Hey Guys, Looking into getting my first car, I'm a 20 year uni student that's looking into getting a car that'll be fun to drive for a few years. I bus to most places I need to in the city, but need a car for running errands and communting highways back home once and a while. I recently spotted a 2005 G35 Sport Sedan with 200k kilometers on it (124k miles). The car has never been in any accidents, and regular maintenance has been done since the owner bought brand new, the car is also driven by an older guy, so it seems safe to say he likely hasn't been red lining it his whole life. I sent it for a pre-sale inspection before i purchased and am awaiting the results, only issue I saw was some spot rust in a few odd places, as well as the headlights are fogged. Was able to get the owner down to $4500 Canadian, roughly $3500 USD, Is this a good deal? Is there anything I should expect to see in an G35 this old?
Thanks!

 

That sounds like a good deal depending on where the rust is and the results of the PPE. Did you get a chance to drive it?


Despite the look and the price, G35s are luxury sport sedans. Everything in the suspension is more expensive (larger and sturdier built) and harder to work on (more complex, more parts, aluminum control arms) than something like a Toyota.


I had the same idea as you: I bought my G when I was 20 and I've been using it as my daily commuter car when I'm on an internship (half the year). When I'm at school it sits and gets used for road trips and for weekend fun.



I rebuilt my front suspension @ 115k miles on my '04 G because the clunking and looseness over every bump combined with the floaty behavior at speed made the car similar to drive to my OEM suspension Corolla (but obviously with a lot more power and grip). That expedition ended up costing me somewhere around $700 plus the cost of a garage worth of tools, with me doing all the work putting in dozens of hours learning how to work on cars as I went. Now the car drives amazingly and I'm looking to take it to some track events to really see what it can do.


When I bought my car I had a little bit of rust bubbling under the paint above one of the wheel arches - I bought it anyways figuring I'd have it fixed for $500... Little did I know what was hiding under the plastic side skirts

:https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-cou...-opinions.html
So I'll be spending a couple weekends grinding and putting down Bondo, and painting to make it look half decent. You don't want rust on a car you care about. trust me.

My point is that cars like this get expensive very quick - you'll want to fix everything to have a nice driving, good looking whip whereas with a economy car you won't necessarily care about problems like clunks or steering dead spots as long as it still gets you from A to B cheaply and safely.


If you've got the budget for parts and the time, ability, and inclination to do the work yourself I say go for it - just make sure you research and know exactly what you're getting into. The VQ35 engine is reliable, just make sure it isn't burning more than a quart or so every 3500 miles and there's no reason it shouldn't go past 200k. I don't know much about the auto transmissions but the 6MTs are also very reliable.

 

I just picked my 04' G35x up for $3000 but it had 3x bad tires, 1 bad cam sensor, 1 bad wheel bearing, 2 bad lower ball joints. KBB (kelly blue book) it and see what it goes for trade in and private party. I bought mine at trade in value which is really hard to find a car in that range with good interior and body.

 

Seems like a good deal.

Is this Auto or manual? If it has been maintained, then it should be good to go. You'll have to do the normal wear items e.g. suspension, brakes, tires, fluids, interior, head unit, etc. But for the most part the engine and trans should be good.

Let us know how the inspection goes.