Need some experienced opinions please...
03-15-2009, 10:47 AM
#1
Need some experienced opinions please...
OK so I am considering purchasing a used 350z convertible. Been looking at some 2006's because I like the color options (primarily the sunset orange or w/e the real name is). I have test driven a few and come to some conclusions about the general public - most of them that I have looked at and test driven have been really beat on. Well I guess to most people thats what a sports car is for, but for gods sake at least maintain it.
Anyway, on with the story, I found a 2006 sunset zr touring with the ventilated seats at a dealership. A young girl traded it in because she was having her 1st child. Body is in pretty good shape, just a few rock chips, a small scrape under the front bumper, some small scratches, overall OK. Only thing that really bothered me was 3 of the wheels were scraped, not curbed, but the black primer was showing through in quite a few spots. But that's what tirerack if for, right?
The car has 22,3xx miles on it, and the dealer is asking $23K, but indicated to me he was very flexible on the price. However, after reading the warnings here about the oiling issues of 2006 models and after the test drive I needed some answers from people in the know. The car seem to run OK, but I noticed a few weird things that raised my suspicions.
Firstly, the oil pressure gauge never really moved from the middle mark between 0 and 60 - not even under acceleration or revving at idle. Then when I opened the hood, I could hear tapping - either loud injectors or valvetrain (since I am new to the nissan scene I dont know what the engine really sounds like broken in). There was oil around the dipstick area, on the side of the airbox, the engine cover by the oil cap. Not alot, very little - could definitely been from a sloppy mechanic, but noticeable to me.
Secondly, on the test drive, everything suspension/steering wise seemed OK, until I made some jug-handle turns. Decellerating around the turn I heard and felt a deep, groaning, pulsating sound. Wasnt brakes cuz it didnt do it on a straight stop, couldnt figure out if it was suspension or tires, or rear end.
Now I really liked everything else about the car, and considering how rare the color and seats are together, do you think it is worth having the car brought to a Nissan dealership to see if they will do a full check-up on the car? Will they even do a Used Certification type inspection? I realize I would have to pay, but with the sales guy willing to deal I think I could get them to knock $2500 off the price right away.
Should I pass this one by or give it a chance? I dont really want to spend $300+ on a dealership to give it the once over if it turns out to be in rough shape mechanically. If it gets a good result, I could always talk the original dealership down on the price to recoup the $.
Or is it a better idea to go for a 2007 - the problem is I dont really want a silver or black car, and the color choices for 2007+ (other than Nogaro red which is too bright for me) are very limited in variety.
Appreciate any insight you can give!!
Anyway, on with the story, I found a 2006 sunset zr touring with the ventilated seats at a dealership. A young girl traded it in because she was having her 1st child. Body is in pretty good shape, just a few rock chips, a small scrape under the front bumper, some small scratches, overall OK. Only thing that really bothered me was 3 of the wheels were scraped, not curbed, but the black primer was showing through in quite a few spots. But that's what tirerack if for, right?
The car has 22,3xx miles on it, and the dealer is asking $23K, but indicated to me he was very flexible on the price. However, after reading the warnings here about the oiling issues of 2006 models and after the test drive I needed some answers from people in the know. The car seem to run OK, but I noticed a few weird things that raised my suspicions.
Firstly, the oil pressure gauge never really moved from the middle mark between 0 and 60 - not even under acceleration or revving at idle. Then when I opened the hood, I could hear tapping - either loud injectors or valvetrain (since I am new to the nissan scene I dont know what the engine really sounds like broken in). There was oil around the dipstick area, on the side of the airbox, the engine cover by the oil cap. Not alot, very little - could definitely been from a sloppy mechanic, but noticeable to me.
Secondly, on the test drive, everything suspension/steering wise seemed OK, until I made some jug-handle turns. Decellerating around the turn I heard and felt a deep, groaning, pulsating sound. Wasnt brakes cuz it didnt do it on a straight stop, couldnt figure out if it was suspension or tires, or rear end.
