FL_G37

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of trading in my current car and getting a 2011 or 2012 G37 Coupe. My budget is around $30k but ideally I want it to be $28k max. I am located in Florida.

From looking at AutoTrader and Cars.com, I believe this puts me in the 2011/2012 category. Now, my question is: should I get a 2011 CPO with around 30-35k miles or a 2012 non-CPO with around 20k-30k miles? Most of the 2011's and 2012's I'm interested in seem to be around $28-$30k.

The only requirements I have for the coupe is the Premium and Navigation packages, which most G37Cs seem to have anyway. The other requirement (which seems to really limit my options) is that I want a G with the upgraded 19" wheels (see posts below).

Here are a couple of postings for MY2012 that I have been looking at:

Price: $27,709 from a Toyota dealership.
Concerns: The mileage listed on the site says 43k but the Carfax says 24k. The odometer in one of the pictures also says 24k.
URL: Posting 1

Price: $28,143 from a Mercedes dealership.
Concerns: None, really. The mileage is only 20k and the Carfax looks good from what I can tell. Only concern is that this car is not listed on their website, only on AutoTrader and the dealership is an hour's drive away.
URL: Posting 2

Price: $27,991 from an Infiniti dealership.
Concerns: This is actually a certified 2012 (only one I could find with the wheels) but the price on the dealer website says $31k. It says the "internet price" is $27,991 so I'm not entirely sure what that means.
URL: Posting 3

I don't think any of the 2011 CPO vehicles I've come across have the wheels I want, sadly :\.

What do you guys think of these postings? Fair prices? Anything look suspicious? Which one would you go for?

Thanks for the help; hopefully I can join the G family soon!

G37zus

I bought my CPO 2011 G37S with about 37k miles about 3 weeks ago in the SF area. Before buying, I struggled with the same dilemma you're experiencing. For me, it came down to what I really wanted to do with the car. I'll list a couple scenarios below:

Scenario 1: You plan on driving the car for only a few years and trading in (say 5 years or less). It would make sense to go with a CPO and with less mileage because it'll help your resale / trade in.

Scenario 2: You want to trade in your car in maybe 5 years but you're into the tuner scene and don't want to potentially void a warranty. It'd make sense to find a lower mileage car that's non-CPO. This offers your the flexibility to go as far as forced induction and engine work without worrying about the warranty restrictions.

Scenario 3 (my situation): My family historically keeps cars til they die. My father has owned 4 Nissan cars / trucks (oldest from the early 80s and newest from 01) over the years and all of them made it past 250k miles with the exception of the 2001 Nissan Frontier which currently has 185k miles and can still pull strong. I'm not a serious tuner but choose upgrades more for looks, sound and drive-ability. With that, I had absolutely no interest in buying a CPO (even went through some negotiations asking to remove it) because I'm confident in Nissan's / Infiniti's reliability and track record. I only bought the CPO on this car because this CPO out the door (OTD) was only $500 more than what I wanted non-CPO. So I figured I'd just be mindful of my mods and not do anything too crazy until my warranty is over.

The 3 options you listed are pretty close in price (always mention the internet price because the dealer doesn't always update the lot price / other websites). I'd always try to negotiate the price over email or online prior to going to the dealership. I negotiated probably 4 different G37s before finally hooking the one I picked up. This saves you time and documentation of the lowest price. Do some research and you can save a few hundred, maybe thousands.

To address a "fair price", it's really what your local market dictates and what you're willing to pay. Those prices seem reasonable to me but I also live in one of the most expensive cities in the country which also doesn't drive (less drivers also means car prices are a little lower in SF). Your concerns aren't really huge. The easiest thing to do is to just call and ask about the issues.

Good luck with the buy and hopefully this helps you figure out what you want.

FL_G37

Hi zus,

Thanks for the reply, it definitely has helped. So, I am leaning towards the third car in my first post because it is a certified 2012 CPO and the price seems fair.

One thing I am concerned about is that the car has been sitting on the lot for 2.5 months. I find it odd that nobody has tried to purchase the vehicle. I do plan on going to check the car out but the Internet Manager said that the car will be auctioned off in a few days and that they are losing money from the car. Should I be worried that it hasn't been sold and is being auctioned off?

G37zus

Based on the carfax, it looks like the car was taken to the dealer for all it's maintenance which is comforting. Also, you're buying CPO so it should add some extra comfort with the purchase. Your concern with the car sitting on the lot is valid but it could be as simple as supply and demand. There are tons of G's available from dealers so they're harder to sell. My guess for this situation is a combination of the dealer paying too much for the car and the supply / demand in your area.

The Internet Manager gave you some free leverage. He told you they are taking a loss AND the car is going to be auctioned soon. I would suggest looking up how much the auction fee usually costs online and using that to help you negotiate a better price. With these dealers, every dollar counts so they'll sell to you if they can take less of a loss. When you go in, don't show all your cards. Once you have them on tilt, they'll fold and probably give you the absolute best deal they can.

Let me know how things go and hopefully you can get a sweet deal!

G37zus

What'd you end up getting? I'm interested to see what you bought.