AP350z223

Hi guys!

I'm here to try and get some information on things to look at when buying a 350z. A friend of mine is going to sell me his 06 A/T 350z for $2500! Seems to good to be true. He says the only thing wrong with it is the alternator, and both the windows don't go up. Says both motors are kaput. These two things are nothing to me and I can have them fixed by the end of the weekend. Car also has 133k, and some body damage, but nothing major at all.

What I want to know is if there are anythings that these cars are notorious for that I should look out for. Are the auto's reliable? I'm usually the guy cringing at automatic sports cars, but for this price I'm finding it hard to object lol. Car seemed to drive pretty good. Only thing I noticed was the tiptronic (w.e people are calling it these days) was a bit harsh from 2-3 when pushing the car hard. And when the car is started from a cold start there is this quick clunk sound. It goes away almost as soon as you hear it, and doesn't sound like its coming from the bottom end of the motor. Revs up fine and can't even hear the slightest rattle once the motor is spinning. Read about a possible tensioner being the issue. Anyways, if you 350z vets can give me any advice I would be very appreciative for all the insight. Thanks in advance!

350zchad

iTrader: (1)

2500... who cares, buy it, part it out for more than that in worse case

AP350z223

True!

travlee

iTrader: (8)

where is the body damage? if the rear quarters it could be pretty costly to fix

AP350z223

It's the driver side quarter panel

It's not that big though, and I was told by a bunch of body guys it is repairable and not the end of the world. That to me is the worst part about the car though...Sucks too because I'm a newb when it comes to body work so it's not something I can do. I'll probably pop the dent out myself and let a body shop do the rest.

travlee

iTrader: (8)

just so you know, the rear quarters are welded in... that is why it is costly. if it has to be replaced they have to cut it out

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Welcome- it sounds like a decent buy. A bum alternator may also mean a strain on the battery, and for an '06 the battery may need replacing as well. Before you do (and before you buy the car) at least pull codes from the Z's sophisticated diagnostic system to see if the ECM, ABS or BCM is detecting any problems. A nearby parts store should be able to do this for free.

That "clunk" you hear on startup is a mystery. Could be significant, but impossible to diagnose from your description. Good luck with your purchase.

AP350z223

Thank you!

Yeah, I figured my description was a bit vague on the clunk sound. I did a bunch of googling though, and I was able to uncover people with the same symptom. They were able to resolve it through the timing belt tensioner being replaced. But who knows. If anyone has ever had to replace that part and can chime in on their symptoms that'd be cool

Here is a video that sounds dead on to what I hear upon cold start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWqxyQkPwVg

I do have a nice diagnostic tool I could use!! Good call!! Don't know why I didn't think to do that lol. The battery is basically brand new, so that's one less thing to have to replace I suppose.

Crossing my fingers the window motors aren't too bad to replace

AP350z223

Here's the dent

travlee

iTrader: (8)

that is pretty nasty... they can pull must of it

AP350z223

Yeah...not the prettiest that's for sure.

My friends have been saying it's gonna cost probably $1500 to get fixed. You think thats an accurate statement? I'm going to get the car over the weekend, and will be taking it next week to get an estimate.

Also, I know ****all about body work. Is it possible to repair a quarter panel like this and not have to repaint the entire car? I know you can repaint bumpers and removable panels (I know the quarter panel is removable in theory but screw that), but it's unclear to me if the same logic applies to blending paint on a damaged quarter panel.

Frank_White

at that price, you cant really go wrong =)

PP08HR

iTrader: (2)

Yeah dude, make it a racecar!

AP350z223

Too bad it's auto...probably won't do anything too nuts. I/H/E most likely and call it a day.

verdict.

I would jump on it for $2,500...