W221 S550 hunt

Non-repair car talk
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

I see some evidence of the Premium package and maybe it has Nav so that would be a good baseline. Probably not going to throw a tantrum over Tech but I'd prefer it. I think it is going to be harder to find a fully loaded G37X in these recession years as they were probably selling more base models more frequently than they were in the 07-09 timeframe, though I don't have numbers to back that up.

Here's a quick snippet of the 2012 G37X options from the first page:
The G37 Journey is identically equipped, but gets a more powerful engine and is eligible for additional options.
The Premium package adds a sunroof, rear parking sensors, driver memory functions, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and a 10-speaker Bose sound system.
The Navigation package adds a navigation system, real-time traffic and weather, voice controls and Bluetooth streaming audio.
The Technology package adds adaptive cruise control, automatic wipers and an upgraded climate-control system with an air purifier.
Adaptive cruise would be nice as would automatic wipers. Not sure it's worth passing up an otherwise good car for but honestly I feel like Premium and Nav is kind of mandatory for me. And unlike in my E55 search where I am dealing with rare cars that need to be purchased carefully that also tend to have some random a la carte option lineups, this is totally different. I can likely skip over a G37X and simply find another one I like better. So there's that. I don't think I care about color. I care much more about cosmetic and mechanical condition. In other words, I'd rather have a very clean example in like a blue than a scratched/dented up one that's black or whatever.

And for corrosion, I need to buy carefully. It will be interesting to see how a 9 year old example that was presumably driven in the northeast has held up. I think most of it will look OK but there will be trouble spots. My job is to find those and not ignore them because they WILL spread over time. If it's just the exhaust, or an isolated part like that, I'm not as concerned. I care a lot more about the brake lines and overall body (under and painted). Rust at the bottom of doors, or wheel well rust is out. As is a small but nasty looking spot on the body underneath. Yes, I can consider patching/preserving some very focused areas but I'm not paying $10k for a used car that requires welding in the near future. That would be dumb.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

Met the guy, drove the car, took pics. Here are all the pics. There are 51 and I have not posted all of them.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!An5lt1BKvFKdqe5x9Z4 ... A?e=xiU3eN

Background:
He owns a Goodyear shop somewhere. According to him he's basically kept up with maintenance. Sounded like all fluids but brake fluid. Has had a couple wheel bearings. Exhaust. All the stuff I expected. Wants to get something to tow his boat next. He bought it around 17k off lease so should be the second owner. I will probably get a Carfax to check this stuff out. All good stuff so far.

He actually said "I'm going to walk into Kohls, go to the bathroom and come back but you can just go do whatever." I stayed and looked at stuff until he came back.

Basic walkaround:
Some headlight oxidation. Rust on the driver's side rear wheel well. A dent in the driver's front fender. A big scrape in the paint on the hood. A small dent on the rear bumper. Signs the car was used and not like babied. Probably par for the course so I'd call it "average" condition or maybe a touch below. Definitely other scratches as well. It's a "get in and drive" and not obsess over. Though I always prefer buying cleaner examples. Looks nicer while I own it and chances are will look nicer when I sell. Win win. Matching set of tires. Continental DWS06, same as what I have on the STS. A performance all season. Or high performance in Tirerack parlance. As a 20 foot car it's fine.
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Engine bay was dusty which means not meticulously detailed. Kind of as expected. Saw nothing amiss. Oil level was perfect and looked clean. Brake fluid looked good. Power steering also fine. Coolant fine. So all good there.
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Scanned it for codes. No codes, no pending codes, all OBD systems ready. In fact I think it had a been tens of thousands of miles since last reset, which was probably a battery. This is the kind of commodity performance I'm looking for. O2 trims looked perfect.

One comment: the driver's door seemed a little saggy at the hinges and closed a little harder than I expected.

Then he basically sat in the shade while I test drove it. Will cover that next.

The drive:
This is pretty easy. I like the way it drives. The engine is strong and winds out all the way to like 7,200. It gets a little buzzy up there but I don't see anything wrong with that. Pulls strong and linearly. The steering was actually really good. Good ratio, good feel, very tight and precise. It actually had some feel when I pushed it in a corner. I found the suspension to be relatively compliant and striking a good mix of ride/handling. I'm sure you could stiffen it up but this one was not made to be the sharpest possible sport sedan. They had some RWD trims for that and frankly this is not an all out, no compromises sport sedan. It's not supposed to be. It's merely very good and probably a similar era 3-series feels similar. A basic 3 series is not an M3.