Now I really liked everything else about the car, and considering how rare the color and seats are together, do you think it is worth having the car brought to a Nissan dealership to see if they will do a full check-up on the car? Will they even do a Used Certification type inspection? I realize I would have to pay, but with the sales guy willing to deal I think I could get them to knock $2500 off the price right away.
Should I pass this one by or give it a chance? I dont really want to spend $300+ on a dealership to give it the once over if it turns out to be in rough shape mechanically. If it gets a good result, I could always talk the original dealership down on the price to recoup the $.
Or is it a better idea to go for a 2007 - the problem is I dont really want a silver or black car, and the color choices for 2007+ (other than Nogaro red which is too bright for me) are very limited in variety.
Appreciate any insight you can give!!
03-15-2009, 12:03 PM
#2
Welcome. If you are shopping for a roadster here are several considerations:
How much top-down driving will you do in New Jersey?
As for the 350Z in general is this your winter vehicle or do you have an alternative?
Your year and color selection is terribly narrow. You will either not find a match or have to search out-of-state.
How much top-down driving will you do in New Jersey?
As for the 350Z in general is this your winter vehicle or do you have an alternative?
Your year and color selection is terribly narrow. You will either not find a match or have to search out-of-state.
03-15-2009, 12:16 PM
#3
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hey man check this out
http://www.northcoastnissan.com/Vehi...ails/342670533
i've seen it in person looks good
hope it helps
http://www.northcoastnissan.com/Vehi...ails/342670533
i've seen it in person looks good
hope it helps
03-15-2009, 01:57 PM
#4
I plan on doing alot of top down driving - NJ is pretty far from Siberia. 
If I can ride my motorcycle from April to November, having a big steel wind deflector wrapped around me should be no biggie. (and yes my bike is orange too - Lucifer Orange is what Triumph calls it). The bike has to go, but that is a story for another day.
I have a Mazda 3 which is my daily driver, the z is going to be a pleasure vehicle.
My color choices arent as narrow as my first post sounds, I looked at a black/black/black one as well, which was in pretty nice shape, but I have owned an all black car before, and it is too damned hot in the summer. Its like driving around in a 300hp George Foreman Grill.
Basically I would like to stay away from the black exterior/interior, that is probably what will be the biggest limiting factor in my search.
The colors I like, if I had to put them in order are:
1- sunset orange
2- blue
3- Barcelona Red (is it really? looks purple to me)
4- white
5- dark gray
But I just happened to find exactly what I was looking for fairly quickly, I ran a Carfax report which came up clean, it was just concerned with what I found on the test drive.
I had been looking at other roadsters with which I am more familiar (Miata, SKY, even an SLK), but after some comparisons, the Z comes up as the best fit for me.
usa_alex - appreciate the link, but I am looking for a 6 speed manual.
So back to my original question, does the car set off any red flags, or is it worth the effort to investigate further? If it is not a good car mechanically I have 0 problems walking away, but I dont want to give up on a potentially good deal, in the exact colors I hapenned to be looking for.
From what I understand those ventilated seats are hard to come by in any exterior color.
Thanx for the replies!!
If I can ride my motorcycle from April to November, having a big steel wind deflector wrapped around me should be no biggie. (and yes my bike is orange too - Lucifer Orange is what Triumph calls it). The bike has to go, but that is a story for another day.
I have a Mazda 3 which is my daily driver, the z is going to be a pleasure vehicle.
My color choices arent as narrow as my first post sounds, I looked at a black/black/black one as well, which was in pretty nice shape, but I have owned an all black car before, and it is too damned hot in the summer. Its like driving around in a 300hp George Foreman Grill.
Basically I would like to stay away from the black exterior/interior, that is probably what will be the biggest limiting factor in my search.
The colors I like, if I had to put them in order are:
1- sunset orange
2- blue
3- Barcelona Red (is it really? looks purple to me)
4- white
5- dark gray
But I just happened to find exactly what I was looking for fairly quickly, I ran a Carfax report which came up clean, it was just concerned with what I found on the test drive.
