Buying a modded car?
 

Good day everyone;

Been on the market to buy a used car, through private party. Several things I have learned, APRs go through the roof on older cars, and the less the amount that is financed the higher they are.
On the positive side, insurance is low.

The purpose to open this thread is to ask how does it go on testing a "performance" modded vehicle.

It has a turbo, LSD, WP rotors/calipers, complete exhaust ... let me just copy paste.


*Jim Wolf 530BB Twin Turbo Kit
*WP PRO BBK 8piston caliper front/6 piston rear
*19 Rays Engineering RE30 wheels in blue
*OS Giken limited slip differential
*Sound Performance differential brace
*Nismo finned differential cover
*Setrab oil cooler kit
*Custom 3in down pipes
*Motordyne true 3in turbo exhaust
*Jim Wolf clutch and flywheel
*Jim Wolf Oil pan spacer kit
*SPC Camber kits front & rear
*Stainless braided brake lines front & rear
*Greddy Boost controller & turbo timer
*A pillar mounted boost gauge & AEM air fuel gauge
*Greddy SSQV blow off valve
*Genuine OEM NISMO Body kit
*Voltex rear diffuser (carbon fiber)
*TWM short shifter and weighted shift knob

I test drove it yesterday and he would not let me keep it in boost all the way to redline. Telling me its his car, he does not let anyone drive it bla bla...
I even offered him money for his time and gasoline but he did not accept.
During the drive I smell maybe oil or fuel, could not really tell, and got off real quick to see the exhaust. Some smoke was coming out, he said it was from condensation as the car he does not drive anymore.
We are making arrangements to take the car to his shop this week if possible. The shop is charging 110 to perform the test.

::: I just granny drove it, easy shifting, etc. I would like to go through the gears at least 2nd 3rd 4th and see how it engages and does not miss or its hard to shift, pops out of gear.
He seemed frustrated on my request and would look down and scratch his head. I had to ask him several times if he was selling it or not kind of reminding him.
Its a 2003 350z w 75k on the odo. Tuned using UpRev.
He is standing firm on 12k.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461669181https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461669181

You have him produce all the receipts the car ever had for all modifications. Also you have him drive it ringing it out while you sit as passenger so you know it can perform. Have a leakdown test run, get oil analyzed, have him remove the transmission to inspect the clutch, open the gearbox to check out the metal chunks in it, accept that modded cars may have small oil leaks here and there and you may have to chase these forever. Then prepare to go fuck yourself when anything wrong happens and you can't figure out his goofy ass wiring job, and have no other support for the hack job modifications he made just to get it running one evening on the side of a bridge, at night, in the rain.

Or just trust him fully on his word and have him take your money and disappear for you to open up that can of worms.

Or just build your own car, so you actually know everything about it.

Or just buy my car.

On one hand I can completely understand him wanting you not to abuse it, because if something were to go wrong, you certainly are not going to fit the bill for repairs, however if you build a car like that, it should be capable of performing as intended. If there is something wrong, and he knows it, then that could be a possibility of why he does not want you beating on it, ie, possible slipping clutch.

In regards to the smoke, or condensation as he calls it. How long had the car been driven before you noticed that? Was it at normal op temp? The oil smell could simply be crank case evac, does it have a catch can? Could also be from the oil cooler.

All in all, if you get a sketchy vibe from him or the car, steer clear of it. There is no reason to get involved with it if you dont get good vibes from the deal. Also, ask him to drive the dog shit out of it since he wont let you do so, then you can see if there's anything he is attempting to hide. And see if you can find him on any Z forums, find his build thread, or any posts he may have made about issues with the car, ect

Get out of my head psybr_optix

<3

Wait a second, where is this car located?

lol when I sold my WRX i was encouraging the guy to beat the piss out of it...

