Advice - purchasing g37s coupe with no maint. records, but ...
 

Hey guys, new to the forum and am looking for some friendly advice if possible.

I found an 08 g37s coupe 6sp MT with 65k miles, 2 owner, always garaged, never driven in rain etc., and is being sold privately. The car was owned by a guy who recently passed away and his wife is selling it. She seems very nice and says she knows her husband kept maintenance records (it was his baby, always maintained and taken care of, he's always owned a sports car since they've been together ..she even went on to say that they drove the car to his funeral because he loved it so much and had to rush it home because it started to rain and they knew he'd be upset if it got wet lol), but she cannot find the folder. She named a place where she thought he took the car for maintenance (I should have wrote it down and called myself), said she wasn't sure if the place was still there, but she'd try and contact them to see if any records were available. I have not looked at the car in person yet (going tomorrow morning), but it looks great from the pics. It does have Michelin pilot super sport tires on it, so I'm thinking the guy possibly didn't cheap out on stuff and did take care of the car ..I guess ..if that makes any sense? My questions is, when buying something like this with 65k miles and no records, do you pretty much assume that you'll have to change all fluids right away (brake, transmission, rear diff, pwr steering, oil) and possibly the drive belt to be safe? ..like what if the guy was getting ready to do this 60-65k mile service, but didn't, you know? Am I overthinking??? Brakes and tires I can inspect in person. Also, it looks like there's a tire pressure light on in the dash (could be a bad sensor, maybe), but that's really all I can see from pics. Everything else looks very nice. Car does not have nav or backup cam. She is asking 15k, I said if she'd consider 13k that I'd come check it out via email, she agreed, but am wondering if 13k is even a bit high considering what she told me about having no records for the car over the phone. I did run a Carfax and all is good, no accidents, but the only maintenance shown is from the Honda dealership that sold him the car in 2012 with 56k miles on it. It's showing - pre-delivery inspection, wash/detail, 4 wheel alignment, 4 tire mount/balance, and then has 2 separate entries that say "vehicle service". What do you guys think? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

idk man 15k seems like a little too much imo especially for a 2008. I'd offer her 12k and see where that leads.

You should never make a offer before driving the car
I would suggest you to go drive it first, see how u like it - You will know right away if the car is in good condition or not - See for any oil leaks and such - Check the liquids to see if they are fresh or needs to be replaced

Good luck with your purchase - the car had 56k miles back in 2012 and now in 2018 it has 65k - That's 9k miles in 6 years - So the car was actually garage kept. you should be good

Still I wouldn't pay more than 10k for it

The majority of miles were on the first owner so that's what you would be worried about not the last. Also i little pricey, that's prob what last owner paid trying to break even. for reference I picked up my 11 last year with 30 on the clock for 16

Get the car inspected professionally. The report can be used as a bargaining chip to adjust the price.

Wow, that sounds like an amazing deal. I've been searching for over a month relentlesly and haven't seen anything close to year/mileage/price paid as yours. Assuming I was to buy the one I'm talking about for 13k at 65k miles, I'd pay an extra 3k for 3 years newer and half the miles without even thinking twice!!! ..having a hard time finding low mileage 6 spd mt at a good price, I guess. I did see a 2010 with 45k miles for 17.5k and the ad was removed after 2-3 days.

I was going to tell her when I check the car out that changing all fluids and the drive belt could easily be 1k off the bat and should be considered because of the mileage and the fact that there's no records.

the g should have a back up cam especially if its a 6mt no?

So any other input aside from the price ..back to original question ..buying car with 65k miles and no records - how far do you go in new owner maintenance? Change all fluids and drive belt, get it all done and be good to go? Thanks.

Take it for an extended drive, have it checked out by a trusted mechanic if possible. Do some brake checks and see if car pulls to the side or has vibration when braking. Check tires for unusual wear patterns, drive at speed w/ radio off to check for door seal leaks and driveline or suspension noises.

Try to take someone with you to have another set of eyes & ears that's more unbiased to help w/ the decision.

It's a used car that will more than likely have a few issues, just need to keep a clear head going in.

Having just bought a used '08 S-coupe a couple of weeks ago, I can relate.

What I did first was spend some time browsing these forums to supplement my general automotive knowledge with some specific things to look for when examining a used G. I made myself a list of those things and took it with me when I went to look at a good candidate. I also took some time looking around on the ads in Texas to see what the used G37 coupe market looked like. When browsing the private owner ads, I always take a close look at the photos. If they look like they're taken in front of the seller's home, what does it look like? Is it a nice home with a clean appearance? I've had good experiences with used cars and motorcycles bought from folks who live in nicely kept high-end homes with very tidy garages.

When you go to look at it, spend some time. Look it over well before starting it. Listen to the engine with the hood open before taking it for a good drive. Wear some clothes suitable for crawling around underneath the car to examine as much as possible with a bright flashlight. Take a yoga pad of something on which to lay.

The one I bought near Dallas - in quite nice shape inside and out for a 10-year old G37S at 92K miles, new tires, battery, sunroof motor and brakes in 2018, runs and drives quite nicely - $10,300 after a healthy bit of negotiation. Remember, cash talks, especially if it's a car that someone is no longer using regularly and/or wants out of the garage/driveway..

Good luck.

Thanks for all the input, guys! Am a new (to me) G owner ..took her home for 11k. They ended up having every maintenance record of the car from original owner which was 0-56k miles, all dealership receipts, just no receipts from current owner 56k-65k but the michelin pilot super sports look brand new and had to have been purchased by current owner because of date code, I sucked up all fluids accessible from engine compartment with separate turkey basters and they all looked fresh, all levels spot-on, oil looked clean, air filters looked brand new - literally no dust ..exterior had 2 small scratches, 1 small ding (fortunately not on the door or in area where it stands out), and 1 rim had 1 1/2" of curb scrape which I can live with.

The only weird thing I noticed (as soon as I got the car home and into my driveway, of course! lol) is that the passenger window goes DOWN automatically when the door is opened to get out, which doesn't seem right. Driver side window stays up. It does this every time ..so if I have a passenger in the car, I have to wait until they open their door to get out, the window goes down automatically (sometimes it's all the way down, other times it's 3/4 of the way down), then I have to stay in the car and roll it back up from the inside before I get out. I haven't looked this up yet, but anyone ever had this problem? ..wiring issue or bad motor? Kinda sucks.

Thanks again, guys.

..and 35 seconds later, found solution from another thread on site! Sounds fixable, for sure.

Awesome! Post up an intro thread in the Newbie folder when you get some time and some pics. Sounds like a good deal, especially w/ new Pilots!

Sounds like a solid deal. My 08' (6MT no nav) was in pristine condition, had 27k miles. I paid $14k two months ago.

Definitely a good deal.

I wanted to add that these cars are probably so reliable and durable that maintenance records, or lack of them, shouldn't cause too much concern. Definitely use it as a guide for the value of the car, but I wouldn't write a G37 off because of missing records.

I personally maintain all of my vehicles in my driveway. I am a former ASE tech, but I do print records in case we resell a vehicle, however my records won't go onto Carfax.

I am leaving a 36mo lease on a German car. I decided to get a Q60 (G37) instead of buying my lease car. Although I love my lease car, being German, it truly is a car where maintenance is key. And expensive too. I chose the G37/Q60 because these Nissans wear like iron, only severe neglect or abuse would negatively impact their longevity. Condition is just as important as records, if the G37 is in excellent condition, I am sure the owner took good enough care of it, and missing a few intervals won't hurt these cars.