I had been looking at other roadsters with which I am more familiar (Miata, SKY, even an SLK), but after some comparisons, the Z comes up as the best fit for me.
usa_alex - appreciate the link, but I am looking for a 6 speed manual.
So back to my original question, does the car set off any red flags, or is it worth the effort to investigate further? If it is not a good car mechanically I have 0 problems walking away, but I dont want to give up on a potentially good deal, in the exact colors I hapenned to be looking for.
From what I understand those ventilated seats are hard to come by in any exterior color.
Thanx for the replies!!
03-17-2009, 07:35 AM
#6
OK I called Nissan and they said that a Used Vehicle Certification Inspection would be $94 - since it is cheap I think I will arrange to have the car brought to Nissan to give it the once over before I make my decision.
It must be a good buyers market right now, the dealer with the triple black has called me 4 times in two days. Funny thing is they havent altered the price.
It must be a good buyers market right now, the dealer with the triple black has called me 4 times in two days. Funny thing is they havent altered the price.
03-17-2009, 09:37 AM
#7
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I would personally recommend moving up to a 2007... I did all of the same research that you did before buying my car, and when I got done doing all of my reading up on the VQ35HR engine, I refused to look at anything else. It gets better mpg, has Higher HP, better reliability, it IS still in warranty, and I personally think the bump in the Hood is Sexy...
As far as a strategy for finding the right one, at the right price... I did all research, AND negotiating online, and make sure you don't HAVE to have one or another, several options give YOU power... I used AUTOTRADER.com and had GREAT results... I did a search within 300 Miles of my house and narrowed it down to 5 that I loved, all the same color coincidently (Solar Orange, looks bad in most pics, but when you and others see it in person it is a showstopper!), and then I emailed each of the 5 Dealers with the price that I was comfortable paying OUT-THE-DOOR (hinders them from adding in as many fees as they can, that is the FINAL PRICE, TAXES, TITLE, EVERYTHING!), with little regard to what they were actually asking (3-5k lower in most cases)... Next, you wait, and not very long, EVERY single dealer called the next morning asking when I was coming for the vehicle. Next, get a subscription to CARFAX and check all of the vehicles looking for unfavorable conditions (Multiple Owners, Wrecks, Auctions, etc...)... If they all check out, pick your favorite and make sure the dealer understands what Out the Door entails, because they will try to get ALLLL of the money they can...
Finally, buy the car and come here to post pics...
Good Luck!
As far as a strategy for finding the right one, at the right price... I did all research, AND negotiating online, and make sure you don't HAVE to have one or another, several options give YOU power... I used AUTOTRADER.com and had GREAT results... I did a search within 300 Miles of my house and narrowed it down to 5 that I loved, all the same color coincidently (Solar Orange, looks bad in most pics, but when you and others see it in person it is a showstopper!), and then I emailed each of the 5 Dealers with the price that I was comfortable paying OUT-THE-DOOR (hinders them from adding in as many fees as they can, that is the FINAL PRICE, TAXES, TITLE, EVERYTHING!), with little regard to what they were actually asking (3-5k lower in most cases)... Next, you wait, and not very long, EVERY single dealer called the next morning asking when I was coming for the vehicle. Next, get a subscription to CARFAX and check all of the vehicles looking for unfavorable conditions (Multiple Owners, Wrecks, Auctions, etc...)... If they all check out, pick your favorite and make sure the dealer understands what Out the Door entails, because they will try to get ALLLL of the money they can...
Finally, buy the car and come here to post pics...
Good Luck!
Last edited by Stogge; 03-17-2009 at 09:48 AM.
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03-17-2009, 09:40 AM
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OK I called Nissan and they said that a Used Vehicle Certification Inspection would be $94 - since it is cheap I think I will arrange to have the car brought to Nissan to give it the once over before I make my decision.
It must be a good buyers market right now, the dealer with the triple black has called me 4 times in two days. Funny thing is they havent altered the price.
It must be a good buyers market right now, the dealer with the triple black has called me 4 times in two days. Funny thing is they havent altered the price.
