Buying a leased 370Z?
 

Hey Guys,

I've found a pretty good deal on a previously leased 370Z. It was leased by one owner for 2 years/ ~20k miles. Now I know what is said about leased cars: the owners may have beat on them and not done the proper maintenance etc etc. but what do you guys think? Is there anything I should watch out for? The impression I get is that the z is a pretty well built car. My reasoning is how bad could it really be? Maybe they went hard on the clutch, but what else could get seriously messed up? Do you guys think any major issues, i.e. with the engine, could crop up later on? Plus it still has some bumper to bumper warranty left as well as several years of powertrain warranty. Anyway, what should I look out for when checking it out and test driving it? Are there any common problems on 2009 Z's which I should keep an eye out for? Thanks in advance for your guys' help!

Why don't you ask for the number of the previous owner? I leased an evo a few years back and to extremely good care of it. Some people lease with intentions to buy out the car, and in that case you would think they would take good care of it. Good luck!

First and foremost its a used car. How the previous owner treated it really is no different then if it was bought and now being sold.

Do the same due diligence. Records for maintenance, pre-purchase inspection from a qualified mechanic etc...

- b

Do you really think I'd have a good chance of being able to get the number from the dealership salesman? I checked with the dealership where they had their service done and it shows that they performed the first oil change at 4000mi, next at 7800, and last one at 18500...quite a big gap for the last one...but I guess the first oil change or two are most critical and at least they were done roughly according to schedule and at a Nissan service dept...

thats a bit stretched out for oil changes...

+1....... Absolutely. The first two oil changes make sense & I can see that, but going from the 2nd to 3rd oil change is a huge gap.

I would check the car history report to make sure everything is all right. I'm hoping that you have seen the car & test drove it to see if it actually runs smoothly.

Hopefully it's not a 40th Anniversary in FL.:roflpuke2:

:roflpuke2:

Maybe the previous owner had oil change somewhere else, you know dealership charges more than double than regular mechanic for oil-change.

I don't have oil change done at the dealer too, it's $75 VS $35 with same oil and filter...

No matter it was leased or owned, it is still considered an used car, test drive it, see how do you feel, any rattle, smoothness of the engine, condition of the rubber sealing, if you can bring a mechanic friend to have him take a look it's even better!!

people say that if you bring you're own oil and filter, the dealer charges like $17 for an oil change...

The expensive part from the dealer comes from the fact that they chage $15 per quart for the ester oil

arr.... Then I think there's the difference between Canada and The States.

We pay $75 for regular oil.

:eekdance: wow :shakes head:

At US Nnissan dealers it would be about $40 for regular, $75 for synthetic, $105 for nissan ester.

I spend $60 to do my oil changes with Red Line/puralator filter by myself :happydance:

My own mechanic charges me $35 for regular oil, probably $75 for synthetic, I think it's either Castrol or Mobile1, I forgot....

how much of that is labor & how much is for the oil itself?

I really have no idea, I've been dealing with him for 13yrs, he just tell me how much and I just pay.. LOL I know he is honest, so I never really ask. But when the job is costly, he will tell me the cost breakdown and explain to me. :tup:

:icon18: lol! i seriously doubt it too.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to go check out and test drive the car myself. I live 3.5 hrs away from the dealership :-(. One of the reasons I'm checking with you guys here is because I'd like to go through as much as the "thinking process" as I can before committing to drive over. If I decide to go over and take a look, are there any things you guys recommend I keep an eye out for, especially on 2009 370Zs? Any common issues or signs of trouble? Any noises, behaviors, etc?

Anyway, that last oil change gap has me a little worried, but my impulsive half is saying "ehh, he probably did an oil change elsewhere"...at least I would hope....For anyone who's wondering why I'm giving this particular car so much thought, it's a pretty good deal which fits nicely into my budget....

Thanks for your help so far guys, this forum is awesome!

dude, read my post, why would you ask the questions that I already given you the answer on page 1..... :icon17:


The more thinking you go through, the more headache you will have. No matter how far is the dealer, thinking won't make you a decision, you still have to drive there test drive the car regardless. :tiphat:

:icon18: I completely agree. I hope you wouldn't buy it w/o actually test driving it. That wouldn't be smart or logical

Of course, I would never buy it without test driving and seeing it in person...just trying to build up enough motivation to get me to head over this weekend! Plus, I'm asking all this because if I head over and things seem good, I'd have no choice but to buy it at that moment, I don't have the time to make two trips...On a different note, any opinions on things, noises, behvaiors, etc I should look out for when I check it out in person?

As far as I can suggest, wind noise, left over tire tread, in-cabin rattle over bumpy road or during cornering.

The condition of the leather seats, cos that could mean "real" mileage of the car.

Engine response at high rpm, not asking you to redline the car crazily during test drive but pay attention when above 4-5k rpm on vibration and if the engine still want to pull.

If it is a MT, pay attention to rattling noise when idling, if you hear rattling noise during idling, there's some problem (sorry I forgot which part, something relate to a bearing in the gear box).

At least take a look at the camber/toe visually, and how tight the steering feel, how is the centering, any play.

In case you go ahead to purchase, might as well consider the extended warranty, but make sure ask them in details what are covered and what are not, those things could be tricky sometimes.

GL!! :tiphat:

Check the condition of the tires,see if they are new(er )or the originals ,tires dont last over long on a Z if you are hard on the throttle,if they look like the OEM factory Potenza tires with 20k on them he probably didnt run it too hard.