Infiniti G35 Coupe

bpraxis

Hello everyone and happy holiday.

Regarding timeless designs please consider the following Japanese cars that IMO are timeless:

1. The original 240Z

2. The last 300 ZX

3. The last generation Toyota Supra

4. The Toyota 2000 sports car from the 1960s.

5. The last generation Lexus SC300 and 400.

6. The last generation Mazda RX7, much better looking than the current Corvette IMHO. The Vette looks like it copied the Mazdas front styling.

7. The original Mazda RX7 stills looks ok

8. The Mitsubishi 3000 still looks fun after 14 years.

And I am sure there are more that I cannot think of now.

And the Japanese seem to be taking more risk in styling with the upcoming:

1. Honda Element

2. Toyotas new Scion division

3. The current Toyota Celica

4. The 2003 Nissan Murano which makes every SUV look obselete IMO.

5. The upcoming Quest minivan which also has a styling edge.

6. The upcoming Mazda RZ8.

And of course JDPowers new 5 year quality study is dominated by the Japanese brands.

Lexus and Infiniti finished in first and second place. Honda and Toyota finished in fifth and sixth place. Acura in third.

Nissan did not finish in the top ten but was above average.

Boy what a great time to love cars. And there is serious oversupply coming so name your discount.

I will buy my new 350Z or Infiniti 6 months from now for 500 over invoice.

Happy Thanksgiving

blueguydotcom

i strongly suggest the internet after you've test driven. It's so easy it's a wonder people still walk in off the street and buy via haggling.

ovrdrive

superleggera,
dude, yup i was at the colma infiniti dealer last week. i stopped by in the evening to test drive the g35c. the SOB who assist me would not let me testdrive the car for they only have two in stock. the reason he does not want to let people testdrive them is because he wants to keep the miles at zero so that buyers can pay at a higher price (my interpretations of his way of not letting people testdrive unless they buy at the moment). so told him, "how the hell am i suppose to know that i am happy with this car instead of the TL type S?! then the SOB said, "well, if you are going to be buy then we can fill out the papers and you can testdrive." sure i was mad as hell, but instead i tried to be professional about the situation and ask if i can see in the interior. yeah, sure, he went to get the keys and lit the interior to let me observe, but that was after i told him that people have complained about the interior and the amber lights. i do have to say that i like the interior even though some people believe it sucks. the model i sat in, not testdrive aaarrrrrrggghhh, had leather interior with a sunroof. the center dash was to my surprise, black instead of silver. so for those who hated the interior, sorry, i have to disagree there. i have to admitt that at least the interior is not like the IS300 which the front dash looks and feels like high quality styrolfoam. anyhow, after i left the dealer i notice that whenever i bring up something bad about the g35c, the dealer would react and fine ways to please me, interesting. but i do have to say that "knowledge is power" when it comes to buying a car or going to the dealer.

jimrcofga

Having read that various dealers are selling at MSRP or less, I went by my local dealer to cancel my order for a Diamond Graphite 6M which is due in about three weeks. When I got there they were prepping a Diamond Graphite 5A for dlvy. After walking around it a dozen times, I decided to let my order stand even though I felt I was being ripped for the $585 extra charge. The damn car was so beautiful that I couldn't stand it! Oh, well. Some of us are just weak!

gfinch

There were only two cars that were red hot. By that, I mean you had to stand in line in order to sit in them. They were the Nissan 350Z and the G35 Coup. There was medium hot reaction to the G35 Sedan, with the BMW 3's, and at the Lexus exhibit. The Acura TL-S, which was number one on my list going in, was dead. No one was even looking at it while I was there. I have now decided to go with the G35 coup. My wife, who had not driven a manual in years, decided after sitting in the coup that a manual would be fun.

Where you enter the show, 2/3 of the hall was to our left and 1/3 on our right. GM reserved the entire area on the right side. This area was dead, basically empty. GM did not have their vehicles rigged where you could work the seats or see the dash lights. Every one else did. Any thoughts I had about the CTS vanished. My wife requires lumbar support and this car does not have it.

I don't know if San Antonio is unique in this, but no salesman are allowed in the exhibits. At the Infinity exhibit, there were no signs about the G35 Coup being the MT Car of Year or about the numerous awards for the G35's, but believe, me, people were aware of it.