03-17-2009, 01:07 PM
#9
Thanx Stogge -
I told the dealer with the black z that I wasnt fond of the color combo. I even went as far as to say that it wasnt even a tactic to lower the price, I wanted something with a light colored interior. They were all non-chalante while I was there, telling me that I would be back, but I'm still not interested. And the calls keep-a-comin.
Now the dealer with the sunset z has agreed to send the car to nissan, get the used certification inspection, and have nissan fix any problems they find.
I hear you about the HR, that is also something I am considering. But there arent a whole lot of 07's out there right now near me (Autotrader only had one Touring 6 speed with reasonably low miles within 300 miles, blue w/ black interior). I am in no real rush, I have a feeling that more will surface when the weather gets warm. But I also think the prices may jump (z's and convertibles in general are really a specialty market), after which I may wait until fall to purchase so I can again have the upper hand when dealing price.
I was actually saving to buy one new in cash, but that would take me at least another year+ in order to keep enough $ socked away for this questionable economy.
I told the dealer with the black z that I wasnt fond of the color combo. I even went as far as to say that it wasnt even a tactic to lower the price, I wanted something with a light colored interior. They were all non-chalante while I was there, telling me that I would be back, but I'm still not interested. And the calls keep-a-comin.
Now the dealer with the sunset z has agreed to send the car to nissan, get the used certification inspection, and have nissan fix any problems they find.
I hear you about the HR, that is also something I am considering. But there arent a whole lot of 07's out there right now near me (Autotrader only had one Touring 6 speed with reasonably low miles within 300 miles, blue w/ black interior). I am in no real rush, I have a feeling that more will surface when the weather gets warm. But I also think the prices may jump (z's and convertibles in general are really a specialty market), after which I may wait until fall to purchase so I can again have the upper hand when dealing price.
I was actually saving to buy one new in cash, but that would take me at least another year+ in order to keep enough $ socked away for this questionable economy.
03-18-2009, 08:07 AM
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Thanx Stogge -
I told the dealer with the black z that I wasnt fond of the color combo. I even went as far as to say that it wasnt even a tactic to lower the price, I wanted something with a light colored interior. They were all non-chalante while I was there, telling me that I would be back, but I'm still not interested. And the calls keep-a-comin.
Now the dealer with the sunset z has agreed to send the car to nissan, get the used certification inspection, and have nissan fix any problems they find.
I hear you about the HR, that is also something I am considering. But there arent a whole lot of 07's out there right now near me (Autotrader only had one Touring 6 speed with reasonably low miles within 300 miles, blue w/ black interior). I am in no real rush, I have a feeling that more will surface when the weather gets warm. But I also think the prices may jump (z's and convertibles in general are really a specialty market), after which I may wait until fall to purchase so I can again have the upper hand when dealing price.
I was actually saving to buy one new in cash, but that would take me at least another year+ in order to keep enough $ socked away for this questionable economy.
I told the dealer with the black z that I wasnt fond of the color combo. I even went as far as to say that it wasnt even a tactic to lower the price, I wanted something with a light colored interior. They were all non-chalante while I was there, telling me that I would be back, but I'm still not interested. And the calls keep-a-comin.
Now the dealer with the sunset z has agreed to send the car to nissan, get the used certification inspection, and have nissan fix any problems they find.
I hear you about the HR, that is also something I am considering. But there arent a whole lot of 07's out there right now near me (Autotrader only had one Touring 6 speed with reasonably low miles within 300 miles, blue w/ black interior). I am in no real rush, I have a feeling that more will surface when the weather gets warm. But I also think the prices may jump (z's and convertibles in general are really a specialty market), after which I may wait until fall to purchase so I can again have the upper hand when dealing price.
I was actually saving to buy one new in cash, but that would take me at least another year+ in order to keep enough $ socked away for this questionable economy.
This is the Solar Orange That I was Talking about, it is bright, but it is a Sports Car that can definately pull it off...
03-18-2009, 05:22 PM
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Yeah, I agree all of the pictures I saw looked horrible, and I found one that was similar to the one above and I fell in love! Keep us posted on your car buying process! In for pics!
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