Help Me Buy a Certified Pre-Owned 2007 M35x

[brickman1701]

I just joined after coming across this forum and seeing so much awesome info dispensed, especially from the mod infiniti_lineup regarding the Elite Protection Plan.

I recently came upon a 2007 CPO Infiniti M35x with no options with 34K miles from my local dealership (southeast Michigan) listing for $29K. It has a clean Carfax and is one-owner and driven in-state. I have been doing some research in order to make a best offer. With the info gathered from Consumer Reports, KBB, Autotrader listings, and Edmund's, I was thinking of starting negotiations at 25K (trade-in value at 22K with $1500 certification premium and $1500 profit for the dealership). The car has been in the lot for almost three months now so I figure they need to get rid of it before it becomes four years old. I was also thinking of getting their Elite Protection plan on top of the regular CPO warranty.

Any thoughts about the fairness of the price? Also I was thinking of getting a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic, would that just be overkill?

How much would you offer?
http://www.infinitiofannarbor.com/Vehic ... /821706123

Many thanks in advance from a hopefully future Infiniti owner!

[Arsenal_fan]

Honestly, i wouldn't pay more than $20K for it, because it doesn't have any option installed!! GPS, ICC, LDW, BOSS, AFS, Xenon, etc...

[ctsedan]

Do some more looking around and you will find them listed cheaper, Im with Arsenal_fan you can get them cheaper. If it has all the options then maybe i would offer them 25K for it. G

[EniGmA1987]

I think $24,000 is more of a fair price on it. Its an 07 body style (2 styles ago) and no options at all. The only thing that raises the price up to even what Id offer for it is its AWD and CPO.

[1scottie]

25k with an Elite 0 deduct warranty...as the CPO has a $50 deduct and the Elite will extend it one year. Also, these cars are expensive to service, so negoiate a service plan also.

A lot of the options are nice but will just give more trouble in future years. My ICC slows for an ant in the next lane...useless. The bluetooth is in a word, garbage. The LDW beeps during sunrise/sunset completely annoying and cannot be turned off entirely.
OK now the Bose system is pretty good and the NAV on Infiniti is also good but any smart phone will be better, I only use the back up camera. I think they all have Xexon headlights and the AFS works but really dont need it. My point is you will enjoy the car just as much without all these extras better off negoiating a good warranty and service contract as these are things you will use and need on this Jap car.

[brickman1701]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I think I'll try to go for the Elite wrap which from what I can gather from this forum is usually around $800 extra. As far as options are concerned, I'm really most interested in the reliability of the M's and can go without the fancy stereo systems and lane avoidance systems. Scheduled an appointment with the young sales guy to discuss price this coming Thursday. Ten minutes later got a call from the sales manager who said that I will be dealing with him instead. Oh well. Thanks again!

[goM35]

$1,500 dealer profit is robbery. Don't offer more than a $500 profit.

[phillyM35]

i bought my CPO 2007 m35x with 28k miles, tech package, nav, extended warranty for $30k back in May. that price included title,tag and taxes..... i would shop around for one with some kind of package

[brickman1701]

Just got back from some heated negotiations. The manager did all the talking and initially offered me 1K off at $28K. Then I showed him the Autotrader listings, Consumer Reports Used Car Service, Edmund's TMV, KBB, some completed Manheim auctions, and told him what I didn't like about the car. I made an offer of $24.8K and he and his young sales associate left me alone for twenty minutes before coming back and giving me a final offer for $25995 which he claimed was the lowest Autotrader price in a 300 mile radius. He didn't seem about to back down, and let me go without any arm-twisting. Weird.

He also offered me $1000 for my heap of a trade-in that almost didn't make it to the dealership which is something I cannot ask for better.

Any other suggestions? Time will tell if he will back down first, but I'm not optimistic about it. Maybe he could offer a discount on the Elite wrap? Either way, I will be doing some additional test drives this weekend of a few entry-level AWD's like the G35/G37x and the A4.

Thanks again!

[Arsenal_fan]

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/2055250865.html

[Lynchr]

A lot of the options are nice but will just give more trouble in future years. My ICC slows for an ant in the next lane...useless. The bluetooth is in a word, garbage. The LDW beeps during sunrise/sunset completely annoying and cannot be turned off entirely.

