Just bought a 40th, with a catch
 

Hey all,

So I just bought this 40th, so excited to be a Z owner, let alone a rare Z. After purchasing the car, I did some thorough cleaning and realized that the front bumper is a different color than the original. It almost looks purplish and I cant believe I didnt notice this when I was checking out the car. The carfax came back clean, no salvage or accident issue. Super well maintained in the interior and under the hood based on the service records provided to me and stated on the carfax. I asked the owner about this and he denies having changing the bumper or the color. I realized shortly after that there is even a bulge in the bumper that is very hard to see but I tried to get a good angle ( under the 2nd rivet). Even one of rivets looks shifted. Could this have been hit? Did the owner cheat me on this?

Pictures available here:Imgur: 40th Z

Are you sure it's a 40th? Does it have a badge on the rear and inside?

Is that sticker on the bumper supposed to be painted over?

Yeah Ive confirmed it is a 40th. It has the badge inside and the VIN checks out as build 822 using this link :Nissan 370Z Production Statistics

I didnt even notice that sticker being painted over. Will check it out. No idea what could cause someone to paint the bumper a different color though?

Hard colour to match.

My car (not a 40th) has the same issue, it's not a different color, but the sticker is painted over and that same rivet shows a shift. You might look at the fenders, if they got painted, the shop will pull the front bumper to replace the fenders. You might also check AutoCheck (I think that's what it is called) and see if they show an accident. The shop I took my car to doesn't report to CarFax, so based on what I see in your pics, the bumper has been repainted.

I bought both the AutoCheck and the Carfax and both are clean. Seems that if it was hit, it wasnt serious and done under the table without informing insurance. Car rides great and looks great too. Just not happy about the color mismatch.

2 threads on this ???

First off, welcome to the Z Club!

An alternate explanation, because this is what happened when I sold my Acura:

The bumper could have been repainted, even without an accident, due to rock-chips. It's really tough to get an exact match; that could be what you're noticing. This is exactly what happened with my Acura when I had the hood and bumper re-painted before I got rid of it, not because it was in accident, but the stone-chips made the car look much more awful than it was. :D

AS for the bump, I couldn't quite make it out in the picture.

It is not uncommon for the bumpers to be off just a bit in color. Not much though. I always thought that car had a 3 step paint job. Base coat, tint coat, and clear coat. Normal colors are just base coat, clear coat. Look at the edges and see if it has a clear bra or had one. I would do a good clay bar and wax on the whole car see what it looks like when you are done.

Agreed, the bumper was repainted ( evidence= vin sticker painted over ) probably something minor like rock chips or a scrape. Got mine off the dealer floor and both bumpers are a shade off ( magma red ). It's my under standing that the bumpers are not painted with the body. 98% of people will never notice, you will cause the car is so sexy you're always stareing at it!

Thanks for the feedback guys. Ill probably save myself the monies and leave it the way it is. Maybe later down the road repaint it should the front bumper get bad enough. Excited to be a part of the Z club :driving:

Most accidents and repairs don't make it to autofax only major ones do.

it is not uncommon for the same paint looking a shade off between rubber/plastic and metal surfaces even from the factory. It would likely be a bit worse on a repaint. 3 stage paint such as PW is very difficult to match especially on different surfaces (metal & rubber).

I've had 2 370's, one lightly used and the other new....both had the same discoloration. My take is its the same paint, but looks different based on the material in which it is painted.

I too have a very minor difference in the paint shade right from the factory. My bet is on the different surface its painted on. Hood is aluminum, which heats up way hotter, while the bumper is plastic.