Is the history of this 2007 M35 okay for my 1st buy?

[finestlittlemexican]

I've been looking at this 2007 M35 as my 1st Infiniti car. It's clean exterior and interior. The automatic shifting is the smoothest that I've driven in a M35. The carfax shows something that is odd to me. It's been decently maintained, but around 87K miles, it started to show "Steering/suspension lubricated" 5 times at the same 'Speedway Express Lub' until it was traded into the dealer. What do you think? Is this a common issue? Is this car a money drainer or an issue that is expected and can be resolved?

Carfax showed:
11/05/2016 87,215 Steering/suspension lubricated
08/23/2017 94,872 Maintenance inspection completed | Drive belt(s) replaced | Wiper(s) replaced | Spark plug(s) replaced
10/07/2017 95,295 Steering/suspension lubricated
01/13/2018 98,695 Steering/suspension lubricated
06/20/2018 103,208 Steering/suspension lubricated
10/27/2018 Steering/suspension lubricated

Infiniti M35 Base
3.5L V6 DOHC 24V
Miles: 108,307

Not totally sold on it, but would like to get it because the price is near my budget.

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum!

I'd have it inspected by an Infiniti dealer or one of those other pre-buy inspection services. Sounds like maybe it had a leaking steering rack or something? But if that's all it is, I would just knock the price off the car and replace. Mine was replaced on my 07 IIRC and I didn't have any issues with it after.

[Larz]

Welcome!

I agree. There is no reason for that much attention to the steering. Two possible reasons - either this is the usual case of these corner shops just adding a service at each oil change to increase the bill, or there is a recurring issue with the steering (although it's very unlikely that any 'express oil' shop could have a decent mechanic capable of spotting trouble in the first place, LOL).
If the inspection confirms no problem with the steering or suspension, this is a VERY good car and, ifv maintained properly, will last another 100k miles easily. The engine is bullet-proof and the 5 speed gearbox is brilliant. It is smooth and silky and very dependable. The newer 7 speed gearbox does what all of them do regardless of brand. It is silky and smooth 99% of the time, but also can be lost at times in stop-go traffic, deciding on a gear and sticking with it. Even if there is an issue with your steering, you should still consider a purchase, but with the price reduced to match the cost of the repair (or same price after the dealer performs the repair for free). Next bit of advise ... make sure that car NEVER sees a corner shop or express shop again. Buy your own hi8gh quality, high mileage oil and take it to the Infiniti dealer for each change. They will supply the filter, replace the squish washer, do a thorough inspection of all the important stuff (by a REAL mechanic), and a wash / vacuum for about $30 using your own oil.
Please post again to let us know what the issue was, if any. Lots of great, knowledgeable members here to guide you with any issues in the future. Best of luck!

[finestlittlemexican]

Welcome to the forum!
a leaking steering rack or something? But if that's all it is, I would just knock the price off the car and replace. Mine was replaced on my 07 IIRC and I didn't have any issues with it after.

Thank you for the warm welcome. It is a pre-owned car vfc at an Infiniti dealer, so I'll ask for them to look into it.

As a minor annoyance, the drivers seat warmer doesn't work. Is there a common fix for that? I've seen that it can have a bad connection.

Thanks

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum!
a leaking steering rack or something? But if that's all it is, I would just knock the price off the car and replace. Mine was replaced on my 07 IIRC and I didn't have any issues with it after.

Thank you for the warm welcome. It is a pre-owned car vfc at an Infiniti dealer, so I'll ask for them to look into it.

As a minor annoyance, the drivers seat warmer doesn't work. Is there a common fix for that? I've seen that it can have a bad connection.

Thanks

It really could be anything...have the dealer investigate that (for free) as part of the pre-purchase agreement. "I need to know the fix before I commit on the seat and steering issues"...