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Comments
On saturday I was heading to the golf course on N680 and as I was making the transition over to the 242 connector a Porsche Boxster blew by me.
242 was relatively light and so I started accelerating smoothly to see if I could catch up.
Luck would have it that the Boxster got "boxed-in"
The boxster driver was perturbed by this I assume because as the lane in front of him cleared, he took off like a rocket! pulling away from me at a pretty impressive rate...
I still wonder now how the G would have done had I stamped on the accelerator also...
As it was, we both got to the hwy 4 junction at about the same time (he slowed down) and I believe I caught him unaware, as I past him on the other side of a motor home and plopped into the the long exit leading to hwy 4 as he was trying to merge over... Well, he fell in right behind me and flashed his highbeams at me (did he want me to move over while I was on the ramp?)
So I did he next best thing and I sped up, he stayed right behind me, twitching left and right as though telling me "I can pass you anytime I want"
Well the Port Chicago Hwy exit was coming up... and that offramp is notorious for its banking mysteriously going almost flat right at the "apex" of the 270 degree cloverleaf exit (I used to travel that way often to visit a certain train store in the vicinity)
I hit the offramp at about 45, with the boxster in tow... As I hit the apex, the car indeed rolled toward the outside of the corner as the banking diminished, and the tires began to squeal in protest.
I'm not certain about the geometry of the G35 suspension, but one thing I really love about it is the phenomena of when you give it a blip of throttle in a hard corner it goes from slight understeer to slight oversteer very predictably, and I'm not certain what forces cause the effect, but it feels distinctly like the car suddenly leans its front corner into the turn.
I tried it this time on this particular occasion and blipped the throttle a bit too much in my enthusiasm... the back end kicked out a perceptible amount, and the SLIP light came on. I need to seriously think about calming down as I see this light far too often.
For about 3 seconds the whole car was filled with a moderately loud "drone" sound, like gigantic wasps, and I felt the engine power suddenly drop off (a bit disconcerting)
I dropped onto Port Chicago Highway and when I looked to see if my playmate was still playing I caught a cloud of dust in my rear view mirror.
The Boxster exited about 100 yards behind me with dust trailing off its left side, and I can only assume that he got two wheels off into the dirt boundary on the slope to the outside of the offramp...
A bit to my surprise we both pulled into the Golf Course parking lot about a half mile from the exit and I pulled into a section very near the clubhouse with about 4 empty spots around me...
...But he parked far away on the opposite side of the lot
I would have liked to think it was from embarassment, but it was probably just that Porsche thing of taking two spots far away from any other cars
Do Porsche Boxsters have a version of VDC? A friend of mine has told me that VDC in G35's is a "Marital Aid" for drivers with lesser skill and that real drivers would turn it off (he races SCCA). Hell, that may true, but in my own pragmatic rationale, I would rather be the butt of Marital Aid jokes ON the road, rather than a real driver spun off at the corner *laughing*
I really like the G35 ALOT
Faenor/Dane4
Scott
One last thought about 0-60. BMW states the official 0-60 at 7 secs with the automatic. I thought the Edmunds review said 6.4 with the Step. I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.
Also Dane I know several people who own Boxsters. Only one really loves that car.
Anyway off to work catch you all later.
I have my G for about a Month now, only got $500.00 off MSRP but that is the price you pay to be first on the street with something, no big deal. You may be interested to know that the G peforms much better than I had expected in mid winter driving conditions. We had some real lousy weather a couple of weeks ago and my G held up pretty good. I still plan to switch to 16" winter tires next winter, along with steel rims, discs and brakes are way to exposed on wheels that come with the car. Enjoy your car and let us know when you take delivery.
Gabman (mtl)
One other thing to owners out there. Has anyone looked carefully at the exhaust pipe. Those are two covers on the pipe and not very good quality ones at that. One of mine is starting to exhibit some surface rust, again not a major isssue, but will warrant some watching.
On the other hand the maintenance log calls for 4.25 quarts of oil and states that the fuel capacity is 18.5 gallons.
Wonder which is correct?
Love my G. Now 425 fun miles on it.
