M35's with Rebuilt title

[zx2max]

I have been looking to buy an 06 or 07 Infiniti M35 and am noticing a lot of them I see on Craigslist and Autotrader have a Rebuilt title. Are there any major issues with these cars? I've never seen so many cars with Rebuilt titles. Thanks.

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum.

Depends on who rebuilt them. I have a few friends who do autobody on salvage cars and some come out almost like new and some, you just hope the buyer doesn't know anything about the history. All have to pass a salvage inspection (at least in NY) where they check for stolen parts (used to fix the car), etc.

If you can look at the car physically, I'd highly recommend it. Do NOT buy a rebuilt car sight unseen (like on EBay).

[zx2max]

Thanks IlyaKol. I definitely won't buy one sight unseen. I guess people tend to get in accidents with these cars and the repair cost outways the car value because as far as I can tell mechanically these cars are great. I've owned several Nissans so I know that Nissan and Infiniti make solid, reliable cars. I just wanted to make sure that mechanically the cars are fine and they needed a lot of body work hence the rebuilt title.

[Ilya]

I've seen cars where from the outside you take a look and it looks fine. But once you take off a fender, you're missing a chunk of subframe, lol.

Again, depends on who the the rebuilder was. If it was a dude in his personal garage, I'd likely stay away. If it was a decent shop or something, probably fine.

[TOMatBMR]

I wouldn't buy a rebuilt car personally unless either I performed a thorough inspection myself or another professional. Just too much risk involved because who knows if the shop did the job right, or just slapped it together to the minimum standards.

[Larz]

You also should consider other issues: It can be difficult to get anything more than 'liability' coverage - meaning insurers may not provide comprehensive / collision coverage. Even Kelly Blue Book does not provide values for rebuilt cars - it's too hard to arrive at a value of the car so insurance companies cannot determine the values needed for this coverage. Since lending institutions require comp / collision on any financed vehicle, you will not be able to finance any portion of the price of the car.
Many shops who rebuild cars do only what will make the car pass an inspection (no stolen parts, etc) and they do not ensure the car is as safe as that same model with a clean title - and the inspection does NOT cover safety issues or quality issues. Inspections just help ensure stolen parts were not used and the exhaust is not too loud - just enough to make the car eligible for registration in your state. Everything else is a mystery and you take all the risks. If the wheel falls off on the motorway because the shop did a cheap fix on that axle, you have no recourse and with no comp / collision coverage, you pay all expenses and damages.
so ... it's a matter of cost Vs safety / reliability and only you can decide what you and your family are worth. That's harsh, I agree, but it needed to be said.

[tbright]

Relevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ivEi60fAQ

This guys describes some potential problems with a used/rebuilt Infiniti. I can verify the dead CD player and ripped up seats in my wife's FX- I'm hoping to avoid that same fate in my M. He also talks about spotting body work (mismatched welds, paint chips on screws, gloss vs matte paint etc). Good luck!

[zx2max]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I've decided to stay clear of the ones with rebuilt titles. I just put a deposit down on a 06' M35x with a good title so I'm sure I'll be on this forum a lot reading, searching and asking questions. Looking forward to being an M35 owner.