I'd like to say I'm glad I finally found this forum as some others I stumbled upon seemed very inactive.

I'm gonna be buying a 03 sedan very soon (if still available). I've learned that it's an 03.5 with ALL the options. I test drove and paid close attention to the transmission shifting and all seemed good, no major delay from P to D, at least to me. The engine fan however was on right from start though. Everything looked fine except a broken cupholder for the backseats.

I wanted to introduce myself and maybe read some replies on what else to look for before purchasing this vehicle.

Thanks!

 

Welcome, glad you found and joined our forum.

With the 03-04's the one thing i would look at the most is the brakes, make sure they have good life on them when you buy the car because you have to replace them every 15-20k miles anyways (if they're the stock components) The fan being on right away could be due to the car being run prior to you driving it. Or it could have been that the AC was on when you started the car.
-GP-

 

Thanks for your reply. No I'm positive the car was cold and not driven before me..in fact I'm positive I was the first that day to drive it. The A/c wasn't on either. I'm sure it should be no major issue maybe just a fan switch.

The brakes are the drilled rotor type. Stopping while driving seem good. I didn't check the pads closely.

Also, are your hood hinges also painted the same color as the car? The hinge that connects the hood to the body.

 

yes, the hood hinges are painted the same as the body.
-GP-

 

Funny finding this thread. The UPS guy that delivers to my biz saw my wife's new G coupe and asked about the ride. Is it stiff, harsh?? He has an 03 sedan and says the ride is nasty, very hard and everything inside shakes alot, bought it new and has pretty much been unhappy with it from the start. I have no idea baout what tires/size or options he has on it. Just passing that info on to you for you to think about and do a serious ride with it. I know the last few years there were supposedley some changes made.

 

Thanks..I test drove it ...without the dealer too! He let me go by myself. So yeah I drove it good, looked for speed bumps in a parking lot and rolled down the windows to listen for any sounds. There were none, ride was nice. Not harsh like car was lowered or anything.

There are several recalls for that year g35 sedan.. I only wish I can tell if it's been taken care of or not. This dealer I'm dealing with is only a small time used car lot with mostly luxury vehicles.

 

he probably needs new shocks if that's the case, either that or he just doesnt know the meaning of a "SPORTS" sedan...
-GP-

 

I think drilled rotors would be aftermarket, not stock. Since you talked about the trans from P to D that means an auto and that means on the sedan no Brembo, just the conventional Nissan brakes.

Early G35 sedans like mine have a fan clutch/accessory drive belt main cooling fan, later models changed to electric fan(s). Not exactly sure if the change was for '03.5 or for '04. If this particular car has electric cooling fan(s) that are not the A/C fan, and the fan runs immediately upon cold startup, I would be concerned enough to research it in the Factory Service Manual.

 

I had an '03 and only a few minor issues...
A squeek in the front right wheel area -never found. Also I experienced the fan belt always getting the slip when there was a large rain or by accident ran through a deep puddle. Took awhile for it to subside.
The brakes, besides the large amount of dust, where replaced a few times but always under warrantee.
The final prob was that the hood hinges started to bind and almost prevented hood from opening all the way.
These may seem large but where very minor compared to other autos I have owned but I did go and purchase a new '07 as there seems to be nothing else out there that meets my needs and likes.
THe ride was always superior and it was alwaysa fun car to ride.
Hope this helps