Hi there! first post on this forum and its not a good one . I recently bought a 2005 G35 Coupe with 172,xxx on it, and was a manual all for $4500 for my first car. Even though it had high mileage I still had confidence that the engine wouldn't **** out on me anytime soon. Got it inspected after buying it only to find out that the front knuckles, ball joints, control arms and bushings would need to be replaced. Also found out that most of the flex pipe had been crushed by something (I suspect the previous kid who's first car it was ran over maybe a concrete barrier, like in a parking spot, and crushed the flex pipe and never fixed it). On top of that, we also found out that the front brakes and rotors were rusted and worn to the point where they needed to be replaced. The flex pipe and brakes and brake rotors have been fixed, but at this point me and my parents have sunk nearly $6000 so far in this car (car itself and repairs), and it'll be another $1500 for the ball joints. I currently don't have the $1000 that I need to put into the ball joints (my parents will pitch in the other $500). I'm at a loss at what to do except for to let Gesus sit for most likely up to 6 weeks as I scrape together the money.

If anyone has any tips or advice for me they will be greatly welcomed. Thanks for reading.

 

The inspection should have been done prior to buying it.

Even after spending $$$ the vehicle will never be worth your cost plus repairs

Telcoman

 

That was the original plan, but there was coincidently another kid and his dad looking at it as soon as we got be back from test driving it. We knew that if we didn't buy it there than it was going to be gone. So we bought there and drove it home and got it inspected 2 days later and then the bad news just kept coming.

 

Theee cars are known for having control arm and suspension related parts fail early.

They take quite a bit of work to replace too. So if ur not good at fixin cars...u prolly wont be able to do it yourself.

 

$1500 for ball joints??? I got a set of Beck/Arnley ones for less than $100 and paid for two hours at a self-service garage ($80 total) to install. Didn't even have to use air tools. Get yourself some ball joints (OEM, good brand name, whatever) and find a mobile mechanic to pop them in. Shouldn't cost more than $200 in labor.

Front control arms (upper and lower) are super easy to replace with a basic wrench set and jack/stand. Z1 makes solid adjustable ones for not much dough, lower ones can be found at Rockauto for less than $120 for a set. Installing both can easily be done in a few hours, although upper are trickier than lower.

 

Is it worth fixing? I would say yes. The car has some quickness to it, is safe and still has a nice body style. I was going to pick up a new Murano but find it hard to justify dropping 50k on a car that will depreciate in a few months and I had a brand new pathfinder for a week in June and it has the same engine as the Infiniti and overall, is not much nicer. Sure it was newer and had blind spot monitoring but at the end of the day, the G is a solid car that in my eyes, still stands up to todays cars. I think its worth fixing. These forums and youtube are great. No harm in rolling up your sleeves and learning something new and doing it yourself.

 

Assuming you actually mean the 1500 is for knuckles, ball joints, and control arms. Search https://www.rockauto.com/ for all the parts you think you need (its ok if you don't know all the parts and leave something out) and add up the prices. Search google for some mechanics with good reviews near you. Call the 3 mechanics that seem most legit and get a quote for this work including their parts. If the quote is WAY more than the sum of all the parts prices, ask them what they are charging you for all the parts, and compare it to what you found at rockauto. If you could get the parts a lot cheaper yourself, ask if they would be ok installing parts you provide. I'm hoping you find a better deal. Good luck!

 

Buy a breaker bar and do it yourself

 

Heya, just recently put in new upper control arms myself. Dont get too down. These are some good cars if you do the maintenance involved. Always remember, if you can do it yourself, DO IT YOURSELF. If you've got the tools, or your dad does, and is knowledgeable, do it yourself! I've saved thousands of $$$ from repairs on my Z to my G. If you dont, try and rent some and watch some youtube videos and learn. We all start somewhere.

Buy OEM, or look for a partout. I got my hands on (almost spotless) SPC Adjustable Upper control arms for under $200 from a partout.

You'll be okay bud. Just show more love to the car than the previous owner did, and the car will treat you right,

 

Yeah if I paid mechanics to do everything I've done, I'd be at least 6k in as well... Instead I'm more like $1500-2k
All those things you listed are common issues for a 15 year old OEM parts G35. If you DIY the suspension rebuild you can use polyurethane bushings which will last forever

 

Except the car is 14 years old and has almost 170,000 miles on it.

And yes, the inspection is done prior to buying not after. Never buy such an old car without a pre-purchase inspection.

 

Have a friend that knows how to work on cars help you out. Watch DIY videos. You can buy parts on rockauto and even Amazon. Dealership quoted me over a grand for the ball joints. You can drive on them. But you'll wear out your tires inner tread alot faster. I spent about 40-60 for the ball joints. Took off the knuckles and had a shop press them in for 20. I spent maybe 100 or so for more tools. Working on it yourself will definitely save you money. Replace all the bushings when you do your ball joints (They are also on the knuckle and may or may not be free spinning). Maybe the wheel bearings while you're at it. I'm driving an '04 with 185k.

 

We have never recommended buying a G35 coupe as a "First Car" due to the cost of repairs and with your mileage repairs will never end!
Gary

 

It can be very expensive. Many just choose to avoid problems though. Some may be adjusted!