Am going to put 10-30 Mobil 1 in it at 1,000 miles.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Paul
El Cajon, California
My 2 cents
Speed
on the roads but they were plenty wet and they had not been salted. Leaving work I drove the car like I normally would. I had no problem with acceleration from a stop light or with braking. The car stayed straight and true. I wanted to test the car in a turn though so I took a 90 degree turn faily aggressively. I could feel the car kick out a bit and the VDC light went on, corrected the problem, and then rocketed me past a car in front of me before the lane merged. One of my big concerns with this car was that it was RWD. I felt very confident in its performance after having a chance to test it in adverse conditions. I remeber thinking that I felt more confident driving the G35 in the conditions I was in then I have with our Passat FWD. I was very impressed. Now, if we could just have some nice dry, warm weather so I could turn up the tunes and open the roof I would be a very happy camper. Ths car is great. Thanks Infiniti.
Switching gears...I have around 600 miles on my G and it's still a blast to drive. Have had many friends in it and a few drive it, and all have been wowed (a couple were so interested in the car that they planned to visit the dealership). OIL--I noticed from my manual that the first oil change is recommended at around 3750 miles. I checked my oil and when I pulled the dipstick out, I was surprised by the many angles on the stick and was a little concerned that I would ever get it back in the correct way. Just my luck, I thought, that I'd bend it in some way and never know the difference. But after a closer look, I saw that the dip stick had a nice metal slot and it slipped in just fine. Whew! Love the look of the engine, and the air intake is kind of sexy, if you like that sort of thing. No complaints yet on my G, and I sure love the whooomm as I accelerate on the highway ramp and the G forces me back into my very comfortable seat.
One last comment. As I pulled in my parking garage this morning, a police officer rolled down his window and said "Is that the new G35?" And when I said yes, he went on to say he was trying to "talk his wife into checking it out instead of the I35, because it was one sweet car." Very sweet indeed.
Also, can someone give me the RPM at exactly 70 MPH?
It's pretty safe to say, most cars from the 80's were junk.
Love my G35.
Paul
El Cajon, California
I bought the G35 to drive hard and spend less money...
I would have bought BMW to drive hard and look good... (or at least better *smile* in my mind)
If safety was truly of paramount concern, I would have gone with the Volvo S60 T5
Everyone I have ever spoken to, bar none, that had safety foremost, have had "Volvo" in the same sentence...
Faenor/Dane4
One of the things I noticed about the G35's brakes is that, when cold, they "grab" a little right at the moment the car comes close to a halt...
I was coming back from the Archery range which is a very very long and steep downhill road. Since the road is little travelled in teh mornings I would reach a good downhill speed and then brake very hard (not enough for the ABS to kick in) just to get the feel of the brakes in certain situations.
By the time I got to the base of the summit road I had probably cycled thru about 12 hard braking sequences from speed.
There is a traffic light at the bottom of the road and I came rolling up to it, applying the brakes normally. The braking response felt MUCH more linear and there was no "grab" and no sound as the car came to a very smooth stop.
Were the brakes fading because of the heat? (they still had excellent braking power) or are the pads they put in the G35 tailored perhaps to higher temperature (spirited) driving
I'll have to do a little more research.
I was thinking of replacing all the calipers with Brembo units, but MAN! the cost! *laughing*
I think I'll just wait
Faenor/Dane4
Take it easy on your Wife and daughter! *laughing* Or, maybe it would be better if you trained them to be your co-drivers like in Off-road rally... Can you see it now?
"One right..."
"Two Left, ditch, don't cut"
"Four right, watch for rocks"
"One left"
"No Mommy, that's Two left..."
"Correction, two left"
*laughing*
Oh! and the dipstick! I discovered the exact wrist rotation motion required to get it back in... I could explain it, but I think I would exceed the Edmunds.com max length for a posted message!
Faenor/Dane4
I dont see where all the anamosity comes from ? buy what u like and be happy, im glad every car on the road isnt the same as mine. Beamer is a motorcycle, i own a Bimmer, the car.
DL
Take it easy on your Wife and daughter! *laughing* Or, maybe it would be better if you trained them to be your co-drivers like in Off-road rally... Can you see it now?
"One right..."
"Two Left, ditch, don't cut"
"Four right, watch for rocks"
"One left"
"No Mommy, that's Two left..."
"Correction, two left"
*laughing*
Oh! and the dipstick! I discovered the exact wrist rotation motion required to get it back in... I could explain it, but I think I would exceed the Edmunds.com max length for a posted message!
