Hotpot Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I went to look at an 06 at a Nissan dealership nearly 100 miles away but it had sold by the time I got there. However, I did have a look at a 54 plate 350Z they had for just under 10000. I took it for a drive. It seems a nice car with 47000 miles and full service history. But my HPI check reveals 2 previous owners and last change of owner was June 2009. First owner had car for 4 years and second owner kept it for 10 months until June 2009. From what I can recall on the logbook, the third owner kept it for 12 months before selling it/trading in to the dealership. During these ownership changes, the check reveals plate changes but that's just the first 2 owners putting their private plates on as I intend to do. My only concern is the two last owners only kept it for 12 months or less. It could just mean that the running costs weren't feasible for them or it can mean a problematic car. Perusing through the last service it had in April 2010, it mentioned brakes and discs very worn. Front were 80% worn and back were 60%. I pulled the salesman on it and he said they would look into getting that done. Also two tyres would be replaced and given a full service and MOT. I also hacked him down to 9500 quid but after the brakes problem was discovered, they wanted me to meet them halfway at 9750 quid. Later, the manager said that depending on the cost of repairs after their engineers has looked at it, they might not be able to deal on the price due to the substantial cost of replacing the discs. So, I played coy and said that I would need some time to think about it but due to it being 18 months older than the car I was originally going to buy, I won't go higher than 9750. I checked bodywork out and everything's cool. It felt like one of the plastic sills was slightly loose and but they said they will sort that out anyway. It comes with a 12 month warranty. Checked oil and it looked ok as it was a nice golden brown. It would get an oil change as part of the service before I take ownership. Clutch is ok. I tested it by putting it in high gear at low speed and seeing if the engine revs up. It didn't so that was ok. I couldn't hear a clicking sound from the rear. I kicked the tyres. (Only joking. I never did that) Only thing that bothers me are those two short term owners. Could that just be the nature of the type of car? Anyone got any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 The service history being correct is much more of an issue than two short term owners IMO. People buy the cars and change them for a variety of reasons. On many occasions its due to a change in circumstances. Many owners on here need to sell to fund first house and often an addition to the family means the cars arent practical. Remember for many younger owners they are great and affordable toys as single guys ( and girls ) but there comes a time when life takes over. The brake pads do need to be changed but you can probably change them cheaper using an independant, I would hate to think what a dealer would charge. Are both the brake pads and discs worn. Clicking rear axle isnt a major issue, its under £200 to get the kit to fix it but isnt going to do any damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I understand your concern about short term owners. However having been on this forum for several months I've noticed that some Zed's have a quick turn around in ownership. Several reasons for this, while they are relatively cheap to buy, they aren't that cheap (to run) and I feel that some owners buy them without giving this enough thought. Then there are some who's circumstances change, redundancy, new arrivals in the family, company car, etc. So, although the number of owners should be kept in mind (and 3 owners in 7 years isn't bad) you should really concentrate on the car itself. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotpot Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks for the opinions guys. The 54 plate had worn discs AND pads and the dealer was going to see if the discs could be ground rather than replaced. He DID say that it would be sorted as well as new tyres where needed. I'm going to test drive a 55 plate with full GT pack tomorrow. It's got 51000 and FSH. I appreciate your views on the short term ownership thing. Three owners as before but the last 2 owners kept it for at least 2 years. I'll check it out as I'm sure I'll get a vibe about the right one. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deank93 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Agree with what others have said, I've just bought a Zed with a few previous owners, the dealer was the first owner so not a problem, the second owner was a lady who didn't like it and only owned it for just over 800 miles and the chap i am buying from is due to be a dad so a 2 seat coupe doesn't cut the mustard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic84 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 have a look at mine viewtopic.php?f=56&t=42901 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks for the opinions guys. The 54 plate had worn discs AND pads and the dealer was going to see if the discs could be ground rather than replaced. He DID say that it would be sorted as well as new tyres where needed. I'm going to test drive a 55 plate with full GT pack tomorrow. It's got 51000 and FSH. I appreciate your views on the short term ownership thing. Three owners as before but the last 2 owners kept it for at least 2 years. I'll check it out as I'm sure I'll get a vibe about the right one. Thanks again. He shouldn't be talking about skimming the discs if he wants to sell them Tell him new discs and pads plus two new matching tyres for £9500 or you walk away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I understand your concern about short term owners. However having been on this forum for several months I've noticed that some Zed's have a quick turn around in ownership. Several reasons for this, while they are relatively cheap to buy, they aren't that cheap and I feel that some owners buy them without giving this enough thought. Then there are some who's circumstances change, redundancy, new arrivals in the family, company car, etc. So, although the number of owners should be kept in mind (and 3 owners in 7 years isn't bad) you should really concentrate on the car itself. Pete +1, agree fully with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotpot Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks for the opinions guys. The 54 plate had worn discs AND pads and the dealer was going to see if the discs could be ground rather than replaced. He DID say that it would be sorted as well as new tyres where needed. I'm going to test drive a 55 plate with full GT pack tomorrow. It's got 51000 and FSH. I appreciate your views on the short term ownership thing. Three owners as before but the last 2 owners kept it for at least 2 years. I'll check it out as I'm sure I'll get a vibe about the right one. Thanks again. He shouldn't be talking about skimming the discs if he wants to sell them Tell him new discs and pads plus two new matching tyres for £9500 or you walk away I like your style. I must admit, though I like the car (it's the first Z I've driven) I didn't get the vibe about this car. And the last owner allowed the brakes to get that bad without sorting them tells me a lot about the owner. If they REPLACE discs and pads I'll offer them 9750 minus my 1998 MR2 PX for 1250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Try a few more before committing. I drove one and knew it was the car for me, but it has been the car I have wanted since I first saw one. In regard to short-term owners, some people trade up every year. A guy I worked with traded up so often, he now leases cars on a year to year basis which gives him the option to change the car every 6 months. It just worked out easier in the long run. Also, peoples circumstances can change which really affects coupé owners. A friend of mine is 6 months pregnant and her husband is having to sell his pride and joy because it wont fit a baby (no matter how much gaffer tape he uses to hold the baby seat on the roof ). Keep looking and don't drop your standards, if it doesn't meet up to what you want (bodywork, interior etc) walk away and start again. Also, for only a little bit more cash, you could pick up a really clean 56 plate car. I found a few on Autotrader for under £12,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Make sure which ever car you end up with, that it has a matching 4 tyres, not a mixture of two totally different tyres front and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadGrip Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 As said above, I wouldnt worry too much about the length of time that previous owners have had the car. However, what really gets my back up, is car dealers that try sell you a car that needs repairs What are they thinking?? are they hopeing that you dont notice the brakes / tyres etc and then sell it to you anyway so you come back and spend even more of your hard earned to get it fixed. I recently sold my last car to a young lad from the army, he said he'd been to a dealer to look at a car which had the CEL on, the dealer in question just said, dont worry, we'll sort that out.... Dont worry !!! it shouldve been sorted before they tried to sell him it, so he walked away.. Anyway, rant over, but if it was me who went to a dealer and found faults with the car, even so called consumables, I'd walk away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 When my car was last serviced at CS the disks were worn more on the inside then outside. If they look bad from the outside they could be even worse on the other. Dont let them fit ditch finders either on the car, good rubber is all that keeps the 1.5 ton 350z on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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