After reading this a second time, I think you're just asking us to confirm for you what you conscience is telling you. Steer away from this guy. Your post as it is isn't objective and outlines red flag behavior for a sell. Or get him in writing for the bill of sale, that he agrees that everything will be mechanically sound for 30 days under normal use and have it notarized. He should be comfortable doing that if he trusts is own car. Why hasn't it been used in a while? Why is he selling it? Why is he babying it? Why is he afraid to expose any flaws?

350z track edition
 

The only wiring hack job done is UpRev which is none intrusive, just plug and reflash the stock ECU.

He did drive it on the highway for about 15 minutes and gave it a few punch of the throttle and felt strong.
The AEM boost gauge sensor was bad so it was stuck on 30psi all the time, but the AEM wideband did work. At a stop light it was at 15 and under boost to 11.5. He did drive it spiritedly but I wanted to get a feel, because there is a lot one can detect when been behind the wheel, I guess that wont happen.

The car had been driven for about 10 minutes and it was warm, nice sunny day in the 70s high. He let the car idle at a parking lot for 5 minutes, the fans kick in, no creeping temps, good idle.
He drove it back to his house which was about 5 minutes away, and I followed on my car. Sometimes when he was coming out of a stop light or at a slow turn left or right a little bit puff of smoke, something silly, would come out the exhaust at low rpms.


He had to admit the AC was bad, no cold air blowing out, remote key not working, on board factory navigation not working, which I care less. The Panasonic radio has nav and besides I always use my android.

If it has all the problems you mentioned, why are you even still interested?

Sounds like he is trying to off load his headache on someone else. Walk, no run the other direction.

I've owned a 350z a year ago or so.

Holy crap you couldn't pay me to own another one.

And mine was completely perfect mechanically. I can't imagine even considering that piece of garbage you posted up there. Run from it like the plague.

I seriously wouldn't pay more than about 6-7 grand if you were foolish enough to actually buy it.

Buy it, you've convinced yourself. Be sure to crosslink to your troubleshoot thread on the z forums so we can laugh.

I will crosslink.

And no I will not buy it.

That is the reason I opened the thread. And also to see how it goes on this private party deal on testing cars. Because on a dealership wtf, but with people they are more hesitant about it, they see it as joyrides, most.

I went to see a 370z SC, beautiful, the guy would not let me even drive it before showing proof of funds. I walked away.
We are just talking, and every now and then a slap in the face dont hurt. I have also seen on this forums significant amount of builds w gazillions gremlins, and the numbers dont come down.

I am looking at 135is, Evos, Subis and Miatas of course, none in the area MD. Have seen some on VA, but its some drive.

Yep, years ago 2010ish I think, I bought a PERFECT 2006 350Z Touring (BOSE/leather/etc) only had 19k miles on it.

I sold it in 3 months. Such an uninspiring car.

haha yep, I think we already talked about this in another thread too: it literally did nothing well.

I can only imagine how bad a molested/hacked up one is.l

If 135s are in the list of possibilities, then I would go with one of those over any of the other options you listed. Im assuming you already have a Miata so that is out of the question.

The N54 in the 135s (assuming you are buying an older model) are extremely stout, Theres really no attainable power level with those that would every require you to pull the engine and build. Full bolt ons, e85 and Cobb AP with custom tune will be a total WIN in the 135. And you get the creature comforts of a BMW that the EVO/ STI will never have.

what about the fuel pumps failing?
what about the turbo's failing?

I love the 135/335, but those two going out when car is outside of warranty and you'll need to lighten the wallet quite a bit to fix.
Otherwise I like those cars a lot.

Agreed, however my logic is to find one with proper maintenance history and low-er milage, odds are one of the two mentioned failures has already been addressed, and if it hasnt, then when the turbos fail its perfect time to go single turbo or upgraded turbos ;) Every make/ model performance oriented car is going to have a common failure of some sort, none of which are usually very cheap to resolve. I would certainly rather have to replace the turbos in a 135 than replace the entire engine in an STI due to ringlands, or a trans in an EVO X.

Just my .02 though.