I think the G35 is a hit and if reliability holds up, the resale values should be good. I didn't talk to anyone who sat in the coup that did not like it, and there are things not to like, such as the cup holders being located at the back end of the center console (basically in the back seat), and the orange dash lighting (which seems like a gimmick).

The Jag dealer had an X-type on display with a window of $32,600. I thought this must be a new car, but found out that it jumps $10,000 when you add the bigger engine, suspension, and moon roof. No one seemed interested in it, but it was a good looking body and interior.

I visited the local Infinity dealer and they are taking orders on the Coup at list price. I will wait until I can find $500 off. I'll be watching this discussion board for a better price, but it seems Texas is a sellers market on this car for now.

Gary

prodmngr

Hi. I want to buy the Ivory White G35 coupe with automatic transmission and Graphite leather. The dealership says Ivory Whites only come with Willow leather and are not available with Graphite. The Infiniti website says otherwise. Can anyone provide any clarification on this? Thanks a lot....

anh1

You either have a very ignorant salesman or he's trying to sell you the white/willow combination that he already has. I ordered a white with graphite last month and it is due in this Wednesday. Talk to the manager or go to another dealer. Also note that the Edmund's Market Value price is now below the MSRP. Make sure you bring this up and don't let them think that they can sell it for over MSRP. This is a bad time to sell sports coupe, especially in the Northeast region.

neo_gtrw

I doubt you can get a G35c for under MSRP. Local dealers are sticking to MSRP or over. I don't know where Edmunds got the TMV, but I do know it doesn't apply where I live.

mvargo1

The salesman was confused. In the Sedan Ivory is currently only available with Willow interior. It was not alway like that but it is now. However, in the coupe Ivory is available with either interior. I know because we have a Ivory/Charcoal 6MT coming in January.

sunilb

Just curious, why is there no armrest in the manual transmission cars?

It's a minor gripe, but I think it's nice to have for long trips on the highway.

prodmngr

Thanks everyone. As thought, the Ivory Pearl is available with Graphite leather. The dealer apologized saying his "book" was wrong. Funny thing is I bought the Ivory with willow anyway. For some reason, in person, it looked better. I bought at msrp, no discount, but was a nice experience. The folks at Infiniti were much more professional than the dealers I've bought BMW and Audi from in the past...

ezshift5

..has some fine numbers for the G35 Coupe. Sub six-seconds to 60 and about 14.25+/- for the quarter. It just never stops....ez

lovemyclk

I drove the new G35C here in Atlanta and came away quite impressed. Only two issues I encountered... one niggling and one a show stopper.

Niggling - still uses a prop-rod for the hood. Hard to justify for such a fine machine in all other respects.

Show stopper - NO HEADROOM! With the seat all the way down and tilted to give me the best seating position, I barely fit. (6'4"/250)

I was otherwise very impressed with this car and came away liking it more than I was prepared to like it. Best design by Infinity - ever! Clean lines and the hi-tech interior works. Would like the brilliant white lighting in the electro-luminescent displays, but still a very agreeable interior. Leather seemed to be of good quality and switchgear fine for a $35K car.

For that price, it is a killer automobile. I may still try to justify this car in light of current economic times, as I've looked at the new CLK500 and M3... both, $50K++.

Has anyone been able to have the dealer/factory deal with headroom issue?

gidyup

Did the car have a sunroof?
If it did you may loose about 2" of headroom.
Try sitting in one without a sunroof.

jthorsen

I'm shopping for a new car and just start looking at the g35c as a possibility, but living in MN I'm wondering about the practicality of a rear wheel drive car. (I know, I know, if I want something practical why am I looking at a g35c, right?)

Up until now I had been looking at AWD cars -- Audi A4/Passat 4motion and BMW 325xi -- not necessarily b/c of the AWD, but b/c I liked those the best of this class. Acura is still an option b/c I love their engines, but the styling of their current lineup does nothing for me. I've stayed away from the IS 300 and g35 b/c they're rear wheel, but I know the g35's weight distribution is close to 50/50 (which might help?), and traction control is standard, so am I wrong for excluding this rear wheel drive car from my list? Not that I'd be out intentionally in a big snowstorm, but it definitely happens up here.