Faenor/Dane4
Nate
I learned a lot about G35 by following this board since message #1. Never posted before but, if it was not for previous posts about $1,000+ off by Infiniti dealer in Texas and $26K cloth special from Seattle, I’ve definitely wouldn’t be here sharing my weekend car buying experience with you (i.e. this board was very helpful). I spent half a day Saturday and half a day Monday shopping for my new G35 cloth in the Phoenix metro area and here is my report:
1. Midway Infiniti, don’t bother going there because they wouldn’t even honor the price that they offered on Saturday while I was leaving the dealership.
2. Infiniti of Scottsdale, wanted to deal but a little bit of a “Scottsdale” attitude problem (i.e. $485 "non-negotiable" documentation fee gives me an attitude as well).
3. Pinnacle Infiniti, by far the most pleasant to work with, easy going and I’ve got one of those end of month specials (>$1,000 below MSRP). Their Fleet/Internet sales manager, Dale “Jud” Judkins is one of the best car salesmen I’ve ever met.
For those interested in the cloth model, I would say one of the best cloth seats I was ever sitting in. They give a nice “suede-like” feeling. Pinnacle is out of cloth models though because I bought the last one. I hope this post would help someone.
Which part of the world were you in during 80's? Where did you get the impression that all cars are junk? Remember it was 80's that Japanese cars began to overtake American cars and European cars in terms of popularity. Why? Because people knew how miserable it was to have a BMW or American car stuck in snow or have to wait 30mins on the street curbs for their cars to be towed.
I went to the Bondurant 2 and 3 day courses on two different ocassions when Bondurant was still at Sears Point years and years ago...
Its funny, but as excellent as that school is (in particular the spin recovery and avoidance training) There was a disturbing "anti" safety phenomena that almost everyone in the class, and several instructors noted.
Bondurant school stresses knowing the vehicle you are in and successfully collecting the pieces of a driving control situation that had gone awry, but many of the students took the training as an advanced course in street racing, garnering enough knowledge to generate the confidence which pushed them past the threshold of driving styles that the uninitiated would not cross over.
So in many instances the students of the "Competitive Driving School" were unintentionally inspired to use their skills in everday driving situations, instead of the defensive and emergency control situations that it was intended for (that, and a launching point to competitive driving on a race track)
Admittedly I was sucked into that mindset as well in my youth, missing the roar of engines and the feeling of a four wheel drift on the race track immediately after I left, and then looking to recreate that ANYWHERE I could...
As the years went by and the vehicles I purchased became larger and more ungainly; SUV effect I call it, this feeling disappated only to be reborn in the recent aquisition of the G35...
Admittedly once again, I find myself needing to "settle down" but the car feels so much more controllable than anything I have driven before that far from fearing myself, I fear the unexpected things in traffic that you have no control over as a driver, and that are not present on a race track.
So, maybe encouraging people to take performance driving school lessons is not the optimal situation, but instead the Defensive "traffic school" course that shows you the movies "Death on the Highway" and "Red Asphalt" instead are more appropriate. As far as your observation of BMW reps suggesting High Performance Driving school, I was in that exact situation only a few months ago when I was looking at the 330I... The salesman suggested that a school of that nature would be great since I would then be able to push the car closer to its true performance limits. My wife and I looked over at each other at that moment and rolled our eyes. Did he really mean; so that I could be a safe driver and not endanger others? I sincerely think that the suggestion for driving school has less to do with responsible motoring, and more to do with a sales "angle" that promotes the "premium" (some might say elitest) nature of the Marque...
I would actually love to see drivers all pass a "tee-totaller" test before any kind of driving proficiency exam
Regards,
Faenor/Dane4
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020402/latu106_1.html
Maybe you don't see AS many 80's japanese cars on the road because they are reasonable priced enough to get a new one on a regular basis, whereas the BMW owner is still making his 80's payments *KIDDING!*
On a side note... I think that there are only two real BMW's and they both start with M... Well actually 3 but the third one is an F1 model :P
My younger brother is a BMW fanatic. He has four of them! All the way from a tricked out 2002tii to an '02 M5 (a car I would gladly trade my G35 for if he could be convinced of the deal *laughing*) and I categorize him as a TRUE sports car enthusiast because he spends as much time under his BMWs as in them
Faenor/Dane4
http://allpar.com/cr.html
As far as 80's cars, I had a 1987 Olds Delta 88 that had 140,000 miles and ran great until my father got hit in it and a 1979 Chrysler Cordoba with the lean burn system that my friend gave to me. I drove it until 2000 and all I had to replace was a fuel pump.