Fair enough. One thing is certain though: Nissan Z is even worse yet

Fact!

If you have no will to problem solve or exorcise demons, you really shouldn't ever be thinking about modifying or owning a modified car. If you're willing to take it to a shop all the time to get these custom jobs fixed, and spend a fortune, just spend extra on a nice stock sports car and have the dealer warranty that shit.


:2cents:

To be fair, it did eat up highway miles at a decent clip in comfort and decent-ish mpg.

I could cruise 85-90 returning 25-26mpg all day. But that was about it.

mine never got over 18. ever

as for comfort: no glove box - fail. storage compartments directly behind seats - fail. having as much interior space as a Miata despite being almost the size of a corvette - fail. shifter required 20lbs of effort just to change gears cause it was so stiff/clunky - fail. and on and on.....

it sounded pretty cool tho
and looked fast lol
until every single one of my friends would blow my doors off in various cars

I always wanted to like the 350z. I like the way it looks and I used to like Nissan. I just can't get past the fact that they really gave away the engineering side of the car. Warmed over engine. Extra weight everywhere but no attention to the change in performance. Impractical without any offset in character. Just a lost cause trying to improve it, you end up playing the "I should have started with a different car" game.

IMO, the only people who can buy a modified car and sleep soundly at night are people who have extensive experience with that particular chassis already. I can go out and buy the biggest basket-case of a Miata in the world and I know enough about the car to un-fuck it regardless of how far gone it is (assuming I'm willing to spend the time/money to do so). I also know enough to know which cars to pick up and which ones to walk away from, and that comes from experience.

If you don't have experience with a chassis, buying a heavily modified version is a huge risk. You run the risk of spend a ton of time and/or money chasing down problems the previous owner caused, even if the PO doesn't know they caused them.

The short answer is that if you're asking an internet forum whether or not you should buy a heavily modified car, the answer is almost certainly "no".

^^^ Completely agree.

I'd add to it and say that buying a (highly) modified car makes a lot more sense if it is not your only car and is a weekend/fun/project car.

After a half lifetime of custom builds, I am now firmly in the camp that believes buying somebody else's project is the way to go if you are looking for a project because they dropped in a lot of money that won't come back to them in a sale. Then you can make changes to improve or "unfuck" poor choices made by the PO, but it still takes knowledge, time and money. You have to go into it with that plan though. Expecting somebody else's project to be your daily driver won't work out well.

I have one rule when it comes to buying modified cars.

1) Don't do it.

That said, if it's going to be your only car, you'll depend on it for driving to work, and you have to finance it, I'll add a couple more:

2) Really, really, really don't do it.
3) See 1

There's a reason why a $10K car with $9K in aftermarket parts on it sells for $8K.

--Ian

hahaha yup

"I have this car that cost 30k, put 20k into it, and will let it go for 12k, all you gotta do is..........."

The best part is that people are dumb enough to think that it's all the car actually needs. Like yeah, you just turbocharged the car, but having the AC refilled is just too hard

In between the I should buy or not, I got very good helpful advise, so for that I thank you.

Following up on this modded car bonanza, I contact the shop for the service records of the vehicle, which of course they refused and politely said to reach out to the owner for approval.

Texted the seller (which I am going to call Chapulin Colorado), and explained to please call the shop to give the green light for the transmission of documents via email. Chapulin Colorado explained he was busy on his new house and could not make the phone call at this time.
We exchanged emails and in between the lines he said he did not feel comfortable disclosing ALL the information, and I reminded him thats a immediate red flag. All in all he said to please give him some time, his house move is taking much of the day and will arrange for Friday to go to the shop, I agreed.