Agree on ICC
LDW can be set to default to off. With ign on, switch the LDW to off. Then press the LDW switch again and hold it down for more than 4 seconds and it will then default to off. You can press the switch when you want it on for the current drive, or while it is on, hold the button down again for more than 4 seconds and it will default to be on unless you turn off. This is described in the owner's manual.

Cheers

[maguzma]

Just got back from some heated negotiations. The manager did all the talking and initially offered me 1K off at $28K. Then I showed him the Autotrader listings, Consumer Reports Used Car Service, Edmund's TMV, KBB, some completed Manheim auctions, and told him what I didn't like about the car. I made an offer of $24.8K and he and his young sales associate left me alone for twenty minutes before coming back and giving me a final offer for $25995 which he claimed was the lowest Autotrader price in a 300 mile radius. He didn't seem about to back down, and let me go without any arm-twisting. Weird.

He also offered me $1000 for my heap of a trade-in that almost didn't make it to the dealership which is something I cannot ask for better.

Any other suggestions? Time will tell if he will back down first, but I'm not optimistic about it. Maybe he could offer a discount on the Elite wrap? Either way, I will be doing some additional test drives this weekend of a few entry-level AWD's like the G35/G37x and the A4.

Thanks again!

That is your problem you went to the dealership's domain. You need to get them out of it. So next time you see a car you like. Just go down check it out but do not talk with anybody and do not give them you name. But if they ask, Just tell them you are looking at M35's and will get back to them if you are interested. Then get the Stock Number and a business card of the GM. Then go home and email the GM directly and tell him that you want to buy the car for $xxxxx out the door. Make sure you say out the door. That means total price you will pay. Again, the way the salesmen think is that if they got you in their dealership they have the upper hand. Selling cars is all about power. And the salesmen are taught that if they can control the situation early then they can make a sale. They have all kinds of tactics and one basic one is to ask you what you want to pay a month. They do not divulge the that if you use their loan services they will charge you very high processing charges in order to get their money back. Then they will charge you extra (a lot) for security, Teflon coating and extended warranties. By the time you are finished you paid much more than what the car is worth. Again, they make the most mark up on security, extended warranties and the other crap that you will never use. In some cases a 300% mark up. The last car I helped a person purchase they wanted over $1.9K for extended service and warranty on a Toyota (used with 30K miles). If you search the internet 90% of all Toyotas owners never use any of that stuff because either they sell the car before or nothing happens. The same is with Honda’s, MBZs and BMW’s. Next thing you know you a driving away with a car way out of your price range. Your job is to gain the upper hand by speaking to them outside of their element. Again if they want $26K MSRP. Tell them this: "I know you want to get rid of the M35 so I am willing to give you $26.440.00 out the door for the car. Just tell me when you want me to come down with the check in hand to make the sale. Lets make this transaction easy for both of us." "I do not want to call just email me with your lowest out the door price and if it meet my price you have a deal". "As long as the car looks as good as in the picture you have a deal". (OPTIONAL) “Once the price is confirmed I will call you to confirm the time to come down that meets your schedule”. “My goal is to make this transaction easy for both of us so I will send you my license number, insurance policy number and address so you can start the paper work. Then when I get their all I have to do is inspect the car and then sign the paper work.” "Also, please clean it up and change the oil I want to make sure that I start from scratch in maintaining it." Even if they email you back and say your have a deal you are still not obligated to purchase. For instance you show up at the dealership and the car has more damage than in the pictures or stuff you did not notice when you saw it last then just walk away. Remember, they want to sell the car and the GM will go back and see how much profit he will make. If you work with the guys on the lot they have to make a profit above what the GM wants. But if you go directly to the GM his profit is much less. Another thing I do is go on autotrader and see what the average price of the car then I go back to the M35/45 they are selling and see how long it has been on the lot. The longer on the lot the more aggressive they want to sell it. Thus you can ask much lower out the door price. If you can use as much as the lingo they use the more apt they are to make the sale faster because they know you are awary of all the BS mark ups they add (i.e., hold back, service charges, advertisement fees etc.). Again never work focus on MSRP but focus on the Out the Door (OTD) price. Again, a BMW 5 and MBZ E class are in much higher demand than the M35/45's so generally the car is sold to certain group of customers. Another words, you have the advantage. If you don't believe me then send me the URL of the car you are interested in and the name of the dealership. Then tell me when and how you want to pay for it and I guarantee I can the get the price lower than the MSRP or what they quoted you. Just last week I was on business from California to Maryland. Again, I have never bought a car in Maryland. So I was talking to one of the ITs at the firm and she said she was going to buy a 2010 Nissan Rogue. I told her to give me three hours. Her original quote was $23K MSRP for a Grey on black S. In two hours I was able to get he a SL black on black for $21,500.00 out the door (tax, license etc.). She had a check in hand and no trade in. But trade ins are easy as long as you negotiate them after the out the door price of the car. However, I tell people to sell the car personally to get the maximum price. But if they do not want to deal with the hassle them I generally ask price between the trade in and private party price. If they are motivate to sell their car (90% of the time) then I get what I asked for. It all depends on the car being sold. Bottom line we as car owners have this unnatural relation ship with our cars and think ours are betting then the average one so we have a tendency to ask much higher than it is really worth. A great example is go to this site’s market place and see what our fellow Infiniti owners are selling their cars. Just because they bought after market parts might they feel it will increase the price, in their minds, but a new buyer mostly don't want bling just a used M35 and is focused on getting the lowest price as possible. Once you break the bond/relationship with your old car the clearer and more realistic you can sell it. My last car I sold it on less than 12 hours. I found the average price and sold it 500 bucks less. I also wrote a great description and posted a bunch of pictures. What it demonstrated to the potential buyer is that I took great car of the car and wanted to pass it on to somebody who would appreciate it just as much as did. But again I broke any mental/physical bonds I had with it. I also, kept the car in the best condition I could during the selling process so when the first person saw the car they were able to picture themselves owning/driving it. I know we love our cars but just like any relationship we must break it off in order to think clearly and rationally when it comes time to sell it/break it. If we know those basic facts we have the upper hand next time we purchase a car. Sorry for the long information but I hope somebody in the forum gets something out of it. I know there is much more in the car buying process but I have no more room to write.

