I am currently looking to buy a 04 g53 manual transmission, with about 74,XXX mile. The person has it posted for 9K. Is that a good amount to pay? Obviously I will send him a lower offer, but I would defiantly appreciate you opinions. Also I would like to know if there is anything I should be looking out for that might draw me away from this deal.

 

if it's really clean and with 74k and change on the ODO, I'd say 9k is a good price. gotta make sure the car is mechanically sound though

 

It all depends on the condition and history of the car. If it's a clean car and well maintained with no accidents in its history that sounds like a good deal to me.

 

Seems like a good deal to me but I also feel that people put too much priority in getting something with low mileage. These engines last a very long time if taken care of. Granted you don't know what the previous owner did to it, but still.

Listen for any rattle/whining noise from the timing chains on startup and when revving. Ask him if he can leave it cold so you can start it up from a cold start. I've noticed when chain guides/tensioners start going bad, the first thing you'll notice is a short rattle on a cold startup. Chains aren't too bad to replace though, but having them done at a dealer would prob be around 2k for the correct repair.

Listen for bucket shim ticking. Sounds like injectors but louder usually. Also not a terribly hard fix, but I have not found a source to get the parts. Dealer does not make them anymore and I'm sure any that might be laying around on their shelves aren't cheap.

Another common one, check heater operation. If it doesn't blow hot when idling but gets hot when revving/accelerating, the coolant needs to be bled

None of these are reasons I would not buy the car... I'd buy one with every one of those issues and not be worried. But it's something you can use to lower your offer and have him understand the low offer and not be offended.