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For the bottom carriage pictured vehicle. The rear diff bushing is blown and will need to be replaced, minor and very common, but just another item you can use for price negotiations. If you're concerned about rust, areas to really check would be around the rocker panels, especially around the edges of the front and rear fenders. If there's signs of paint bubbling or scale, I would walk. Take a good look under the front subframe and inspect the chassis braces (both front and rear). The rear W-brace is notorious for rusting away since it's folded/stamped sheet metal. The front components are heavier duty and all are painted from the factory, but if the vehicle saw salted winter roads, the rust can get pretty bad.
From what I can see, this car has minor surface rust which wouldn't make me question it's integrity. It's at a level where it can be treated without breaking the bank. The surface rust around the rear axles and diff output shafts is normal, every Z gets that as Nissan never put a protective coating on those parts.
For the engine bay pictured vehicle, I've never seen a strut hat look that rusted on a 350Z before (but I don't live in a rust belt state). The strut bar brace mount is also looking pretty rough, heck even the spring clip for the air filter box is rusting. I wouldn't call it a deal breaker, but it raises more questions. If the top of the engine bay has that level of corrosion, what does the undercarriage look like? Answer: It's probably far worse.
Cheers!
-Icer
For the bottom carriage pictured vehicle. The rear diff bushing is blown and will need to be replaced, minor and very common, but just another item you can use for price negotiations. If you're concerned about rust, areas to really check would be around the rocker panels, especially around the edges of the front and rear fenders. If there's signs of paint bubbling or scale, I would walk. Take a good look under the front subframe and inspect the chassis braces (both front and rear). The rear W-brace is notorious for rusting away since it's folded/stamped sheet metal. The front components are heavier duty and all are painted from the factory, but if the vehicle saw salted winter roads, the rust can get pretty bad.
From what I can see, this car has minor surface rust which wouldn't make me question it's integrity. It's at a level where it can be treated without breaking the bank. The surface rust around the rear axles and diff output shafts is normal, every Z gets that as Nissan never put a protective coating on those parts.
For the engine bay pictured vehicle, I've never seen a strut hat look that rusted on a 350Z before (but I don't live in a rust belt state). The strut bar brace mount is also looking pretty rough, heck even the spring clip for the air filter box is rusting. I wouldn't call it a deal breaker, but it raises more questions. If the top of the engine bay has that level of corrosion, what does the undercarriage look like? Answer: It's probably far worse.
Cheers!
-Icer
Man you are a Saint. For the undercarriage car I'm getting a prepurchase inspection done tomorrow , but sales guy sent me these pics too . Hard to see but looks decent i think.
They sre both out of state unfortunately ao can't inspect in person and have to rely on PPI sending pics like thet did with the 2008
My main concern is I'll pass on these 2 very rare 2007/8 HR 350z with less than 25k miles because I might have unrealistic expectations and expect too much out of cars that will be pushing 20 years old in a few years. I know next to nothing about Cars. Not going to lie. I wish I did as it would help so much now.
I got my 2004 350z back in 2007 and 154k miles later its still going as good as the day I got it. Most of the issues are structural like the rear hatch door hand etc don't work and the center console scratched up and leather seat has a big tear and etc etc, but absolutely zero issues with the engine itself or any of thr components thst actuslly keep the car running safely. They really did build those things like a rock back in the day . Something tells me the new Zs wouldn't be half as reliable as these old Japanese cars
If I were you, I would just fix those minor issues on your '04. It's still running strong and you know the car. Buying used always involves risk.
These cars are becoming harder and harder to find and with the rumored Nissan bankruptcy, they will become even rarer and more expensive. Plus my cars pushing 155k miles and showing its age.
I guess I'll see the lemon squad inspedtion report of the 2nd car today.
The additional pictures posted from the dealer don't really say much. Those are all the control arm components, which on Z33s are made from aluminum. So those will never rust, they will get some light surface oxidation, which is evident in the pics. The chassis braces are at the center of the car, they are painted steel, you really won't be able to get good photos of them without putting the vehicle on a lift or jacking it up. The front subframe is also hidden pretty good behind the lower pan cover.
From what I can see, this Z has some oxidation but it doesn't look like grew up with heavy use in the winter on salted roads. But a closer inspection with better lighting on a lift would tell more.
What state(s) do these vehicles reside in?
