, maybe id offer him the low 4k range. If he doesn't take it, I will simply move on. He should know the value of his vehicle, whether he needs the money or not. And i definitely do not want to get stuck in a money pit. I love the G, and it feels good close to owning one, but heck, in this condition its tough. Thanks again, I will give you an update sometime next week. Maybe i will find a better deal somewhere.

[telcoman]

Inquire at your local Infiniti dealer how much they charge to give the vehicle a through inspection.
Might be money well spent. They can also run the VIN number and provide you additional information on the vehicle. Use any uncovered defects for further negotiation.

Good luck

Telcoman