Kyle319

Recently i test drove a 2003 350z from a guy that lives about a block away from me. And he is willing to sell it to me for the "right price". I'm curious on how much you guys would be willing to pay for the z and I'm not afraid to overpay a little bit because i deeply want this car xD.
The car has around 135k miles on it, and there is little bit of rust on the passenger side rear wheel well but nothing some sanding and bondo cant fix right =). My friend drove it while i listened for noises and stuff like that and i can say i am truly impressed on the sound that comes out of these v6's very muscular sounding. My friend also said the clutch felt like it was brand new which is a good thing. But my other question is how hard is an engine replacement in these cars. Because i was looking on the internet and you can get the VQ35DE's for like 1.5k-2.0k depending on the mileage and my plan was to drive the car till it quite and yank out the stock motor and throw in a replacement i was wondering if anyone could point me to a website or post on this site that would give me some idea on what ill need to do this and how difficult it will be. And also i was wondering if i do buy it what should i do to it right away? My plan was to oil change and filter and then spark plugs and wiring stuff like that. But i wasn't sure if i should do anything else. And i want your guys honest opinion if i should get the car or not. And how much life can i expect out of the clutch?

The pictures are of the actual car that i am looking at purchasing

Thanks everyone,
Kyle

Kyle319

Need help please =)

MKZ33

Hi Kyle,

Honestly it comes down to what you want. 135k is getting up there for the Z33 motor but that is saying alot for the VQ's quality, as it is known to go upward of 200k and on a performance engine that is not bad at all! For that many miles I wouldnt pay more then 6 to 7k but that is my opinion.

You're on the right track though. If you do buy it I highly encourge you to do a full tune up, belts, engine flush oil change, all fluids changes, check for vacume leaks - which means all the PCV valves and hoses, if I was you I would have the timing belt checked as well, unless the guy you buy it from can prove he had it replaced already. I wouldnt worry about the clutch should be fine, a little warning though, the 03, 04's have a rough shift from 1st to 2nd so dont be alarmed when you experience that. Assuming its a M/T.

You shouldnt have to swap the engine out, you should be able to just rebuild the one you have and honestly if you are willing to put a little extra money in it you can make it stronger then it was before, assuming you dont distroy the block. If you have any questions about what it will take to rebuild the engine ask away, ill do my best to answer them. Also there are alot other guys here that have more expertise in this area then I do and i'm sure they will help you out.

Anyways have fun with it, its a great car and most importantly dont kill yourself learn the car first and if you want to drive fast take it to the track.

darknecromancer

7k at the very most, assuming the interior wasn't all messed up or heavily worn. are you planning on adding some bolt ons or tracking/racing it? just curious why youd plan for an engine replacement? I've never done it myself, but I've never seen one that wasn't 'easy' per se, wouldn't think it would be for the faint of heart or limited on budget / tools / location; especially if its a dd. just ask the owner when the clutch was last done? also I'd take the car for the afternoon and lift it up and give it a good once over. breaks, exhaust, intake, suspension, check for grub/grind/chips on the under body, stuff like that; he lives down the street right .

Kyle319

Yeah i wanted to pay like 7k maybe 8k max but the guy keeps insisting that its worth 8.5k and i told him every site i have gone to says it is worth 7k but idk he is persistent. And apparently the people on yahoo answers are as well they all think it is worth 8.5k too. Any ideas how i can talk him down in price?

Thanks for the response but what would recommend rebuilding in the engine. and how much would it cost? I found a VQ35DE for 1.5k with 12.5k miles on it so i mean if i can rebuild it for less than that and it runs like new good deal but i dont know how its possible. Also what would you do if the clutch/tranny goes out. I read that the CD009 transmission is the best/most reliable, but I'm not sure. But you guys are helping out a ton so thank you and i hope you guys will continue to help me.

darknecromancer

kbb lists a 03' 350z with 135,000 for 7,260 in 'good' condition. not sure how u are going to pay for it, but if your getting a loan for it() the lender wont pay 8.5k; or at least thats been my experience. everything I've always dealt with is kbb + 10%.

