i have around 6k i was thinking of getting a "slightly wrecked" g35 now, and fixing it. i can still save till summer and have my parents go half and half, or what i was thinking is doing this and slowly fixing it or all at once, since im buying it with my own money, and get it now. he says he buys them from auctions running, his last one was a ivory pearl 03 coupe navi and all fully loaded and went for 3500. he said he usually gets them weakly. last one had bumper damage, head lights and hood and a little dent on the body on top of the back wheel. with that being said he says on most of his coupes it usually takes about 2500 to get them back up and good, i would think of getting a bodykit, lowering, blacking out head lights, and maybe rims, i think with 6k that would be good? any input on what i should do, buy now, or save and go half and a half, P.S they might probably help me with more than half.?

 

$2,500 for that amount of damage? If a shop is doing it, I'd say no. If youre doing it yourself then its possible but remember, body and paint work is not as easy as it looks. Takes alot of time to get anywhere near satisfactory. Good luck in your pursuit.

 

i would go for it definitely - that's pretty good price for the ivory coupe one - very good

fix it slowly and take your time make it right the first time for the last time - look around for cheap parts - and $2500 might just be enough ( you may have to bite it on the paint work ie cheap places ) - small price for a luxury right at $6k???

that's the deal of the century if you're willing to labor at it...

 

ps g35,6mt - please let me know if i can pick one up at that price since i am seriously considering a lotus elise (if not affordable then make my g35 coupe a track car ie take it apart and track it) but if i can get one at $3500 and dish out another $3k for a track car i rather do that anyday...

please let me know if that would help you get a good deal too if we buy together...

i can pick up anywhere in the texas or arizona area... even shipping it is ok too for that price

 

also - i know people down the street from me who spent over $3k just for a set of 19" volks and tires... i got mine used but that's still over $2k tho...

so that is a good deal and let me in on it if there's room for one more...

 

Price out replacement parts first, source what pieces you're likely to need to replace. My car was hit (while parked, by a pickup pulling out of the space next to me) not long ago. Chick clipped the front end and caused $4200 worth of damage. Based on the body shop inventory about $2500 of that ended up being parts and most of those were not visible (lot of crap going on under some of those panels). The remainder in price was not just putting new parts on but also the paint and prep work, etc.

Not saying it's a bad deal, just be careful and know what you're getting yourself into.

 

"03-07 Infiniti G35 Coupe OEM Carbon Fiber Hood by VIS" carbon fiber hood-$599
"03-07 Infiniti G35 Coupe Wings Body Kit body" kit-$799
ebay chrome grill- $41
"Tein S-Tech Lowering Springs - Nissan 350z/Infiniti G35" - $220
"2003-2004 Infiniti G35 - Anzo Driver and passenger side Headlight - Clear lens, Multi-reflector"- $231
black out all lights on the car- 100-200
touch up's- 200, my dad's patient owns a shop and he'll hook it up.

thats $2190 right there. doesnt seem bad leaves like 500 for a good pair of rims i can find on craigslist.

LINKS IF YOU WANT TO SEE.
http://www.body-kitz.com/index1.html
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-07...mZ190354722384
http://www.carbon-fiber-hoods.com/index1.html
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/de...A1R121172.html
http://www.importpartspro.com/teslospni35g.html


please let me know what you think, as for engine mods i might do chip? cold air intake, exhaust, and headers.

so 3500+2190 = 5690, not bad leaves some money for rims and maybe chip

 

If you know how to fix everything yourself, 2500 is probably a conservative estimate. If you know absolutely nothing, you'll pay a good premium to have a shop fix everything. As mentioned, good paint and bodywork doesn't come cheap. Sometimes "going the cheap route" ends up being much more expensive in the long run.

Sounds like your G search has been ongoing. Have patience and wait until you find what you're looking for...even if that means waiting a year till you have the cash available.

 

^^none of your estimates take into account frame, suspension damage, sensor replacement that will likely have to be replaced on a "slightly wrecked" G. For 3.5k I doubt you'll get a car that's body only damage.

 

so its not worth buying one like that?

 

When your getting a car from an auction dealer, you have to take into mind that dealerships get first dibs on these cars. They inspect them and if they see that its not worth it for them to fix then these cars go to the public for the cheap prices that you see.

Honestly your looking at that ***** low price but consider how much your going to spend fixing I'd say at least 5k if your lucky
So choose wisely

just my .02

 

you sound young, and i'm only 21 so this is the sort of verbal and mental abuse i received from my cousins when i come up with ideas like this. It helped me, i'd like to say.


honestly that estimation is quite dumb, are you going to put the parts on yourself?

most body kits don't fit 100% even good ones, so you need to take into account the labor to put it on, unless you dont plan to put it on properly.

also paint, in PARTS if you DIY will cost like $150.

also $500 isn't enough for rims or a "chip"

if you must take this route, i'd recommend taking your time, don't' get lulled in by the cheap prices, this happened to me too, i wanted to buy various vehicles which had low prices, and it turns most if not all of them were priced low for a reason. This summer, i went to look at 3 Acura TLs for my friend and every one of them had a rebuilt status. They claimed it was less than $4000 in damage, which racks up quite easily mind you, and they were authorized by my local insurance corporation to be ON THE ROAD. This is going to be a headache and you never know if the seller is lying or not, he's trying to make money right?

imo i'd get a 300zx or S14 with that sort of cash flow.

but just keep your mind open, most people who set out to do something, spend more in the process than they initially plan.

but whatever you go with, take your time and think it through. i'd be hard pressed to buy a rebuilt vehicle, without knowing all the facts.

Good luck

 

Btw here's a pic of an accident that happened about 3 weeks ago, someone made a u turn in front of me



from what i saw of the damage when the bumper was off they'll be replacing

Hood $500
Grille $200
Bumper $450
Energy Absorber $50
Bumper Reinforcement Beam $300
Rad Support $450
Both Air Bags/maybe the dash because of the air bags going off i'm not sure about this one
Air Bag Sensors

that's a total of $2000 before labour AND both air bags, i couldn't get a price on air bags, i will say these are with estimated prices, in our over priced Canadian parts, but i mean judging by the pic, it's not a lot of damage.

i'm guessing all said and done it'll cost close to $7000.


not saying you shoudln't get the car, i mean i am saying that, but just be wary and think clearly, we were all young and in a hurry to get a car. at least i was, and i made quite a few mistakes.

 

Honestly, I would have gone this route, IF my house had a garage that I can store the car while I worked on it AND another beater I can use while I worked on the restoration.

Couple of things I want to say (tho, others have already mentioned):

1) Labor (painting and installing) from a shop will cost you just as much if not more than your parts.

2) You need a cushion when you budget for this kind of stuff. If the car looks like it has only bumper damage, and you only have enough for a bumper, what happens if you pull the bumper off and the radiator or air box, etc, is also damaged? caketech's car is a good example above.

3) A car in an accident is never the same after (unless you are or know a real pro that'll rip the entire thing apart and put it all back together). Most shops slap the pieces together and if it "looks" good, they move on to the next insurance claim.

4) $500 for some off brand rims is do able, but don't forget about tires.

5) "chipping" (I'm assuming you mean "re-flashing the ECU") can't be done for $500. Maybe for a Civic, but not a G.

Ultimately, it's your money (and your parent's). Take what others are telling you into consideration (we may have more experience than you), but you should do what you want. Cuz in the end, you have no one to blame/thank but yourself.

It's a lot of money, make good decisions with it. best wishes

 

oh, on a side note, skip the 03-05 headlights and save up for '06-07 projector headlights