Help Needed, Plz

"Tony Montana" (sayhellotomylittlefriend) 12/27/2015 at 17:23 • Filed to: carbuying, Infiniti, G35, save the manuals, help

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Not actual car

So, Oppo, I’d like some advice about a car.

Today I went and looked at an Infiniti G35 sedan, manual, RWD. It was in good shape considering its age and mileage. I drove it, and it was very well composed on the road, powerful, comfortable, blah blah blah. It had a pretty nice price on it.

Here’s the trouble. About 40k miles ago, it threw a check engine light. The guy selling it says that this was because of an O2 sensor (not a big deal). However, it still has a check engine light - and the guy says it’s because they still haven’t fixed that O2 sensor. For 40k miles.

I’m a bit sketched out by all of this, so, what’s your opinion? Should I bother spending the money taking it to a mechanic and having it checked out? Or should I just walk away?

d15b > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 17:38

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If you’re feeling sketched out, walk away. Or, have it checked out by a shop.

dogisbadob > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 17:44

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And why wouldn;t they fix the sensor? Especially after driving 40k! They’re not that expensive or difficult to replace.

Steve in Manhattan > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 17:48

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I’m guessing (wild guess) that it’s been running too lean, or too rich, which leads to problems. But what do I know? Agreed - have your mechanic go over it with the proverbial fine-toothed comb before you buy.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 17:50

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Seems weird. What other maintenance have they skipped out on? Do you have a code reader you can bring and see if that’s really the code?

Smoggi - powered by 3 cylinders > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 17:58

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The person who drives 40k miles with a bad O2 sensor and CEL as the kind of person I would never buy a car from.

whoarder is tellurium > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 18:00

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Wont know till you get the codes. You could take it to an autoparts store like Advance and get the codes scanned for free.

Milky > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 18:00

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My car has had a check engine light on for 50k miles. Its for a engine preheater, that costs $600. My thought on the topic:

That's gonna leave a mark! > dogisbadob 12/27/2015 at 19:08

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Exactly. Have a mechanic check it out first. That is unless you think car sellers never lie to you.

LeftOfTheDial > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 20:23

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I think that cel or not it’s always a good idea to have a shop check out the car...you never know if you’ll find unreported crash damage or other problems

105 HP of fury > Tony Montana 12/27/2015 at 20:34

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How do you know the CEL went on 40 k ago? The seller volunteered this information?

If it seems sketchy, move on. Nissan made a bunch of these and you should be able to find one with a decent history.

I did... although not with a manual :(

Tony Montana > 105 HP of fury 12/27/2015 at 21:31

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The CEL was on when a courtesy check was done at 67k, the guy then volunteered the info.

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > Tony Montana 12/28/2015 at 03:47

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The way I see it is you’ve got a great bargaining chip on the table. Take it to your mechanic and see what he says. Go back to the seller and say “look, you’ve got the CEL on so I don’t feel comfortable paying full asking. My mechanic also said it needs the following things done to it:” and list a bunch of things.

This is a weird scenario... personally I’d make sure to fix all my car’s lights before putting it up for sale because, yes, it is a red flag. But if his story checks out and it’s not the biggest deal then you can get yourself a great car for a good price. I have a G35x and just crested 190k km on it (118k mi). Never had any engine problems.