Basically the 80's were 15 years ago. People had different experiences and different expectations. These argument go on forever and no one wins.
In any case, I have been reading this thread for a last couple of weeks. I have a 2000 Dodge Intrepid R/T. Its been a great car, but I got rear ended by a Nissan Frontier and rammed into a BMW 740i. When all was said and done I got the car back with $15,500 in repairs. It feels fine, but I am going to get rid of it soon, and take the hit on selling it.
I am 26, single and doing pretty well for myself, I was thinking of getting a g35. I think I am going to wait for the coupe, though. Most people here seem to have positive thinks to say about the sedan, which I like to hear. After all of that, here is my question: I am 6'4" 225lbs. Most of my height is in my legs. How do you guys/girls think that I will fit in the g35?
Reliability was a very high factor in my choosing the G35 (besides performance, value, passion, design, etc.). I researched many vehicles for a full year before deciding to take the plunge and buy the G35. Before I drove the G-35 I was heavily leaning toward the 330i, until I test drove the G35 (and that did it for me). Another factor for me was that the April 2002 new car issue of CONSUMER REPORTS downgraded the BMW 3 series to only average reliability (from the previous year). Plus the clincher was saving about $9K. We all compromise in some way, and no car can be all things to all people. The BMW has that legendary chassis and suspension that feels so smooth, but the G35 works for me.
" Topic: Car and Driver Review of the G35 Sedan
Latest issues of C&D has a full road test of the G35. They start out by saying that if the G35 had been available for their last comparo of sports sedans ("36 on the floor" -- testing manual tranny versions of the 330i, A4 3.0, S60, 9-3 Viggen, X-type, Lincoln LS), even with it's automatic, it would have
been:
Fastest to 60mph (6.2 sec)
Fastest to 100mph
Fastest 1/4 mile (14.9, at 99mph I think)
Shortest braking distance from 70mph (162 ft)
Equal to best skidpad (0.84 g's)
Quietest interior noise at idle
Quietest interior noise at 70mph (66 dec.)
Cheapest base price (from $2000 to $10000 less
than the competing models)
They even included the phrase: "...after opening a sizeable can of whoop-*** on all of the other cars
in the test...""
======--------
Buh-Bye IS300, Hello G35!
Posted by webmaster on April 1, 2002 10:54 am
As many of you know, I've been trying to do a deal to trade my '01 in for a '02 Manual. And as I'm sure many of you have found, it's just about asking for a new anal orifice... Anyway, after my first special order car was sold (and not to me!), I was a little peeved. But they ordered a new car for me and I could stand to wait a few months anyway ($$). So last week I find out that my second special order car has been ordered, but isn't even scheduled to be built! Arg...
So I went down to my local Infiniti dealer this weekend and they had a Twilight Blue with Graphite Leather on the floor! Anyway, I start talking to the sales guy and mention trading my IS300 and his eyes lit up. He pratically begged me to trade it in. Apparently, they're getting some extra spiffs for doing deals with direct competitor cars as trade-ins. So we sit down and he gives me a great price on my trade (WAY better than Lexus did) and a decent deal on the new car and I couldn't resist. I had to sign a press release type thing to get trade-in price (guess they want to use my deal as an example), but it was worth it. I'm only out $2k out of pocket and my payment is just a hair of $500. Whew. I take delivery tomorrow.
So regarding IS300.NET: I thought about turning the site over to Steve, but I think I may just end up selling it. If anyone is interested, please feel free to drop me a line. I'm researching domains to use (g35.net was taken), so suggestions are welcome in that respect too. It's been great knowing you guys, but I'm off to the Nissan camp!
PS> The site will stay active until I find a buyer or I make the switch to the G35 site...
=================
Ah, to be young - and fickle - again.....
HiC
Getting back to the subject though, I think I will wait for the coupe to come out along with the 6 speed sedan before I make the final decision. This forum has been quite informative and thanks to all.
Damn! Got me on that one!
Faenor/Dane4