Hey guys, I am looking at an '07 G35 Sport with 110k+ miles. Anything off hand I should look for when I inspect the car and test drive? I am going to pull the codes to see if there are any hiding in there, but any other big things or common problems I should look out for ? Thanks.

 

My general rule of thumb is this:

1. Inspect the underside of the ENTIRE vehicle for damage, dings/dents/etc.
2. Check fitment gaps around all panels, quarter/hood/trunk/etc this is a good indicator of substantial damage to the vehicle that was repaired.
3. Check paint finish at an angle against light for irregularities or mismatched texture, this is a good indicator of minor damage that was repainted.
4. DEMAND to be present for a cold start of the engine, verify before start by placing your hand on the block, if it's warm and you DEMANDED to be present for a cold start then they're hiding something from you. On a cold start stand at the tailpipe and look for smoke, good indicator of worn valve guides.
5. DEMAND a test drive, if you don't thoroughly test drive the vehicle there's no point in even buying it honestly. Rev the motor high but not redline, slalom test on unpopulated roads for suspension wear, brake check on an empty freeway, etc. If they're not willing to let you do this they're hiding something.
6. Have owner rev to redline a couple times (try to stay out of the rev limiter) while you stand at the tailpipe and look for smoke.Good indicator of worn piston rings.
7. Push Every. Single. Button. in the entire vehicle and make sure everything works, including all indicator lamps, and all lamps in the instrument cluster. Electrical gremlins are the WORST...

Other than that it's simple stuff like using your ears and nose, do you smell coolant, gear oil? Do you hear a slight rod knock? Minor cosmetic things like missing or broken interior components I would let slide since you can ebay stuff on the cheap but other things like ripped interior I will haggle the price. Use your nose on all the seats, make sure there isn't a faint odor of cat **** which can be temporarily covered up but can never be completely removed.

Lastly, use your instinct, after you have inspected everything tell them you need a few minutes to think about the vehicle. Wait until the "new car rush" has worn off and think about the ENTIRE vehicle, is it EXACTLY what you want? There are a lot of G's out there and if it's not EXACTLY what you want or has anything about it that leaves you feeling a little uneasy then DONT BUY IT!

If it meets all your criteria 100% and everything checks out then sign the title and walk away a happy owner.

PROTIP: If you don't feel comfortable doing the inspection yourself then DEMAND the vehicle be taken to a local Nissan/Infiniti dealer for inspection (you will be the payee for this service).

Another PROTIP: People are sleazy, ignore 100% of whatever fluff the previous owner tells you...

The only "big thing" or "common problem" would be window motors and oil consumption, window motors is an easy check, use the switch in both manual and auto mode (manual is manually lifting the switch to the first click and holding it while it raise/lowers, auto is pulling the switch to the SECOND click and then releasing it while it automatically raises/lowers). Oil consumption is a more difficult one to test, only really applicable to 6MT versions with the rev-up motor, and you won't know unless you take apart the upper intake manifold and look for pooling oil or drive it for a couple weeks and check the oil and see it's low, however it's pretty normal for OC on the rev-up so...

 

Thanks for the feedback, yea, I have purchased many cars before, all makes and models seem to have their own quirks. Just wanted to see if the G35 3.5 had any issues, I was reading the 3.7 had gasket issues that was an expensive fix. Thanks again

 

^^^^^^^

What he said but having a vehicle thoroughly inspected by an Infiniti dealer and having the dealer run the VIN number for you may very end up saving you a ton of money in repairs?
Tires, brakes, alignment,emissions, evidence of accident or flood damage are all important items.
The dealer has access to the Consult tool to do an entire check of the entire vehicle that you do not have access to.
Was the original purchase of the vehicle made in another state coming with a washed title?

Good luck

Telcoman

 

I'm actually looking at 2 identical 2007's, one from a reputable dealer here in Dallas, one from a private owner. Dealer car has 124k miles, one owner. Private owner car has 111k miles and is one owner as well....kicker is the private owner is asking $2,000 less. Which makes sense as dealers always markup their cars and this one has been sitting for 2 months. Either way, I will do my homework on both and see if I can track down service histories on the cars. Will be looking at them next week so we'll see how it goes. Sounds crazy but I kinda like working with dealers as they do all the paperwork and hassle for you, at a price of course, and this dealer values their customers and comes with a lot of perks, free car washes, free loaners, roadside help, etc etc.

 

I have zero issues working with a dealership that has a good reputation, tell them about the private owner vehicle with less miles and $2k less, they might knock off the sales tax and licensing or something.

 

I've got a beauty if you want to come to Denver. High mileage but in great condition (182K miles).