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Trying to buy a used 350Z.. please advice!!

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Old May 29, 2010 | 04:46 PM
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Exclamation Trying to buy a used 350Z.. please advice!!

All right, here is the story. I was planning to purchase a 2007 350Z GT for the price of 18888. I took the Car to Nissan dealership for an inspection; they found some problems with the car. The dealer said they will lower the price, but I told them I will make the decision later and walked away.

I want some of the advice from you professionals before I give a counter offer to them.

I will type out a list of the problems Nissan dealership provided me.

Please tell me how serious the problem is, would I be able to fix it myself ( I am an electrical engineer, I don’t know much about the mechanisms of 350Z, but if there are some guidelines, I can probably fix it)
Or how much would it cost to fix it (including parts and labor)

Ok Here is the problem the Nissan dealership found:

- Nissan put a new engine to the car at 8k mile (the car is currently 15k mile) the engine is warranty until 2012

Problem 1) the Coolant reservoir is deformed, he said it’s possible from overheating but its fine now.

Problem 2) the Mass air flow sensors did not mounted correctly (RH side is "zip tied" into place, screw missing due to holes not aligning on LH side) [what does this mean?]

Problem 3) Vehicle has aftermarket "Flash Logic: component spliced into OBD II harness." [What is this and how much would it cost to remove it? my girlfriend just want a stock car]

Problem 4) Aftermarket hood pin switch in engine compartment, possible for alarm [not sure what this is too]

Problem 5) Transmission CAN (Control Area Network) communication circuit does not work. (I know what CAN bus is, but is it common to see this circuit have failure?)

Problem 6) ABS battery voltage abnormal

When I drive the car, it’s very smooth. But there is some squeaking noise coming from the back, even with the vehicle is in idle with the engine turned on. (Nissan said it’s not normal)

I want to know if it’s worth buying this car at about 14k.
Any advice would be great, thanks in advance!!!!
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Old May 29, 2010 | 04:56 PM
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Did you ever think of it this way, Its a 2007 with 19k miles that's pretty good it hasn't been on the road a lot, but It has a lot of problems. Why would you even think about it? I mean its a 3 year old car but I have a 5 year old car and I don't have that many problems. I would pass IMO even though its a great price.

Good luck
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Old May 29, 2010 | 05:08 PM
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i would def pass!!! nice car yet, has sooo many critical problems. big N.O.!
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Old May 29, 2010 | 05:15 PM
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Considering that list of problems, a lot of which are potentially serious, I'd definitely pass.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 06:06 PM
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as many Z's that are out there.. me personally I would only buy one if it was a steal.
but..
honestly that price on the 2007 with those miles is pretty good.. if they would go down a bit considering those issues i think all would be fine.. the squealing you are hearing from rear is prolly a small exhaust leak.. since u said it does it during idle. that would be my best guess.. Id say the car is fine... something can usually be found wrong with any car if you put it under a microscope.. the only thing i would find to be concerned about is the transmission.. its prolly just a bad sensor.. or something electrical wrong however
but you never know..

is it automatic or stick.. and which do you really want?
also what color is it?
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Old May 29, 2010 | 06:53 PM
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Sounds troublesome to me.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 08:03 PM
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I definitely wouldn't buy it with the issues you mentioned. Sounds like someone modded it, probably abused it, and returned it to stock when they traded it in. They reinstalled the MAF incorrectly and had something spliced into the ECU?

Keep looking...
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Old May 29, 2010 | 08:10 PM
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That list is too serious to me for a newer car. I'd pass as well.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 08:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Sonoma_Dog

Problem 3) Vehicle has aftermarket "Flash Logic: component spliced into OBD II harness." [What is this and how much would it cost to remove it? my girlfriend just want a stock car]


Problem 5) Transmission CAN (Control Area Network) communication circuit does not work. (I know what CAN bus is, but is it common to see this circuit have failure?)
These are electrical problems that may be "hiding" other problems. In other words you "fix" this problem only to discover another.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 09:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Sonoma_Dog
All right, here is the story. I was planning to purchase a 2007 350Z GT for the price of 18888. I took the Car to Nissan dealership for an inspection; they found some problems with the car. The dealer said they will lower the price, but I told them I will make the decision later and walked away.

I want some of the advice from you professionals before I give a counter offer to them.

I will type out a list of the problems Nissan dealership provided me.

Please tell me how serious the problem is, would I be able to fix it myself ( I am an electrical engineer, I don’t know much about the mechanisms of 350Z, but if there are some guidelines, I can probably fix it)
Or how much would it cost to fix it (including parts and labor)

Ok Here is the problem the Nissan dealership found:

- Nissan put a new engine to the car at 8k mile (the car is currently 15k mile) the engine is warranty until 2012

Problem 1) the Coolant reservoir is deformed, he said it’s possible from overheating but its fine now.

