Hey guys--long time no talk!

If you remember, I had a '97 I30 that I totalled in January (front end collision). I ended up buying a '98 Infiniti QX4. I sold it this week and have put a deposit down on an '02 I35. Here are the details:

2002 Infiniti I35
* 83,000 miles
* Pearl White w/ beige interior
* Sport package (Electronic stability control, VDC?, etc.) with optional 17" chrome wheels and optional spoiler
* Cold weather package (heated front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and mirrors)

$12,000

It was in an accident in 2003. The airbag deployed but it was only listed as a minor accident (it has a clean title, of course).

Anything I should inspect before I sign my life away on this one?

 

sounds like a pretty good deal to me....

 

Well, that's tooo many miles on a 3 to 4 yr old car ... beaten ... and also an accident ...

be careful ...

 

ˆˆ What he said.ˆˆ

 

ditto

I got my 2000 I30T with 56,000 miles and even that had some problems I needed to spend near 1000 bucks to fix. The mileage and collision are what makes that price so low, getting this would be a gamble. I'd personally buy something that costs a little more but with less mileage.

 

I think that price is reasonable, but I'd spend some more time looking for something with a little less mileage and no accident history. Are you buying this from a dealer? If so, will they offer you an extended warranty? Also, is the paint and interior in good shape?

 

To me any used car out of the warranty period is a gamble. The fact that's it's been in an accident is a good negotiation point for you. I still think it's a good deal. Of course you should always take a trusted mechanic to take a look at the car. If you don't know one find one, pay him $40-60 bux and be done with it. I wouldn't be too scared of an accident that didn't total the car out especially if you don't notice anything on the test drive. Oh and really test drive it. Push it, don't just play around.

 

The test drive was great... I really really pushed it. I was worried about frame damage (front end collision) but the car drove straight, and turned to the left and right properly. Acceleration was instant... the transmission shifted so smooth I could barely feel it even will I was WOT'ing it.

The rear bumper needs painted, it has some road rash. The interior is spotless. The engine bay is spotless...no fluid leaks, belts look new. It has a new battery (don't remember brand) and new tires (Bridgestone Potenza).

I'm buying it pending an inspection.

 

Uhh.... all high mileage in a short amount of time usually indicates is that it was highway driven for the majority of the time. For those that don't know - that's generally the easiest driving a car will ever do.

FYI - My 2002, bought brand new, now has 76k miles. High miles, but highway driven most of the time and it's in great shape (save for the same road-rashed bumper - again, indicative of highway driving).

The front end collision and repair, however, I can't really comment on that. Just get it inspected.

 

a 2002 I35 with that kinda mileage in good condition runs about 12,000 bluebook pricing... however from my experiences, only private parties actually price near bluebook value. If a dealer is willing to sell it at that price, they really arnt making much money and surely could ask for more. The trade in value for the vehicle is around 10,000 bucks. I'd be suspicious about this, but if you feel the car is great just get a mechanic and body shop to check the car out, an extra 100-200 dollars to check it out could save you thousands of dollars worth of headaches in the future.

 

That car blue books for a little over 13,000...retail, not private party.

 

yeah my 00i30t has blue book of 12500 retail in my area, so I'd think the I35 would be higher.

 

Thanks, MetaOrbit. I thought the road-rashed bumper cover was a sign of high miles as well.

My bank is valuing the car at $19,300 (Nada) and said I could get that much on the loan if I wanted. Didn't know that it was blue booking for much less.

 

certified???

 

Based on the info you provided:

NADA - $17,400 (Trade-in) / $20,250 (Retail)
Edmunds - $15,594 (Private Party) / $18,059 (Retail)
KBB - $12,775 (Private Party) / $16,060 (Retails)