Signed up here because I'm considering buying a 2008 ex35. It's got less than 50K miles on it and seems to be in very good shape except for the very first thing I noticed when I took it for a test drive - the steering column adjustment is broken. It makes kind of a grinding noise when I move the joystick around (so it's not a switch issue) but the steering column does not move in any direction.

So I'm curious as to what the issue is and how hard this is to repair and what parts might be required. (I've always DIY'd maintenance and repairs on my vehicles and restore 80s/90s BMW motorcycles as a hobby so I'm not a novice in the wrenching department and have lots of metric tools.)

Also, what's a guess at what it might cost to get this fixed at a dealer/shop? (So I can get the seller to knock that much off of the price.)

And, while I'm posting here, aside from the usual stuff is there anything in particular to inspect/check prior to buying this car?

The EX you're looking at has relatively low miles for its age, but the following thread has a few common issues that owners here have seen over the years:
looking-to-buy-a-2010-ex35-t618593.html

It turns out that the electric tilt/telescoping steering adjustment is one of those. I don't believe it's the motor itself that goes bad, but instead it's the plastic gears that end up breaking. It's an issue in other Infinitis and Nissans as well, and I recall seeing estimates of $900 for replacement at the dealer.

It looks like that there are repair kits available for some of those other models with this issue, but I hadn't seen one for the EX. Hopefully this isn't the case, but it's possible you might have to purchase the entire assembly for a lot more money in order to fix the problem.

Nicoclub used to host and share the Factory Service Manuals for the DIYers, but it looks like Nissan had put an end to it. I don't have a copy of the 2008 FSM, but someone else here may have it or could find a workaround.

Thanks for the response, especially the link to the post with common issues. That'll help me inspect prior to purchase.

When i bought my QX50 first thing I did: disabled auto pan, tilt future.
It will break, sooner or later...