Shopping for a used g37
 

Hi All,

I am in the market for a used G37. Having test drove 5, rented one for a weekend and thoroughly doing my research, I am now on the hunt. However, I am not a car guy.

I found a 2008 G37S, 126K, $10.8K asking price with one owner no accidents. I spoke to the dealership and they said it was bought there and forwarded me 34 pages/10 years of maintenance on the vehicle. It has 126K but that number doesnt really scare me. They are also throwing in the winter tires (blizak) / rims with it.

My hesitation is that as I read thru all the maintenance and​ it seems like alot of small issues popped up. Anything from the window motors being replaced, to the starter being replaced, etc. I dont want to attach the actual file as the persons name/address.

i generally tend to stay away from the 1st model years of anything since alot of issues get ironed out the very next year.

Should I keep looking?

Thank You!

Decaf
Alexandria, VA

Welcome! Very hard to assess a vehicle over the internet. There are a large number of trouble-free 08 coupes on the road and on the site. Since you're not a car guy it's best to have an independent shop that you trust or has a good rep and have them give it a good inspection. An S Coupe does have a lot of good upgrades from a non-S version so that's a definite plus.
Hope it (or whatever else you may be considering) works out well. Keep us posted!

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I've had an independent shop look at it and they've given their blessing. Outside of a few chips/scratches the rest of the car is in perfect functioning order.

I think I am getting thrown on this one because unlike others Ive had looked at, I have the maintenance records and can look thru them. I might be reading too much into it.

If a bunch of things have been repaired it likely means u won't have to deal with it again. That's how I look at it sometimes. And As long as oem parts were used it should last pretty long after the first repair imo. From my personal experience I've not had to repair the same thing twice. But that's my experience.

To any extent - 11k for that car is way too high. I'd look to purchase privately in the 6-8k range and save a few grand. Are they offering you extended warranty? Has any work been done on the transmission? Have they changed the fluids at all? I ask because I've never changed / flushed my fluid completely and the transmission is beginning to slip just a bit when going from 1st to 2nd gear @ 105k miles. I've noticed it since 80kish miles and it hasn't gotten worse, but I still notice it. I don't plan on flushing the fluid because if I do - worried about the new fluid breaking up the already built up rust deposits and causing a clog in the transmission and destroying it completely.

My point is - make sure and double check if the trans fluid has been changed / flushed and if it hasn't, I'd shy away from it. I wouldn't by any means take "their word for it", especially at that mileage.

The repairs you listed though (window motor malfunction/starter plugs replaced) are all minuscule and stuff I've had to replace along the way as well. You can redact the person information or black it out with a sharpie, re-upload and then we can all assess properly.

Good luck on your search!

FWIW JohnnysG, I would do the 3x drain & fill on your AT (not the pressure flush) shouldn't cause any of the problems you're worried about vs. a flush.

Thanks for the input.
Here is the service history. There is a line that says "VERIFIED CUST CONCERNREPLACEDTRANMISSION ANDBLEED CLUTCHSYSTEM" under warranty.

Your right that its high. I've been waiting for a G37S in Athens Blue and they dont pop up alot, and when they do its gone in a flash! I think your making think I should wait this out. Edit: Your helping me to think this thru and it feels like I should wait it out.

damn the previous owner went to the dealer for everything even little things lol. he musta spent a lot on maintenance. sounds like either the car had a lot issues or the owner drove the **** out of it. the ester oil thing keeps coming up like they keeping having to add a lot of oil or something. id be concerned about that. unless im reading it wrong.

Thanks! I was literally going to do that this weekend after reading more about it after I posted lol



... also - I would avoid this car Decaf, look elsewhere :) many of these cars are on the road and at affordable prices

He was an older gentleman, so I can see going to the dealer for everything at a certain income range.

I didn't know how to read that "ester oil" thing either.

Re-reading that again, Who the heck asks for 2 quarts of motor oil to be placed in the front seat? Like your drinking the stuff at traffic lights. This car has gotta be burning oil like crazy over long mileages.

Looks like the car is a 6mt or am I missing something?...so all the stuff about the transmission fluid flushing etc...is really not relevant..in any case it looks like the transmission was replaced under warranty at least once (maybe twice)...which since the car has been driven about 60k+ miles since I wouldn't be worried about...the only other concerning event is the P1093 VVEL code that was thrown somewhere around the time of the transmission change(s) ..but looks like it was cleared and didn't come back and no parts were changed...again given its been driven 60k+ since its not likely anything....as Saywaht mentioned above, it does look like this guy just took it in for every little thing (a person going to an independent mechanic or DIYing anything complicated doesn't go to the dealer to get a light bulb or cabin filter changed)....looks like he was doing his own oil changes with good quality oil htough (buying two bottles at a time I guess and having them put in the car for him to take home) .....this is all good for you if I were in the market I'd buy this car...the ony thing is the question of whether the price is good for the market you're in...10.8k does seem a bit high but it is a 6MT sport with the big brakes, LSD and Navigation...so probably not that bad of a deal...I'd see if they'd goo a bit lower on the price though...

Thanks for that. I thought of that right after, "Duh he is changing his own oil".

Yes, I think $10.8 is high. But am I correctly valuing the Winter Tires/Rims @ $1500? If So, I think $10K is fairly reasonable. But yes, I will try to get them down.

I really doubt that was the case....looks like he was just buying a couple at a time and doing oil changes at home...(notice theres no oil changes in the service records)...that ester oil is quite expensive ($18USD a quart on amazon) so I don't blame him for grabbing couple at a time instead of shelling out $100 each time to keep the garage stocked

lol all good, yes, given that they are going to be alt least 18" wheels $1200-1500 for a sent of winter rims with new tires mounted an balanced is a reasonable valuation...

I really can't speak to local markets but it does seem like $9-10k does not sound too bad for a dealership (you cant expect pay private cash sale prices at the dealer, or even small private lot prices)

one more thing I'll mention though, from what i know of my own local market given a car that old with no accident history makes it a pretty good find too....

Also, since its a 6mt what did the mechanic say about the clutch condition? if its likely to need a replacement anytime soon or its unknown, you can probably use that as some leverage to get the price down