Buy or beware?
 

I found a 2007 350z for sale near me (Black, 79,000 miles). Stating he is moving and needs to sell asap. his asking price wasn't crazy low but it was low ($10,600) and i sent him an offer $8000 we settled on $8,500. I haven't seen it yet and not committed to anything yet.

For one, I am not entirely sure of the trim, probably enthusiast. He said when he bought it the seller told him it was a touring trim, but he knows that isn't true. It has cloth seats and cruise control so has to be enthusiast right?

No mechanical issues, a couple of scratches and a dent nothing major body-wise. Aftermarket wheels are ugly and have curb rash anyway.

Sound like a good deal?

Something is fishy about this deal and I don't want you getting screwed on it. I'm in the Denver metro area as well, so this is one case where I might be able to offer some direct advice. Give me a call at: {303) 752-9777; my name is David.

Thanks David, I'm definitely going to give you a call. I just found the ad from when he probably bought it 11k miles ago and it was listed as a grand touring, which it can't be cause it doesn't have leather seats. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character, gonna take a look at it and see what condition it is in. It might be rougher than he is letting on. I just got a higher res picture of one of the wheels and it was in pretty terrible shape.

touring will have leather, grand touring should have leather and brembo brakes

Beware- a '07 350Z enthusiast with 79K on it should be in the $10,500-12,000 range, even in fair condition. The '07-08 Z came with the mid-model refresh and more importantly, the HR version of the VQ. Your description makes me think this may be a salvage titled vehicle, or have some other significant damage. Nobody sells them that cheap unless they're desperate, illegal or both....

where is the link for the car?

http://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/4813968059.html

here's the one i found from 2013
http://car.mitula.us/detalle/1834/97...6/1/90-boulder

the guy selling now isnt saying it is touring

edmunds says $8,689 for average condition. nada says $8,200 rough and $9,475 avg. kbb says $9,752 for fair condition. Doesn't sound that crazy. The guy is moving and needs to sell otherwise he needs to fly back and drive it out to san fran. Could be on the up and up, no?

go see in person and drive... worst case scenario you walk and keep your money. check condition of paint (black will show every swirl and rock chips). check interior door handles for scratches, check the clutch for slipping (ask him if it was part of the recall for the slave cylinder), check for rust.... have dkmura check it out with you...

Good advice. Going to look at it tomorrow. Won't be able to drive it though, too much snow on the ground. The title he said is clean, He said he still owes $8,500 on it, and im financing so our credit unions will have to talk about that business.

It is just one of those situations, that is almost too good to be true, thanks for bouncing ideas back at me.

i wouldn't buy it without driving ..

no, should should have enough pavement by Friday though.

Fishy.

Pay the extra cost to have a third party mechanic thoroughly check out the vehicle. Gives you a peace of mind that it hasn't been in an accident, or have frame damage.

That's exactly what I'm doing. He is going to drop it off and the stealership today hopefully. I did go look at it. I don't have too many reservations at this point. The wheels are screwed, the body is kinda rough, but I overall it seems to be in pretty good shape. At that price, if the mechanics pass inspection, I think it is a win. The guy selling it seemed genuine. I feel a lot better about a possible deal now.

I think I finance it 100% and take the money I would otherwise have spent on a down payment on wheels and maybe some body work. No idea what a paint job would cost. guessing well above what I am able to pay.

Make sure you run the vin through the vin checker here on my350. If I had done so I would have known a lot more about my car before I bought it.

It will tell you exactly the model and options....

Nice, I didn't know that existed, I'll find it now. Thanks.

I'm a proud owner of an 07' :)

So how did the mechanical inspection go? What model of Z is it?

Nissan raved about it. Said it was in great condition, well cared for. It is an enthusiast.

I assume you mean the dealership tech you paid to do the inspection was satisfied with the car. If you paid $8500 for an "07 Z33 Enthusiast model in great shape, it's a good deal. Congrats.