[ubigred]

Just got back from some heated negotiations. The manager did all the talking and initially offered me 1K off at $28K. Then I showed him the Autotrader listings, Consumer Reports Used Car Service, Edmund's TMV, KBB, some completed Manheim auctions, and told him what I didn't like about the car. I made an offer of $24.8K and he and his young sales associate left me alone for twenty minutes before coming back and giving me a final offer for $25995 which he claimed was the lowest Autotrader price in a 300 mile radius. He didn't seem about to back down, and let me go without any arm-twisting. Weird.

He also offered me $1000 for my heap of a trade-in that almost didn't make it to the dealership which is something I cannot ask for better.

Any other suggestions? Time will tell if he will back down first, but I'm not optimistic about it. Maybe he could offer a discount on the Elite wrap? Either way, I will be doing some additional test drives this weekend of a few entry-level AWD's like the G35/G37x and the A4.

Thanks again!

That is your problem you went to the dealership's domain. You need to get them out of it. So next time you see a car you like. Just go down check it out but do not talk with anybody and do not give them you name. But if they ask, Just tell them you are looking at M35's and will get back to them if you are interested. Then get the Stock Number and a business card of the GM. Then go home and email the GM directly and tell him that you want to buy the car for $xxxxx out the door. Make sure you say out the door. That means total price you will pay. Again, the way the salesmen think is that if they got you in their dealership they have the upper hand. Selling cars is all about power. And the salesmen are taught that if they can control the situation early then they can make a sale. They have all kinds of tactics and one basic one is to ask you what you want to pay a month. They do not divulge the that if you use their loan services they will charge you very high processing charges in order to get their money back. Then they will charge you extra (a lot) for security, Teflon coating and extended warranties. By the time you are finished you paid much more than what the car is worth. Again, they make the most mark up on security, extended warranties and the other crap that you will never use. In some cases a 300% mark up. The last car I helped a person purchase they wanted over $1.9K for extended service and warranty on a Toyota (used with 30K miles). If you search the internet 90% of all Toyotas owners never use any of that stuff because either they sell the car before or nothing happens. The same is with Honda’s, MBZs and BMW’s. Next thing you know you a driving away with a car way out of your price range. Your job is to gain the upper hand by speaking to them outside of their element. Again if they want $26K MSRP. Tell them this: "I know you want to get rid of the M35 so I am willing to give you $26.440.00 out the door for the car. Just tell me when you want me to come down with the check in hand to make the sale. Lets make this transaction easy for both of us." "I do not want to call just email me with your lowest out the door price and if it meet my price you have a deal". "As long as the car looks as good as in the picture you have a deal". (OPTIONAL) “Once the price is confirmed I will call you to confirm the time to come down that meets your schedule”. “My goal is to make this transaction easy for both of us so I will send you my license number, insurance policy number and address so you can start the paper work. Then when I get their all I have to do is inspect the car and then sign the paper work.” "Also, please clean it up and change the oil I want to make sure that I start from scratch in maintaining it." Even if they email you back and say your have a deal you are still not obligated to purchase. For instance you show up at the dealership and the car has more damage than in the pictures or stuff you did not notice when you saw it last then just walk away. Remember, they want to sell the car and the GM will go back and see how much profit he will make. If you work with the guys on the lot they have to make a profit above what the GM wants. But if you go directly to the GM his profit is much less. Another thing I do is go on autotrader and see what the average price of the car then I go back to the M35/45 they are selling and see how long it has been on the lot. The longer on the lot the more aggressive they want to sell it. Thus you can ask much lower out the door price. If you can use as much as the