Got off from work, and decided to step foot on this shop which he takes the car since day one back in 2012. (got your pop-corn ready... JA JA ja) I roll through the shop and I see the exact same car the seller has, his new one (not the one for sale), and I was like, wtf, that looks like his car, but isnt he at the house busy...Anyhow, I walk in to the shop to meet the owner, he is very friendly and polite, while he is talking all I could see was a garage full of turbo Infinity, 370Z, looked sick must admit, and there was the owner of the car, the seller, wrenching on one of the vehicles way in the back. There was some backlight from the sun like from the the sun hits directly into the driveway, so I could not see well in between the glare and all the cars, and there he was attempting to hide behind one of the lift towers.
The owner of the shop (lets call him El Gran Pollero), tells me, yeah he is at the shop, in fact thats him and points to where the tower is (behind the tower), and asked me if I wanted to talk to him. I was just laughing, I felt good, and at the same time felt stupid, a weird mixed up vibe, still recovering from it. The seller took off, and walked away, I texted him, and he ignored the messages, asking him to show up, that I was upfront talking to the shop owner. The owner, Chapulin Colorado, drove away, no texting, nice.The shop owner, El Gran Pollero, says thats between you two, and we proceeded to see the service records, the turbo used to belong to him back in 2012, and rebuilt right before installing on the car.

What are the odds? Just like in the movies, you live, you learn, and I must give thanks to everyone here in MT cause I can tell you guys/gals/LGBT/non denominational that you care for the well being and monetary stability of other members and for that many kudos.

Cheers ~~~~

Glad you dodged that bullet.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461763523<br >

Here is the dyno chit. Ran last January, tuning with UpRev.
GTR injectors
Twin GT25s

I told you that "Chapulin" was shady

"Chapulin Colorado" holy shit hahahahaha

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1461800762

Unless you already know how to work on the car in question and you're deeply familiar with the mods he has done and how everything ideally fits together when done correctly, you're going to either have a huge learning curve or you're going to be out a TON of money unfucking it. Possibly both. You don't know what mix of bandaids and stupidity he used to get the car running. You don't know where he cut corners. You don't know what parts are on the verge of exploding or melting the second you do a WOT pull to redline.

If you pay someone else to figure it out, very time something else goes wrong with it, you'll be out a ton of money getting that same mechanic to fix your special snowflake of a car. You might as well just buy a fucking ferrari right now.

This thread reminds me of that guy who showed up on here asking for advice about how to fix a basic issue with his turbo miata that he bought pre-modded with some uncommon ECU. He didn't know anything about the setup beyond a few part names, didn't know how to datalog, read the memory or change anything. It was probably something that would take 10 minutes to fix if he had modded the car himself and was familiar with it, but starting with a previously modded car, it was like solving a sherlock holmes mystery. And this wasn't some 30psi 500hp beast of a car, it was a very mildly modded car with nothing mechanically stressed. It was just some weird grounding or vacuum leak issue, the kind that pop up now and then. But it completely crippled his ability to drive around in the car because he couldn't diagnose it or fix it.

I can't even imagine selling my car to someone else. It is pretty reliable when it's fully assembled, but there are a million tiny issues that can crop up and they don't throw an engine code, so I have to read the 5 extra gauges and the ecu data and deduce what's wrong. I'd have to explain everything to someone, they'd have to be smart enough to absorb it all and then I'd probably still need to write a thick manual explaining everything in case they forgot stuff and the car broke a year later.

The car has its chunks, I know people say is a pos, I get that.

I drove the car, the Nismo I drove days earlier felt like a school bus besides this car.
I have driven 128i, 335i, and had the honor to be in the driver's seat of a BMW M5, (edit: almost forgot have also driven NA modded Miata 1.6)
This car felt like a track car, glued to the ground and doing 90 felt like 40. That thing it boost, clamped the diff, and off we go, and I swear it sounded like a GTR. Rip it at 100 mph and then let go off the throttle and it sounded better than a Harley at idle.

But as much as how insane that dose of instant gratification felt, I have to let go. Will be testing tomorrow a 135i, and possibly another one Saturday.

Like a buddy told me, "For trying to lookout for the pennies and dimes, I'll lose track of the dollar bills"