https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/5266857548.html
So that's the car, the owner is like me a car enthusiast so the fluids are kept up to date. But he mentioned that the 5th gear synchro is an issue. That the only moment it grinds is when the clutch is matted to the floor and you shift into 5th gear. After that he said it doesn't make any noise. So I'm just wondering if this car with 84k miles would be worth the money, the owner said $8,000 would be the lowest he'd take.

I really love G's and I don't see myself driving anything else and I want to make this car work, but if you guys think that the trans would go soon please let me know if you have any knowledge of this stuff with the transmission.

And if I did get it if the transmission went how much would a new one be, like worst case scenario right there.

Excited to see feedback to learn more about this car!

 

I'd have a mechanic inspect it. It's better to pay the $100 than make an $8,000 mistake.

The front bumper paint doesn't match and is peeling some, indicating it's been repaired. Mechanic should look for front end damage. Hopefully it was only a minor fender bender, and not hiding something serious.

You can buy a brand new trans for about $1,900 shipped, or less for a used one, if that one is actually bad.

Overall it seems like a good deal, just have it inspected beforehand.

 

He had someone else come out and look at it and they got it inspected this is what he said about the inspection to me (sorry for it being long) this is exactly what he emailed to me about the inspection.

"Couple other things that came out of the inspection:



- They recommended replacing the tires. They said the fronts are starting to tear a little bit (likely from not being driven much recently) and that the rears are “worn”. I would say the rears have some life left on them, but if the fronts are being replaced, probably makes sense to do the rears as well. I looked at the fronts briefly and didn’t see any tearing, but I’m going to have to take a closer look. It wouldn’t surprise me if they made that up to be honest. Could it be true? Sure, but tires are an easy way for them to make money.

- They said the power steering system is leaking. The power steering fluid reservoir has not changed, and I have not observed any fluid on the ground under the car, so I take what they say with a grain of salt. It could certainly be leaking, but I doubt to the extent that they would claim it is. I have never experienced any issues whatsoever with the steering of the car.

- They recommended a fluid flush. Probably not a bad idea to do at some point, but that’s something that would need to be done on any car you buy. You can do some of that yourself as well if you’re mechanically inclined."

I also asked about the 5th gear and he said this.

"My issue is a little bit different than the issue that the original poster in that link has. His grinds after he puts it in 5th and starts to release the clutch, where mine occurs while the clutch is fully presses in. So basically, I want to shift to 5th, so I push the clutch in and push the shifter **** into 5th. This is when it grinds, with the clutch fully to the floor and fully disengaged.



The grind will only happen if I shift quickly, which makes me believe it’s the syncro on 5th. If I shift slowly (or even normally for that matter), it goes in perfectly fine."

If that were true would you want the transmission replaced?

 

https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/5265189022.html
What about this one guys? What's your aspect on this compared to the other one that I was previously talking about.

 

I think the 2006 is the better purchase. The 2003 looks like it was driven hard, plus the 2006 has the upgraded interior. And BTW, there is no such thing as a "Track Edition" for G35s.

 

Plus one on the 06 being a better purchase. I'd probably just deal with the transmission until it blew up, if ever. Since the seller sounds like he's being dismissive of the "issues" found, either he has no clue about maintenance, or is trying to downplay any issues. I have trust issues and would get my own independent inspection anyway, but that's just me.

Going by what was said though: old tires can crack (or split) and should be replaced. So factor in about $800 for a set of new tires.

Complete fluid change is pretty much standard for any used car since you have no real way of knowing what the previous owner did.

Power steering leak is probably more of a "seep" since the owner claims he hasn't noticed. Usually the hoses degrade and look "wet". My G is fine, but I've had to replace hoses on my S14 and our Armada, so it's a pretty common issue IMO.