The trans shifted fine. The brakes were kinda meh but sort of par for the course for what this is. Everything seemed to work. Really no complaints about the way it drove. It was shockingly tight and felt really nice over some crappy surfaces. Basically this is exactly what I want in a daily.

Then I got under it with the ramps. Rear definitely had some spots of rust on some of the subframe and other stuff. Most of the body looked very good. Exhaust looked good. This is what I predicted. Everything looks good except the spots that don't. Is this a deal breaker? Some of it, kinda. I also noticed one plastic access cover on the underbody panel was hanging on by a thread because a bolt was sheared off.
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I even adjusted the front passenger seat to be comfortable with maybe 2 inches between my knees and the glove box. Plenty of legroom.
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Then I sat behind myself. Had about an inch to the rear seat which translates to plenty of room. I was actually surprised as I expected it to be tighter. This is all good.
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Basically, I could totally live with this car as a daily/winter car. It is about as good as I expected across all the categories.

What I'm not sure about on this particular example is the cosmetic stuff plus some of the corrosion stuff. See the onedrive link for more. Overall it is much cleaner than my STS and I think cleaner than my STS was when I bought it, as well. But I think buying a car with visible wheel well rust is just a bad idea.

I do also feel like this is not a $10k car to me as it sits. One scenario could be that Carmax offers him like $6500 and then he takes $7k from me. I think I'd feel comfortable with $7k. But nowhere near $10k.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

A few notes.

I have been following the market, mainly in my area and in the NC area. I would like to examine another local car just to see how it compares to the first one I looked at. Again, the one I drove was mechanically good and everything that was really wrong with it was dents, scrapes and some corrosion concerns. None of those things are items that I fix in my garage. All the stuff I do fix in my garage was fine. So not really the ideal car, unless there was a big discount.

Second, and now that I've uncovered a free way to look at Carfax service history, I have been looking at the service history of cars where I have a VIN in the ad. Well in many cases this gives me a clue where the car was operated (and obviously serviced). Guess what? Every single southern G37X has originated in OH, PA, NY, MA, etc. It's not totally pointless because obviously the more time it spent in the south, the better it should be. Sometimes half the car's life was spent in the south. Other times, FAR less. But it makes me less excited to jump through hoops to get a "southern example" if it's been exposed. I guess it's a question of the spectrum. Originally I would say if I am not getting a true southern example, why bother? Well, some of these cars may still look a hell of a lot better underneath than ones exclusively operated up here. So....how much better does it need to be for this to be worthwhile? That's a question I cannot answer because I need to look at more examples locally. If I feel like I can find a "clean enough" local example, I don't know that I'd bother with the NC thing.

There is one in the Charlotte area actually that I want Bob to check out. That could give me a data point. Let me look up the history again.
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/d/ ... 38407.html
https://elitemotorsofcharlotte.com/list ... niti-g37x/

This is in PA and only 2 years and 20k ago. Not a huge advantage yet I'd still have the inconvenience of buying remote and having to get it home. And in theory this could be at least as bad as the one I just looked at. It is a 2009 vs the 2012 I looked at. And was in PA up to the same mileage as the one I looked at was in the northeast. If it's way better somehow, that suggests I could also achieve that variation up here. Which is what I was saying before.
Attachments
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

Another option: 2010-2011 E550 4Matic.

Pros:
- W212 is....relatively reliable? For what it is...
- Last years of the M273 engine and got pretty sorted. Naturally aspirated.
- 7G-tronic also had been out for a good 6 years and should be sorted
- Lots of good crap on the W212 that I like (I should finally be able to find a Distronic car)
- https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a1 ... nted-test/
- Looking at 13.4 @ 105 (0-60 in 4.8). Definitely a notch above the G37X.
- They may just be falling into my price range
- https://www.supercars.net/blog/used-car ... edan-w212/

Cons:
- Reliability won't be nearly as good as a G37X
- G37X also has better steering and a more playful chassis
- Ugh. Engine mounts look really bad to do. Tempted to disqualify the car. The W211 does have easier mounts fwiw. But then I'd want to focus on the 08-09 due to issues with the 07 M273....or just buy a Japanese daily driver.

Examples include:
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d ... 52687.html

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

Particularly clean example: https://caryimports.com/inventory/34621 ... -E%20Class

Only 4 owners and 2 accidents on this one: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/3aa9 ... n=atempest

High mileage: https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 53099.html

And if I want to stick with the W211, this is an interesting option: https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/ ... 71827.html

https://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/d/french ... 43993.html

Problem is I think I would avoid the first years of the M273. From a reliability standpoint, the W211 E550 did still use the 5G-tronic. I like the wheels. They might be 19s. Which isn't really a good thing. EDIT: I think they are 18s.

