Hey guys! First post here. Glad to be a part of this community!

So, a family member has a 2006 350Z Enthusiast with only 49,000 miles on it. She wants to sell it to me for $10,500. She has taken ridiculously great care of the car. Kept it garaged, never drove particularly crazy, always got the proper maintenance. The car has never had any issues or required any repairs to date.

Obviously as the car is older, there is a greater likelihood of issues over time. And while I don't expect anyone to be able to give me an estimate with any certainty, I was wondering what you think, ballpark, I could expect regarding issues and repairs in the future. Is it quite possible that there are no significant issues in the next 5 years if I continue to maintain it? I'm aware predicting these things can be hard but I'm trying to gain a sense of just how badly age alone can impact a car's health, given that there is pretty damn low mileage on it, and you guys are obviously more informed on this car than I am.

 

Welcome. As you say, there's no way to provide any certainty on maintenance costs on a car with 13 years and 45K on it. But keep in mind that the next major service recommended by Nissan is at 60K and that could come up quick once you get your hands on it. There are other important questions to answer, chief among them are what kind of mechanical skills, tools and a garage do you own? If you go to a Nissan dealership or pro wrench to do all the work, you'd better budget $400-500 to get this service done. Lots less if you can DIY the service. There are plenty of threads on here about changing fluids (oil, tranny, diff, antifreeze, brake, etc.) and other suggestions for refreshing a used Z33. Finally, you didn't mention whether this Z is a manual or an auto, but that could also play into the maintenance question.

 

I would first like to say thank you, dkmura, for welcoming me and putting in effort into helping a complete stranger who happens to share your love for this car. I admire you man

The Z is an automatic. I am a pretty competent guy (software engineer) but the most I’ve ever done to a car is replace the alternator. I don’t know what a fuel pump is or how frequently I need to be replacing fluids. I can get access to a solid garage with a solid toolkit. Budgeting 500$ for a service doesn’t seem too insane to me, it’s basically what I’m used to.

So, if you think it’s in my best interest, I’ll get the next major service at 60k. I’m not sure what the costs are or what the service itself entails but I intend to take excellent care of this car.

Furthermore, do you think the price I’m getting is fair?

Again, thank you! I’m very grateful!

 

You're welcome, and it's always a pleasure to welcome someone who loves the Z. I'd suggest that it is in your best interest to follow the 60K service and even go a bit further and say it'll be worth it to do most of the work yourself, Upgrade the lubricants and some of the parts (like the brakes) if you can afford to. As for the asking price of this car, it sounds a bit high, but I can't judge accurately from a distance, either. Offsetting factors include the low mileage (good) and the automatic tranny (not as desirable), and most importantly buying it from a family member (generally positive).

The best thing to convey to you is that the Z has generally been very reliable with minimal maintenance. In my experience, the cars that haven't been beat on or modified extensively seem to fare the best. Good luck and keep us all apprised of your progress!

 

The OEM struts tend to go around this mileage mark, the same for the brake pads. As dkmura suggested, inspect and replace fluids. Coolant should be replaced every 3~5 years, DOT3 brake fluid & clutch fluid every 3~4 years. If the car is bone stock, you shouldn't need to worry about the electronic parts (radio, fuel pump, etc). It sounds like this car was well cared for and I suspect interior/exterior are very clean.

Items that may require some attention due to age...
Rear Differential bushings.
Front compression bushing (suspension, lower A-arm).
Accessory belts (unless owner has paperwork for them already being serviced).
Battery (if not already replaced)

That's all I can think of, the mileage just isn't high enough for major maintenance/repair. I assume this vehicle spent most of it's life garaged in Texas. I don't think rust will be a major concern, but I would still have a good look at the engine bay and undercarriage.
Cheers
-Icer