Kyle319

Im planning on paying cash money for it

davidv

iTrader: (2)

No deal.

darknecromancer

i mean dont seem like anyone here would be willing to pay his price, so I guess its just whether its worth it to you. I'd point out to him the age of the car, the millage, and lay out a final offer and be prepared to move on and keep looking if he wont take it. maybe given some more time he'll realize its overprice and come back to you .

MB33

iTrader: (6)

welcome

blackedout03z

iTrader: (1)

look on craigslist for your area and find one for say 8-9k with less miles, go tell him if he doesn't come down to 7.5k you will just buy one of the other ones because it is going to cost "said" amount to change all the stuff on the high mileage car to make it run like the lower mileage cars but without the trouble and downtime. if he doesn't go for that just save a little more and buy a different one with less miles. i got my 03 about 6 months ago for 10k with 63k miles, but that's more to do with location.

TPete19

iTrader: (15)

You should never make excuses for the downfalls of a car you're looking at. That part right there should be enough to bring the price down by a few hundred dollars (body shops aren't cheap anymore).

Personally, I wouldn't buy a car with 100K+ miles for a daily driver, they'll generally cause too many headaches.

Kyle319

wow where do you live?? i might look into craigslist for your area xD, because quite frankly there are no 350z's where i live. I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa zip code 50613 i have seen around 3 350's and 2 370's since they have came out =)

Kyle319

its not really an excuse its the truth. but i see where you are coming from and i know it SHOULD drop the price but apparently the guy thinks its impossible for it to drop in price... any ideas on what i can do for him to change his mind? and i have been told by many different people that the VQ35DE is a VERY reliable engine and it can easily last in excess of 200k but thats what i have been told maybe you have an example?

blackedout03z

iTrader: (1)

look for cars in the biggest town near you, i drove 2 hours to pick mine up

Kyle319

maybe you guys could point me to some cities with some high z population so they would be cheaper. ive looked on this site but all of them are in really good condition... so they are too high in price they are all like 15k and up, but if you guys could point me to a city that tends to have cheaper cars maybe i could look into their craigslist or something

TPete19

iTrader: (15)

Here's why I don't buy anything with over 100k:
1. With 135,000 miles, that only gives you 75,000 before it's considered done for.

2. If you keep it for 2-3 years, the car (with average driving) will be at 150-175k. It's a lot harder for you to sell it because of a smaller market, as well as get any decent money for it.

and 3. What if it doesn't last to 200k? There's already rust on the car, so the guy hasn't taken perfect care of it on the exterior and I'd put money on it that he hasn't taken better care under the hood.

Like I tell anyone looking to buy a car, there will always be more cars out there. Don't rush into anything. This comes from personal experience of getting burned on buying cars.

Kyle319

Yeah i just REALLY want a z =P and im not really scared of high mileage but do you know where you can find z's for cheaper prices? It seems like every z that is on craigslist either has a salvage title with 160k miles or it has 20k miles... its like there is no median for these cars.

andrew's 350Z

iTrader: (3)

Kbb says it all. 7k or walk ur gonna hate life when the motor fails because the guy did not take car of his car, I'm assuming he did not because of the rust. Then ur gonna be paying 1.5-2k for a motor(as u stated above) that will put u around 10k buy a z with low miles. U say u have seen some with low miles for 15k well take a loan out u have 9k I'm assuming a bank will give u a 6k loan? Just my .02

Kyle319

yeah im not gonna take a loan so im just gonna save up 10k then ill buy a z but im almost positive im not gonna buy the one thats down the street from me because quite frankly he has an outrageous price and hes not going down in price either (at least not of now he isnt) but now im trying to find a z for sale that has a reasonable price and a reasonable amount of miles like 50-80k miles and 8k-11k cash around there not sure if its possible though.. unless its a salvage title then i can get them for like 8k with 50k miles xD