How to identify a factory fixed M273: http://www.mercedesmedic.com/check-my-m ... n-m272273/

Doesn't include one that's been repaired after manufacture which I guess would require service history to identify.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

Here is a Tech Package car for my reference.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/cf5e ... 22f11a2e6/

Pics that identify the adaptive cruise:
G37 adaptive cruise front.PNG
G37 adaptive cruise steering wheel.PNG

Interestingly this car does not seem to have foglights. I wonder if that is actually a very obvious tell for the Tech Package.

Side note, this is the first car I've seen with visible wheel well rust. In its defense, it's an 09 with 166k in IL. Here is the rust.
G37 visible wheel well rust.PNG
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

https://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/d/piscat ... 43113.html

Texted the guy. I can post screenshots of it. But this appears to have an engine with the updated timing chain idler gear. It was supposed to be mid-2008 yet this 07 has a VIN that matches. Does that mean it had a new engine somewhere along the way? That would be fine with me.

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lo ... X97X219220

273962 30 088845 273.962

If I am not mistaken this is a 2008 engine which is newer than the car!
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

A little evidence that these can be solid cars: https://mbworld.org/forums/market/812685

Ended up selling it at 335k and said this:
Sold for $4,500 the same day I rolled 335,000 miles. Looked and drove almost like new. Buyer is ecstatic. These cars are amazing.
Here's what he said in 2017:
Daily driver
I have an 07 e550 that is my daily driver. I picked it up with 125K miles and I'm now at 230K. The only maintenance items have been rotors/pads and ball joints, all of which I did in 5 hours one weekend.

The power is good, especially at freeway speeds an up hills. My overall city/hwy mpg for the last 60k has been 28.3 (mostly freeway) and I routinely get over 30 mpg on my commute.

I change oil every 3 months with Mobil1. I'm hoping to get to 300k (which is about 2 more years).
That is a RWD so I'm sure the 7A and lack of AWD adds a few mpg. This is all pretty impressive though.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 9:05 am https://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/d/piscat ... 43113.html

Texted the guy. I can post screenshots of it. But this appears to have an engine with the updated timing chain idler gear. It was supposed to be mid-2008 yet this 07 has a VIN that matches. Does that mean it had a new engine somewhere along the way? That would be fine with me.

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lo ... X97X219220

273962 30 088845 273.962

If I am not mistaken this is a 2008 engine which is newer than the car!
So the car is still in play though apparently I have to beat a local offer he's gotten of $7600.

No this is the engine it shipped with. It's like the 200th engine off the line AFTER they fixed the issue. Cutting it close.

Here is the Carfax and scanned VMI that I got from my local dealer. A tech came out and we talked about stuff. I definitely like those guys over there.

I talked to him on the phone and texted a bunch more. I have learned a few more things.

1. The front door handle keyless go entry buttons are dead. Only works from the back doors. Keyless go ignition does work. So it probably needs 2 handles. That's probably pushing $500 right there. He had no clue because he always pushed the unlock button on his remote "like my MDX."

2. ESP light. Still inconclusive. Many potential causes. If I had some codes I could work with it. Again if it is the ABS reluctor on a rear axle rusting away, this car is a pass.

He sent me pictures of the seats. They look mint.

I talked to the MB tech about rust. He said oh yeah a bunch of Mercedes rust out the brake lines, up to about model year 2013 when they switched to some kind of coated line. So this seems no better than GM here, surprisingly.

He seemed willing to bring the car to his mechanic for pictures of the undercarriage and maybe some codes, but said he had that $7600 offer without having to do all that stuff. So I have to make a plan on how to respond.
Attachments
Carfax_WDBUF90X97X219220.pdf
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VMI_WDBUF90X97X219220.pdf
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

Storing this here. https://www.benzworld.org/threads/2007- ... t.2960122/

For no reason at all....
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Infiniti G37X hunt

Post by kevm14 »

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... the%20E550.

This thing is nice! Good options (mostly). Looks good. Mileage good. No accidence. Price.....OK? I actually love the color combo.

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lo ... X48B228682

97k, asking $10k.
Local NC car, no accidents, fully loaded, runs great, excellent condition, must see to appreciate. Save thousands from Retail price…
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