lingo they use the more apt they are to make the sale faster because they know you are awary of all the BS mark ups they add (i.e., hold back, service charges, advertisement fees etc.). Again never work focus on MSRP but focus on the Out the Door (OTD) price. Again, a BMW 5 and MBZ E class are in much higher demand than the M35/45's so generally the car is sold to certain group of customers. Another words, you have the advantage. If you don't believe me then send me the URL of the car you are interested in and the name of the dealership. Then tell me when and how you want to pay for it and I guarantee I can the get the price lower than the MSRP or what they quoted you. Just last week I was on business from California to Maryland. Again, I have never bought a car in Maryland. So I was talking to one of the ITs at the firm and she said she was going to buy a 2010 Nissan Rogue. I told her to give me three hours. Her original quote was $23K MSRP for a Grey on black S. In two hours I was able to get he a SL black on black for $21,500.00 out the door (tax, license etc.). She had a check in hand and no trade in. But trade ins are easy as long as you negotiate them after the out the door price of the car. However, I tell people to sell the car personally to get the maximum price. But if they do not want to deal with the hassle them I generally ask price between the trade in and private party price. If they are motivate to sell their car (90% of the time) then I get what I asked for. It all depends on the car being sold. Bottom line we as car owners have this unnatural relation ship with our cars and think ours are betting then the average one so we have a tendency to ask much higher than it is really worth. A great example is go to this site’s market place and see what our fellow Infiniti owners are selling their cars. Just because they bought after market parts might they feel it will increase the price, in their minds, but a new buyer mostly don't want bling just a used M35 and is focused on getting the lowest price as possible. Once you break the bond/relationship with your old car the clearer and more realistic you can sell it. My last car I sold it on less than 12 hours. I found the average price and sold it 500 bucks less. I also wrote a great description and posted a bunch of pictures. What it demonstrated to the potential buyer is that I took great car of the car and wanted to pass it on to somebody who would appreciate it just as much as did. But again I broke any mental/physical bonds I had with it. I also, kept the car in the best condition I could during the selling process so when the first person saw the car they were able to picture themselves owning/driving it. I know we love our cars but just like any relationship we must break it off in order to think clearly and rationally when it comes time to sell it/break it. If we know those basic facts we have the upper hand next time we purchase a car. Sorry for the long information but I hope somebody in the forum gets something out of it. I know there is much more in the car buying process but I have no more room to write.

Hey Maguzma,

I need some help purchasing a 2009 M35x 72k miles. Black on Black . Dealership wants $21,991. Please help.
[email protected]

THANKS!!

[Larz]

I own a 2007 M35 (not X) and I bought it last year for $22k. It has NAV, bose 5.1 surround with (i think) 14 speakers, radar cruise control, self-adjusting Xenon headlamps, and lane change avoidance. It had 67k miles but the bourbon leather and the genral condition of the car made up for the mileage. In the glove box I found an old service record from the Infiniti dealer for tires and repair to the driver's mirror motor - the original owner was the service manager at Coral Springs Infiniti which lead me to believe it had a good service history.
Yours is on offer for 29k, but it's an X, and has half the miles mine has. I think you should definitely pay more than $22k, but $29k seems high to me. I think $25-26k is more reasonable. If they offer that price range, I would buy it if I were you (and be glad you arent me, cause that's not easy, LOL)

[SmoovC]

I know there are regional adjustments in price, but here are a couple low mile M45's for cheaper and about the same miles that I found locally:

Private party: http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/3754585345.html

Dealer: http://www.valleybuickgmcofauburn.com/V ... 1970155643

These are just for comparison, but I think you dealer is pretty high...... I can't imagine paying more for a M35; even if it is an "x". Just my .02 cents...

