Cautious of buying a preown with supercharger?
 

Hey guys,

Brand new to the forums, been trolling for awhile and finally figured it was time to register.

I am currently seeking to purchase a Z and recently found one about three hours from my home town for sale via a dealership.

It's a 2009 370z Touring edition. It has 25,000 miles on it and they were asking 28k and now I see it just went down to 26K

The catch is that the web ad claims it has a "$8000 supercharger giving the car 500HP". There is about 10 photos of it and across the top of the windshield it does in fact say "Stillen".

Now I am fully aware it could very well have a supercharger in it but had no idea they ran $8000 unless this is just a sales ploy. Also it's an automatic which my limited research has told me that superchargers and autos don't really go together that great. Lastly, since it has a supercharger on it would that void any factory warranty?

Any thoughts, concerns, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

It's likely that you would have warranty issues on the tranny and motor if you took it anywhere but the dealer selling the car. Personally, I wouldn't buy someone else's project. That "500hp" is crank, not wheel hp as a FYI.

Three thoughts.

1) Ask the dealer. Most used cars sold by dealers have some warranty given consumer demand. I'll bet the drive train is under warranty

2) Check with Stillen to see if their supercharger is still under warranty and is transferrable.

3) If you're serious about the car, you can always purchase a warranty. Most car dealers and lenders can sell you one as part of the purchase -- although you can find better deals in the market place if you look yourself.

The catch is that while the dealer who installed and sold the car may offer to maintain warranty coverage on the car, that may not hold true with other dealerships.

Price in the proper amount of risk into any offer you give. The supercharger shouldn't be additive to the price of a stock 2009 in similar condition.

If the car is in great condition and drives well, $21-22k.

Appreciate all the help!

I am not 100% on it by any means. I haven't contacted the dealer either yet. Just wanted to get some input on it. I live in the Midwest, North Dakota to be exact so there isn't a wide selection of Z's up here. I am guessing I will have to pick one up from a dealer out of my area. I haven't had time to check the marketplace yet but plan on it tonight to see if there is anything decent.

Again thanks for all the input and advice.

Buying a modded vehicle can be a blessing or curse. On one hand, you are buying after they ate the terrible aftermarket depreciation. The risk is they didn't do a good job with the installation or they are dumping because of a problem.

I don't buy modified cars. If its being sold it wasn't that great to begin with. If the SC worked great the person most likely would be keeping it. Yes there are other things that can play in but is it worth the gamble? Not in my book. I hate buying other peoples problems, I prefer to make my own.

One thing I do when I buy a used car is ask if they will get me in contact with the previous owner. Often you can find out real quick why they sold the car/traded in the car and if they were having problems.

Yep. Do your own projects. You never know if a previous owner traded it in because it was about to explode. Buy stock cars.

+1

Personally, I wouldn't go near a modded engine unless I knew for certain that it had been done correctly and not abused. Unless you know the previous owner, that may be impossible to determine with any certainty. But, if you are going to mod and the mods are what you would do, then it can save you a lot of money.

I'd have serious reservations about a stock 7AT handling the extra power.

I can't imagine a dealer (or anybody else) giving a warranty on a (non-factory) supercharged car that would begin to cover all that needs to be covered.

Thanks again guys,

It makes sense not to buy a car with that much engine modification. I initially was attracted to it because while I know my way around a car, I am not that much of a gear head to even know where to start with installing a super charger.

However, I am one of those people that if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. That being said I can see myself buying this vehicle and within the first month one of the cylinders shoots right through the hood like a rocket.

Therefore I think I am going to try and find myself a decent Nismo and just do some light mods that I am able to handle myself.

Thanks again for all the replies, this forum is great and I look forward to chatting more with you all.

People sell modified vehicles for many reasons. You see it on this forum all the time. Financial reasons, life changes, etc. I sold a highly modified vehicle before moving to California in 2007 because of the SMOG restrictions, not because of any mechanical issues.

The key to buying a modified vehicle is inspecting the quality of the work, having a trusted mechanic go over it, and ideally finding out who the previous owner was and doing online research if they posted about their build.

Is it blue color?

I hear you, but just make sure when looking for a job and your doing the assessment and have to pick which phrase best characterizes you, don't pick that one.

Good luck on Z search just take your time and do extensive test drive.