Currently chatting with the owner of a 2007 Grand Touring manual swapped 350z. The milage is ~135k, windshield is cracked and one of the rear fenders has a significant dent. The owner claims that the damage was caused by a motorcycle hit and run while the owner was parked and the steering wheel airbag was deployed as a result. Owner says that he did not go through insurance following the accident and that the title is clean. Interior is clean and car looks to be in pretty good shape aside from the aforementioned damage. He is asking for 6.5k. I think that’s a relatively fair price for a 2007 HR considering the damage. However I have some concerns about insuring the vehicle after purchasing and if this would even be a wise purchase to begin with.

I’ve been wanting a Z for the longest time but I am a bit of a noob when it comes to the nitty gritty of cars so please bear with me.

- Can the vehicle be insured despite the airbags being deployed?

- If I take my car to get it insured and they realize that the steering wheel airbag is blown or that the rear fender is dented, will that affect the status of the title?

- With the milage and damage in mind, is 6.5k a good price? With what I’ve stated above, could there be any further points to help me negotiate a lower cost?

- Is it even wise to buy a car with ~135k miles?

Could use your guy’s advice, thank you in advance.

Photos below (I was thinking if the rear fender repair is expensive, the fender damage could potentially be hidden with a widebody kit. let me know what you guys think):

 

He is lying to you...that rear fender dent would not cause airbag to deploy, and it will also be really hard to repair.. imho it had a front end impact that caused the airbag to go off, the bumper is a different color of white, missing the nissan hamburger

 

Wow I didn’t even notice the discoloration of the bumper. Good catch. Come to think of it, the photo of the engine bay he sent me showed the unpainted bumper. Thanks a lot. Should I take my money elsewhere then? Don’t wanna deal with a dishonest seller. But maybe inquiring about the bumper could shed some light and perhaps lower the price to something worth purchasing? So hard to decide... Everything is going up in price and it feels like I have a time limit to buy a decent Z before they get too expensive...

 

On the engine pic, I think he just threw it on to take a pic....held on by 2 zip ties and 1 push retainer

 

The airbags would definitely not have deployed from the impact on the wing. And as you can see in the photo, the impact was tangential. Moreover, it is clear that the power structure was not affected. But if the airbags deployed, then there was a serious impact on the frontal part.
cheap carfax

 

As Trav has mentioned, the RR QP would be hard to repair. It's a double walled panel that may have to be cut out and a new section welded in. Just walk away.

 

If what you're saying is true, then this guy is definitely full of it. As far as you other questions:

- Can the vehicle be insured despite the airbags being deployed?
Usually yes. It depends on your insurer, though. They may not cover it depending on your coverage and whether they're willing to insure a vehicle that's titled rebuilt or salvage. Seller says he didn't go through insurance. I wouldn't trust that. Pull a vehicle history report on it using the VIN.

- If I take my car to get it insured and they realize that the steering wheel airbag is blown or that the rear fender is dented, will that affect the status of the title?
Not sure where you're located, but an insurance company is not going to expend resources on inspecting every vehicle that someone wants to buy and get coverage on it. They will check the history of the vehicle to find out its title. As previously mentioned, if it is already titled as salvage or rebuilt, then coverage will be different.

- With the milage and damage in mind, is 6.5k a good price? With what I’ve stated above, could there be any further points to help me negotiate a lower cost?
Since it looks like it's been wrecked, there is no telling what hidden problems exist. It's your call, but since you're a self-proclaimed car noob, it's probably a money pit if you're not fixing everything yourself.

- Is it even wise to buy a car with ~135k miles?
Yes and no. I would buy a used car with 100K well-maintained miles as opposed to a car with 25K miles beat to death. This Z does not look like it was looked after properly. I mean, seriously, how cheap do you have to be to not even get a windshield replaced.

 

All these doods is ovuhthinkin'. I mean, double wall schmuble wall fender. Aintcha heard of Bondo?

And who needs title and insurance?? I think you should buy it.

IOW, ain't giving any real advice to someone who says he's in Antarctica. Sounds like a troll like that other whiner dude.

 

Thanks for the in depth response, gonna look for another Z!