Problem 2) the Mass air flow sensors did not mounted correctly (RH side is "zip tied" into place, screw missing due to holes not aligning on LH side) [what does this mean?]

Problem 3) Vehicle has aftermarket "Flash Logic: component spliced into OBD II harness." [What is this and how much would it cost to remove it? my girlfriend just want a stock car]

Problem 4) Aftermarket hood pin switch in engine compartment, possible for alarm [not sure what this is too]

Problem 5) Transmission CAN (Control Area Network) communication circuit does not work. (I know what CAN bus is, but is it common to see this circuit have failure?)

Problem 6) ABS battery voltage abnormal

When I drive the car, it’s very smooth. But there is some squeaking noise coming from the back, even with the vehicle is in idle with the engine turned on. (Nissan said it’s not normal)

I want to know if it’s worth buying this car at about 14k.
Any advice would be great, thanks in advance!!!!
Everything worth it at a certain price. This car is worth just about what you can salvage in terms of parts.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 09:38 PM
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There are too many good quality used Z's on the market to settle for something just because of mileage.

Take your time and wait for the right vehicle and you will not regret it.
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Old May 29, 2010 | 10:20 PM
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I was going to pass on it too. But the dealer just called me and telling me that i can walk away with the car for only 10k. ( they really want it to go )

It is an automatic, silver and the car is still under warranty until 10/2010
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Old May 30, 2010 | 01:21 AM
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10k!!!!!!!!!!???????? for an 07?? holy cripes thats cheap! i'd walk away for sure...i have a feeling they know something more about the car than they are telling u.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 02:53 AM
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i have a feeling that was a typo..
but if not at you really meant 10,000 then.. i would do it.. regardless of whats wrong with it.. a clean title z with that mileage.. that runs.. lol is def worth 10,000

but yes i think that was indeed a typo..

here i found a car for you in your area
its a 2005 Grand Touring , silver , 64k miles, aniv. edition. automatic

Click Here

I found that with a random OR zipcode.. dunno if its close to you but was the cheapest similar car. maybe check that one out.. maybe they will come down on the price some

Last edited by adamc; May 30, 2010 at 02:57 AM.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 05:32 AM
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run forest,run
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Old May 30, 2010 | 05:53 AM
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adamc.. nope, no typo. 10k....


I am thinking to buy it to just play around with it...

and the link you provided doesn't work.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 11:41 AM
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sorry i just checked link.. looks like they removed the car because it sold or something. (that was fast huh.. lol)

at $10,000 I would say its a safe buy no mater what..
with that low of milage on the Z and the fact that it drives good like yo u said.. I find it very hard to believe that anything more than electrical is wrong with the car.. I mean ****.. it has 7k miles on the new engine. and if the engine is bad.. like u said.. WARRANTY!!

Im not familiar with that transmission code but if it shifts out fine Id say more than likely its no big deal.. and even if it was.. at that price its worth the risk of having to fix it

the squealing I am guessing could possibly like i said be something exhaust related.. previous owner may of had an aftermarket exhaust then slapped the stock one back on it before trading in.. and maybe did a poor job. btw.. my car did this when I bought it.. there is a metal ring like gasket that makes a seal on the rear-most part of the exhaust.. when this leaks it will make a high pitched sound. easy to fix! my local autozone didn't have the exact part but they compared the part i brought to diff size exhaust gaskets they had in stock.. and i changed that out and no more whistle for me

Whatever is spliced into the odb2 is probably easy to take off.. im guessing its just spliced into the already ran wires.. simply remove and splice the originals back together.. solder them.. and done.. (but if its not causing any problems.. i would just leave it alone)

I would hurry and buy that car before someone else does...
at that price it will not last long! this is a dream deal! The dealership probably has 10k in the car and just wants to "move it".. if they offered you 10k.. then they prolly took it on trade in for that.

I say.. Do it and don't look back!!

Last edited by adamc; May 30, 2010 at 12:16 PM.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 12:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Sonoma_Dog
I was going to pass on it too. But the dealer just called me and telling me that i can walk away with the car for only 10k. ( they really want it to go )

It is an automatic, silver and the car is still under warranty until 10/2010
The warranty won't cover failures due to the modifications.

Ask the dealer how much he will charge to put the car right. Right so that someone going through it would see an original looking car.

My guess is he won't want to do it because he doesn't want the liability, but if says he'll make it right for under $15K it might be worth it.

Remember, any potential buyer who runs the vin at a dealer will see all the service records.
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Old May 30, 2010 | 04:39 PM
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I am going to check my insurance and see how much it would cost to own two cars. if its not too bad, i am going to buy it next tuesday.

I will let you guys know how it turns out..
thanks
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Old May 30, 2010 | 07:23 PM
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Don't do it man. I wouldn't worry about mileage. Find a nice used Z that's never been modded and is in great condition. You are going to have nothing but problems after problems with this car.
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