Would you buy this car? Need advice

u155282

Well I hate to say it, but for as long as I've been coveting the 370 and lurking this forum, I won't be an owner any time soon. It's just not doable financially right now.

So I was looking at other cars and I found this one:

Cars for Sale: 2004 Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe in LA MESA , CA 91941: Coupe Details - 267699021 - AutoTrader.com

If you read the description the guy says he is selling for 1k less than the list price. Carfax turns up 4 owners (including the one right now), but no accidents or problems. Compared to other G35's with similar milage it's priced favorably. It's below KBB and Edmunds estimated value.

I met the guy, test drove the car and checked it over pretty well. The repairs he speaks of in the listing are purely cosmetic. You can't see the damage in the pictures on Autotrader, but it's significant. He said he got estimates and the lowest was $1300. It drives great, no problems, nice sound from the intake and exhaust. FYI, the Nav is not factory but aftermarket (Eclipse) and kind of dated (no auxillary hookup for mp3 player). It's got an warranty (People's Vehicle Protection - "Classic" trim - covers everything important) that's good until 94,000 miles or 2012.

I sat on it for a day because it was still a little more than I wanted to spend (not on that car, just in general), then I offered him 14,800 and he took it. I told him part of the deal would be to have Infiniti check it out, pre-buy inspection. We went down there today and when they got done they tell us everything checks fine except for one of the power door locks (I knew about that and the warranty covers it) and that the engine sits higher than normal "probably because of the accident, might have tweaked the frame a little bit" Me: "what...?" Them: "Well, it was definitely been in a accident, the front bumber and hood have been repaired/replaced and a lot of parts under the hood have been replaced too, they have tags on them." I look at seller, he stares blankly. I ask service reps what this means about the future of the car, if the frame issue will lead to problems, they say it's hard to say.

Seller says he doesn't know anything about the accident, that he's only had the car for a year. I don't know if I believe him, not that it really matters, but I will say he drives like a goddamn nut and he doesn't take car of the car at all (it looked like it hadn't been washed in 6 months or more and the interior had scuffs and dirt/dust everywhere).

Anyway, what I'm really trying to figure out if the car is still worth buying. Like I said, it feels like it's mechanically sound and Infiniti's inspection says everything checked passes (save for the door lock), but I really have no idea what to think about that engine height/frame tweaked business. That sounds like seriously bad news to me, but I'm not an expert so if any of you can speak on that I would really like to hear what you have to say. Another thing I'm worried about is how this non-reported accident would affect future claims with the warranty service.

Should I take it and not worry about it? should I offer him less (and how much)? Or should I run for the hills and start my search over?

All input will be appreciated.