[ubigred]

I own a 2007 M35 (not X) and I bought it last year for $22k. It has NAV, bose 5.1 surround with (i think) 14 speakers, radar cruise control, self-adjusting Xenon headlamps, and lane change avoidance. It had 67k miles but the bourbon leather and the genral condition of the car made up for the mileage. In the glove box I found an old service record from the Infiniti dealer for tires and repair to the driver's mirror motor - the original owner was the service manager at Coral Springs Infiniti which lead me to believe it had a good service history.
Yours is on offer for 29k, but it's an X, and has half the miles mine has. I think you should definitely pay more than $22k, but $29k seems high to me. I think $25-26k is more reasonable. If they offer that price range, I would buy it if I were you (and be glad you arent me, cause that's not easy, LOL)

Great job on the lights.

I am in the market for an Infiniti M35. Low to moderate mileage fully loaded.

Just curious , have you had any issues with your car since purchase?
How do you listed to music? Cds, phone, ipod,etc? Playing music/Pandora from my phone is VERY IMPORTANT to me.

Thanks

[Larz]

Thank you for the compliment!
Regarding issues with my M:
ABsolutely none at all. Since I bought it used, and had no real record of maintenance - I changed the oil and filter, and had the coolant, transmission, and rear dif fluids serviced. I recently needed new rear brake pads so I also had the brake fluid replaced because it was deep deep black.
I think most M owners in here will tell you that even high mileage Ms (assuming that you do maintenance) will run like new and I can atest to that. Peeps always comment on the quality and ride while in my car and ask if my car is new and when I tell then it's a 2007, they are gobsmaked (mouth wide open - brit slang for shocked).
Regarding music:
I mostly use XM radio - lots of used M's have the module pre-installed but it isn't activated so you wouldn't know it - type "XM" in the search bar to find the threads about XM Radio and how to see if your M already has it.
I also use the CD player - thanks to TXT (another member here) I now burn CDs from my comp and if you burn the CDs as 'data' instead of 'music' you can actually make folders and fit about 100 tracs on a single CD. I just did CD that has 4 sep folders, and contains 94 tracs - on ONE CD! That leaves room for 5 more in the player - a total of close to 600 tracs ! Bloody amazing, innit?
I don't use an I-pod or have the interfaces for the various other added music players. However, if you check the thread called "FAQ' and How To's" near the top of the front page, you will see step by step instructions with pics to guide you on installing those sorts of devices and advise on which device might be best for you..
If you're new to this site - You will find this to be a great place to learn things about your M, and the peeps here post How-To's that are brilliant to help you mod or repair and maintain your M.

[ubigred]

Thank you for the compliment!
Regarding issues with my M:
ABsolutely none at all. Since I bought it used, and had no real record of maintenance - I changed the oil and filter, and had the coolant, transmission, and rear dif fluids serviced. I recently needed new rear brake pads so I also had the brake fluid replaced because it was deep deep black.
I think most M owners in here will tell you that even high mileage Ms (assuming that you do maintenance) will run like new and I can atest to that. Peeps always comment on the quality and ride while in my car and ask if my car is new and when I tell then it's a 2007, they are gobsmaked (mouth wide open - brit slang for shocked).
Regarding music:
I mostly use XM radio - lots of used M's have the module pre-installed but it isn't activated so you wouldn't know it - type "XM" in the search bar to find the threads about XM Radio and how to see if your M already has it.
I also use the CD player - thanks to TXT (another member here) I now burn CDs from my comp and if you burn the CDs as 'data' instead of 'music' you can actually make folders and fit about 100 tracs on a single CD. I just did CD that has 4 sep folders, and contains 94 tracs - on ONE CD! That leaves room for 5 more in the player - a total of close to 600 tracs ! Bloody amazing, innit?
I don't use an I-pod or have the interfaces for the various other added music players. However, if you check the thread called "FAQ' and How To's" near the top of the front page, you will see step by step instructions with pics to guide you on installing those sorts of devices and advise on which device might be best for you..
If you're new to this site - You will find this to be a great place to learn things about your M, and the peeps here post How-To's that are brilliant to help you mod or repair and maintain your M.

Thanks for the added insight!