Hello all,
I'm looking in to buying a used '03 G35 sedan with 34k miles (asking price: 22k). Its from a private seller that seems nice and the car looks like it was kept very well (driven by a 31 year old female). I want to get an inspection done but I dont want to pay the 112 bucks that Infiniti deal charges for an inspection here in STL. Is there anything that I should pay close attention to mechanically on this year G35's and with about this many miles??? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks for reading.

 

I am a noob with my G, but my previous car, an Audi, that I bought used, I wished I had taken it to a mechanic first, would have saved me a few thousand in the year and a half that I owned it. The dealer might not be the first place I would take it, on the surface that seems like the logical decision, but from my experience, its all about volume at the dealers, and they won't really take the time to inspect it properly. Plus they benfit when the car is brought in for a 6ooo dollar transmition replacement...I would ask friends and family to recommend a trustworthy mechanic that knows Nissan/Infiniti. just my $.02.

 

Take the car to Firestone Service Center. We do CVI's (Complete Vehicle Inspection) for $20. We'll check everything from Brakes to tires to suspension parts, to exhaust. Here's a list of some of the stuff we check out in a CVI
Check all fluids
Power steering hoses
CV boots
Bellows boots
Sway bar bushings
Link Pins
MICrometer the rotors to see if they need machining or replacement
Let you know how many 32'nds are left on the pads
Check all suspension parts
Plus some other stuff that i cant remember off the top of my head

Hope this helps
-GP-

 

Personally I would try to get a base 05 leftover at maybe 28K or so. I would try to extend myself for the extra 6K as there is nothing like a new car. PLUS you will get the majority of the 6K or so back when you are ready to sell the car. Hate to generalize but some 31 yr old women really have no idea how to treat a car-ie driving easy when cold, probably not detailing the car themselves, etc, etc,. Just my .02.

 

The car should still be under the bumper -bumper warranty. If the car looks good and performs well in your test drive you s/b ok. Check carfax and call infiniti they'll give you any data they have on recall and warranty work. If that checks out the only thing i'd worry about are major accidents that weren't reported to carfax. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. Gdup, that was just the info i was looking for. Coridog, yeah the only thing I was worried about from the owner was exactly what you said but i'm banking on her not driving as hard as 20 year old guy would on a regular basis... but i guess we'll see what kind of shape its in.

 

Some 03's had problems with the brakes wearing out too quickly. I would definitely have those inspected. I second the notion of trying to get a new 05. They are discounting those a lot now. There are some improvements in the 05's that I personally think are critical(Much better interior and exterior, and 05 engine seems smoother).

 

Anything other than breaks that tend to go wrong/wear on 03's and other things that tend to happen after 34kmiles??

Yeah i definitely wish i could drop the extra few k's to get a slightly used 05 but my financial contrstaints (being a fulltime student) are really limiting me to very low 20's for a price... i would really like a g35 so this is the year/milage that falls in my range...

 

'03-'04 G35 brakes are covered under warranty for 3-year/36k miles.... the '05 brakes are not but they are bigger and upgraded. i think you should be fine with a '03 certified g35 if you can find one in your range. good luck