random price checks around the country are worthless. only local values matter to you.

 

^^ true, but if you're willing to travel a short/moderate distance, you can definitely get a steal. i found mine about 2 hours south of where i live. 2006, clean title with 38k miles on it... i had Nissan do a used car inspection, everything checked out perfect, and i walked away with it for $15,200. the deals are out there, and sometimes you might have to go a little out of the way to find em. GL!

ps. make sure to search neighboring craigslist cities/counties!!

 

Yea thats exactly what I am doing, I didn't realize there were so many decent deals on other neighborhood's craigslist.

Also, when you take those cars to mechanics to check em out, does the seller usually go with you? or you leave some type of collateral? Also how much did your NISSAN dealer charge you for the check up?

Thanks.

 

Used vehicles are on the rise accross the board, demand is high right now and more people seem to be looking twoards pre owned as opposed to new. When I originally started looking for a sports car I was going for a bmw z4..In november I could have gotten one I wanted for 18-20k...same car now is going for 25-27k...and this seems to be the norm. talked to several friends hwo own dealerships and they confirmed this.

 

I totaled my Acura last week. I always look at CL for the heck of it and used prices have been on the rise since the financial crises. As new cars stopped being bought, used became more desirable.

I paid 21k out the door with 36 month/100k bumper to bumper warranty, Sky Way tracking, clear bra cai, 18" rims new 255s front & 285s rear with 60k.

Last year a similar car likely would have been 18k.

 

just spend the extra money and get a 2007

 

i trusted the seller enough to take it up to nissan and drop it off the following week. i had the tech at nissan call me when it was finished then i had him fax me the report and i paid for the service over the phone with a cc. i think it ran about 90 bucks or so. definitely well worth every penny to have that reassurance

 

Agreed ^

Go with an '07 +

 

So uhm, I drove 100miles to check out a $16,000 2006 Black 350Z with 48,000 Miles

The clutch was about to go out,
Engine was making a ticking noise,
Car had major dents on almost every part of the car,
Front bumper had million chipped parts from small rocks flying,
Enormous vibration on the shifter when its in gear,

I offered $14,000 and he said $14,500 is the lowest he can go.

I left.

Good job or bad job?

 

i wouldn't have even offered without taking it to get inspected man. trust your instincts... if the car doesn't seem right, then gtfo! you'll be glad you did in the long run. go the extra mile if you like the car and get it checked out.

 

Yea, its just hard to leave the car when I know I can buy it. So when you get it inspected, does the seller go with you? or I don't get how the procedure goes.

 

luckily the seller was a really cool guy and ended up working with me on the whole deal. he needed to get out from under the loan asap so he was willing to go the extra mile to ensure the sale. living 2 hours north of where the car was actually located, I was unable to make the trip down to take it in to nissan during the work week so he did for me. he dropped the car off and picked it up, and i paid for everything and spoke to the technician and got the report and invoice faxed to my office. you'd think it would be kind of a pain in the *** to coordinate it all but really it wasn't that bad. definitely worth it IMO.

 

unless he still had a transferable warranty I wouldnt have even offered that much with those problems.. prob had oil consumption and a throw out bearing problem or the guy before you couldnt drive a clutch and destroyed it.

It would have cost you way more then you were saving to fix it unless it was all covered under warranty.

 

why would you even make an offer on a car in that condition? damn

 

The dilemma continues,

I am going to offer 12K for a 2006 350Z BASE with 37K miles (the blue one from my 1st post)


The only problem is I want a black one!!! but the price is too good to pass up.

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he who hesitates... ends up with a different car. you see a good deal, on a car close enough to what you want, you should jump on it.

personally I see no reason not to at least get an enthusiast trim.

 

i have an 05 DB enthusiast model with 13,5xx miles on it and i was selling it for $20k. but no buyer. so i am keeping it until someone gives me a reasonable offer. but good luck to you.

 

the shifter vibration is completly normal... the day i pulled out of the parking lot with my brand new 08 grand touring the shifter vibrated and I asked nissan they said it's normal they said it's an "aggressive gear shift"

 

All the cars that were smashed up under the Cash for Clunkers program created an excess demand over supply for used cars. That has a lot to do with why used car prices are so inflated over a year or two ago. It wouldn't apply specifically to the 350Z, since the Z wasn't covered by the program, but the overall scarcity of used cars has caused them ALL to go up in value.

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone,

and yea I was wondering if the vibration was normal, but still the car seemed a bit sketch.

The search continues!