Hey Guys,

I just found an '03 G35 sedan for $8500. It was traded in for a new Acura. The CarFax is clean as a whistle. It's a one-owner car. Tranny shifts smooth as butter. No body damage. Interior is as clean as the CarFax. The only downside that I can see is that it's got 110,000 miles on it and the AC is going full blast/radio controls cut out intermittantly. (Dealership says that it is the audio unit and THEY WILL COVER THE REPAIR AT THE INFINITI DEALERSHIP AT NO COST!!).

It was previously owned by a local family and it's in such great condition that I can't help but think daddy took GREAT care of it.

I have two questions:

1) Is this as good of a deal as I think it is? (considering mileage and electrical troubles)

2) What problem areas should I be looking for in a G35 of this age/mileage?

I fell in love with the car after test driving it... I didn't want to go back to the lot, but the crabby old sales lady started nagging.

Thanks for your input folks. If I go through with it, I may become a regular.. I can already feel the obsession coming on!!!

 

I would get the VIN of the G35 and run that by the service dept at your local Infiniti dealer to see what service history the car had. Also, make sure the recall work for the fuel filler hose was performed. When I bought my '03 G35 three years ago from a private owner, I found out that this recall work was not performed so I brought the car to the dealer, and of course they did the work at no charge.

Other than that, this sounds like a deal to me despite the high miles. Offer $7K as a starting point for the car and see what the dealer thinks.

 

Problem areas:
1. Spark plug valves likely have oil in them due to the valve cover (or "rocker panel") leaking.
2. Compression rods.... try going over uneven surfaces like from a road to an inclined driveway, listen for any creeping sound especially when you have the wheels turned as you are moving. And do this at slow speed.... like 10 km/h.
3. Window motors can act up.

I'm just over a month into owning my first G so I'm no expert by any means. The first 2 issues I mentioned are VERY common... they aren't an indicator of the car being bad, but if you have to take care of them it will set you back a good chunk of $$$.

Check out the stickys in some of the other forums on here, you might discover other common problems you could check.

BTW.... I think the problem you mentioned with the AC/Radio unit is also very common. If it can be fixed free of charge then have the seller do it before you buy the car... hard to get them to do anything or keep their word once you've actually paid.

And yes, the car is awesome, so I'm not surprised you don't want to let it go.

 

Its a great deal. 110k miles is nothing for these motors. Good luck with your purchase.

 

Those 'electrical troubles' are solved by replacing the Bose head unit. About a $500-600 job so if they will replace it, that's a nice little bonus.

 

Well, the dealership had already come down from 10,200 asking. So I took the plunge and dropped my savings 8500 out the door and a written statement saying they will fix the Bose head unit at the local Infiniti dealership ($450) once the part comes in.

I've been browsing the forums a lot and have been thinking about doing an ECU reset since an old family man has been driving the car and I likely drive a bit more.... "spirited" shall we say? Anyone know if it's actually worth doing??

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have the Infiniti dealer do a thorough inspection when they replace the Audio unit. There is no noticeable squeaking/creaking when pulling into uneven driveways or speedbumps and the like...

I also found a 100,000 mile service contract (from the Infiniti dealership) so I figure the thing is in tip-top shape.. In fact, just today I noticed some scratches on the metal door-sill that says INFINITI so I rubbed it.. What do you know, the protective plastic was STILL ON!!

 

Seems like a good deal..

 

good buy so far, let us know what the dealer tells you when you pick her up.

 

yah. i have the same exact car as you. and i got mine for $11,200 . with 79kmiles

 

Wow, I can still remember when I purchased my '03 brand new back then for about 33K. That's seems like a good deal despite the mileage.

 

Yeah, jump on it. I got my 03 in Feb with 99,000 on it for close to that, and I absolutely love it. It was also 1 owner, full service record (you can tell from reading it that the guy was a real stickler for maintenance) the only problems were the rear was rippled from a very low speed impact and the Bose was acting up and killing the battery. Funny you mentioned the plastic on the door sill, I did the same thing when I first looked at mine! Unfortunately the passenger side is gone, but no big deal, I'm going to get the JDM ones that say SKYLINE anyway, riverside Infiniti has a good deal on them at their eBay store. Other than that the car has been tip-top and I'm already up to 110,000.
On a side point about the Bose, I managed to lobotomize the CD changer out of mine and it now works fine, just AM/FM and Tape only. It's getting me by until I can get my computer installed in the dash like I did in my old car. I'll get around to making a how-to whenever I take my dash back apart.
So is it a doggy door?