Would you hesitate to purchase this FX35?

D

DrewFlu33

Member
Car
Not an Infiniti anymore
I am currently shopping to get out of my BMW 335xi (back to school, need lower payments) and have come across a 2003 Infiniti FX35 AWD with 72k miles. I previously drove a G37x and loved it, before it met its demise at the hands of a large deer at 75 mph.

i have done some research and am a little concerned as to whether the 60k maintenance was done, so hopefully more on that later. I can't quite tell whether the belts have been replaced or not just by looking.

There is a small rust spot that appears to be from a shopping cart scratch the dealer has agreed to fix in their body shop near the left rear quarter panel. Will a fix contain the spread of rust elsewhere?

It appears to have new tires, and it drives just fine as best I can tell. AC is blowing cold, and I have asked the dealer what work they performed before putting it on the lot (I'm a little concerned that they could have charged up a leaking AC that will show itself later).

What would be your concerns in purchasing this vehicle? I need it to last at least 5 years to get me through my PhD program. Dealer is wanting $13.6k, and giving me good value for my trade.

EDIT for dealer answers: They haven't changed the belt, but this doesn't mean it hasn't been done. They also changed the oil. Outer tie rods have been replaced, as well as some bulbs. It also got an alignment, and is sporting new Michelins. No work done in the AC and they've had it for a while, so I'm assuming it's good there since it blows cold.

EDIT 2: Dealer offered to throw in replacement of both belts.
 
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rusting exhaust brackets might be something you want to check.

just poke under the car and have a look at all the hangers that tie into the exhaust and its tubing. if theres rust at those points you might need a repair or new exhaust soon.
 
Thanks for the tip! I took a look under there wondering about the possibility of a trailer hitch in the future. It looked pretty good for a 10 year old car I thought.
 
I have a 2003 FX35 bought it with 60K about 2 years back now has about 95K and love it :good:
 
72k miles is not that much for a fx35. Even if the 60k service wasn't done its only 12k overdue, you can always haggle the dealer to lower the price because of that. Id check the common things like rust under body, no funny engine noises, tranny shifts smooth, doesnt pull to the side, and such. Also drive over some speedbumps or uneven road and listen for any thumps or clunks coming from suspension. Could be a sign of needed service there. Overall it's a nice reliable ride as most people here would agree. Just don't let the mod bug bite, because then you'll be in trouble.
 
Is the dash bubbled? If so that will be a costly repair?
Driver side power seat working properly?

what options does the car come with? 13.6 don't seem like a bad price for that car.
 
Dude, just get a carfax like I did. Check for any funny noises, rust, tire wear, and interior condition. If all that checks out then your good. If it's a dealer the carfax is free, I always ask for one when I get a car.


Sent from my iPhone
 
lol carfax is ok to check for mileage and info on previous owners. I wouldnt trust carfax, most accidents arent reported on carfax. I would get a mechanic to inspect it fully.
 
Dracula said:
lol carfax is ok to check for mileage and info on previous owners. I wouldnt trust carfax, most accidents arent reported on carfax. I would get a mechanic to inspect it fully.
Click to expand...

Yea it's a good assistant but that stupid fox doesn't solve all your problems. Not everything gets reported and tracked In Every state. It is a good starting point to check though.
 
Many thanks for all the advice. My test drive was over some pretty choppy pavement, and I didn't here any clunks or thuds (aside from the expected rougher ride versus my Bimmer). I thought it was pulling one way or the other, but it turned out to be cupped roads, as it pulled right in the right lane and left in the left lane. I got on it pretty hard and the transmission was very smooth.

The power seat works fully, and the dash does not appear to be bubbled.

I'm not entirely familiar with what is an option and what is standard on these rides yet, but it has Satellite Radio, a roof rack, 6 cd changer, heated seats, HID headlights, and some other items I'm probably missing.

i went ahead and bit the bullet today, so expect to see me around here more often! First order of business is an auxiliary input for an iPod, and hopefully some sort of Bluetooth phone interface....
 
Congrats! That is a fair price for such low miles. I have a 2004 with 190k miles and not a/c work had been done and it still works fine. whether they did it or not, best to plan on getting a 30k service done. get used to brakes needing work every 15k miles. ask dealer for all recalls have been done.. they had to replace my headlights for some safety reason. My dash bubbled up and they had a recall on that too. The driver seat will eventually tear, easy fix, it cost me $100 to get it repaired. BTW...We put regular gasoline in it and it works just fine.
 
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