For me personally, I look very closely at the condition of the exterior/paint, and the interior before I even consider the condition of the undercarriage. Why? Because if the previous owner(s) loved the car and took care of it, then that will be evident by the condition of the more visible "high touch" areas. For example if the dash, seats, carpet, trunk panels, etc. are stained, cracked, scratched, ripped, or torn, or broken. that tells me the owner probably beat on the car and showed a lack of interest in regularly scheduled maintenance/upkeep. There's other signs I look for as well, but that's just one example, and yes there are always exceptions, but in general a clean/tidy vehicle, with minimal mods or no mods, with a clean history report, is usually a safe bet.
If you already have a clean Z with 150k mi, I would keep it. If the engine isn't burning oil, just plan/budget for a timing chain service, with new cam sensors, crank sensor, and coil packs, and keep it on the road. The issues you mentioned can be resolved without much effort. Seats can be re-upholstered, giving you the option to customize the pattern and go with higher quality leather. The center dash can be re-conditioned (I just went through this on my Z), or spend extra and replace the whole thing with new OEM. The rear hatch button above the lic plate should be an easy fix (bad switch or actuator most likely). The rear hatch struts if worn out can also be easily replaced (I just replaced mine with OEM). The biggest problem with doing these repairs would be downtime. If your Z is your daily, that will be challenging. You would want to have a backup car. It took me months (working only weekends) to completely recondition all my interior plastics with the crappy paint.
Parts for the most part, are plentiful, but prices have been going up, and some pieces are becoming hard to find. But I do believe these cars are still fairly cheap to keep and maintain compared to many others. In terms of reliability, the 350Z has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. It's never given me any trouble in terms of the powertrain, but I do take care of my Z to a point that might be a little extreme.
Cheers!
-Icer
The additional pictures posted from the dealer don't really say much. Those are all the control arm components, which on Z33s are made from aluminum. So those will never rust, they will get some light surface oxidation, which is evident in the pics. The chassis braces are at the center of the car, they are painted steel, you really won't be able to get good photos of them without putting the vehicle on a lift or jacking it up. The front subframe is also hidden pretty good behind the lower pan cover.
From what I can see, this Z has some oxidation but it doesn't look like grew up with heavy use in the winter on salted roads. But a closer inspection with better lighting on a lift would tell more.
What state(s) do these vehicles reside in?
For me personally, I look very closely at the condition of the exterior/paint, and the interior before I even consider the condition of the undercarriage. Why? Because if the previous owner(s) loved the car and took care of it, then that will be evident by the condition of the more visible "high touch" areas. For example if the dash, seats, carpet, trunk panels, etc. are stained, cracked, scratched, ripped, or torn, or broken. that tells me the owner probably beat on the car and showed a lack of interest in regularly scheduled maintenance/upkeep. There's other signs I look for as well, but that's just one example, and yes there are always exceptions, but in general a clean/tidy vehicle, with minimal mods or no mods, with a clean history report, is usually a safe bet.
If you already have a clean Z with 150k mi, I would keep it. If the engine isn't burning oil, just plan/budget for a timing chain service, with new cam sensors, crank sensor, and coil packs, and keep it on the road. The issues you mentioned can be resolved without much effort. Seats can be re-upholstered, giving you the option to customize the pattern and go with higher quality leather. The center dash can be re-conditioned (I just went through this on my Z), or spend extra and replace the whole thing with new OEM. The rear hatch button above the lic plate should be an easy fix (bad switch or actuator most likely). The rear hatch struts if worn out can also be easily replaced (I just replaced mine with OEM). The biggest problem with doing these repairs would be downtime. If your Z is your daily, that will be challenging. You would want to have a backup car. It took me months (working only weekends) to completely recondition all my interior plastics with the crappy paint.
Parts for the most part, are plentiful, but prices have been going up, and some pieces are becoming hard to find. But I do believe these cars are still fairly cheap to keep and maintain compared to many others. In terms of reliability, the 350Z has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. It's never given me any trouble in terms of the powertrain, but I do take care of my Z to a point that might be a little extreme.
Cheers!
-Icer
thanks man for the detailed responses
In my first post, the engine bay is from a car in Oregon. The bottom pics are feom a car in Missouri.
My next post with more under car pics are from the Oregon car.
The enginr bay on the Missouri car looks pristine, but the those are the first pics with the rust under the car. I attached pic of interior of both cars. They're both really good inside.
The engine pic is from the Missouri car. So clean.
Missouri car is Base, Oregon car is Touring, $16.5k vs $20k Missouri car Oregon car. Missouri car
Is this rust bad ?