I'm not a huge fan of leather so the base g35c is looking like an absolute steal @ under 30K. I would prefer to have a manual though and I noticed the 6MT version also comes with a limited slip differential...would this help with winter driving? (The summer tires would definitely have to be switched out.)

Speaking of all this, can somebody explain the differences between the following, which are all standard on the 6MT?
Traction Control (TCS)
Infiniti Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
Limited Slip Differential (LSP)

Thanks!

markjenn

TCS = prevents rear wheel spin when accelerating on slipperly surfaces by cutting engine power and possibly using brakes on the spinning wheel.

VDC = "skid control" - monitors the steering wheel position and the rate the car is turning and detects if car is skidding, and if so, attempts to stop it by cutting throttle and modulating individual brakes.

LSD - a mechanical system that limits the normal tendency of the differential to transfer power to the wheel with the least traction. All cars have differentials so they don't crow-hop around corners (the outside wheel has to spin faster in a turn, so you can't lock them together), but it has the bad tendency to promote wheelspin under hard acceleration. LSD limits this tendency. It's considered more of a performance item, but it would help in the snow.

If you put good winter tires on dedicated snow rims, you could probably get around in light winter conditions, but I wouldn't want to tackle serious winter weather. TCS, VDC, and LSD help some, but good winter tires would be the critical factor. Certainly, an a4, 325xi, or Passat 4Motion would do better.

FYI, all 6MT's have leather and the base model stickers at about $32.5K. Theoretically, you can get a 6MT without the premium package, but you probably have to order it. I don't see any base 6MTs in any dealer's inventories and I've checked quite a few. So unless you order and wait, 6MT's run about %35K-$38K.

- Mark

djasonw

If you get the 18" wheels you can all but eliminate winter driving. I had a '01 Mercedes C320 Sport and put on Blizzaks and though they inspired confidence I could not go up snow covered (2") hills with slight grades. The traction control, VDC, limited slip all help but I would NEVER venture out in the snow again with the Benz.

robmarch

I think it's amazing how many people mention the lack of hood struts as a significant oversight. I like the prop rod, rather than the struts, for several reasons.

cheaper
lighter
1 or 2 less parts to wear out
how much of a pain is it to us a hood prop, anyway?

I totally agree that struts on trunks are superior to gooseneck hinges and flat springs, because they intrude into cargo space.

gee35coupe

Those hood struts always seem to wear out. That prop rod will always be there.

jwilson1

You don't say how long you've lived there, but driving rwd, ANY rwd, in a must-drive situation in the winter is asking for trouble. I was raised in Illinois (nearly 500 mi. south) and learned how wonderful the invention of fwd was many years ago for winter driving. I now live in central New England and 4 or 5 times every year borrow my wife's Forester with heavy treads to deal with storms. Invariably I'll pass, or stop and help, people driving wonderful cars that are rwd and helpless on a hill or even in a ditch.

Fuhgeddaboudit. If you're looking at the G and have to drive, also consider a winter beater (4x4).

(As an aside, djasonw this is the first time I've agreed with you on a post! What a wonderful, warm feeling. Must be the holidays.)

Best to all.
JW

blueguydotcom

The prop rod thing also reminds me that the G35 has aluminum for the hood. Pop that hood and feel how light it is. Kinda spooky. The WRX has the same thing and the first time I popped the hood I nearly threw it up it was so light.

habitat1

Maybe Infiniti learned from Nissan on that one.

I have a 1995 Maxima that has hood struts with no prop rod. At about 4-5 years they wore out to the point of just barely holding the hood up, but the slightest shake and it would come crashing down. First time it happened when the car was in for service (I forewarned the service manager), it came crashing down on a wrench left on the battery. Nice outward projecting dent that they picked up a $200 bill from Dent Wizard to fix.

Second time it happened, the service manager nearly lost his head.

Those damn little struts are about $100 apiece to replace with labor. I may sound cheap, but $200 for something that a $7.50 rod can do as good or better is not where I want my money to go in a car. Unless they are designed not to wear out.

I'm guessing my service manager sued Nissan for his sore head and word got around.

jthorsen

Thanks for the responses...I've lived in MN my whole life but I've always had either FWD or 4WD precisely b/c of the winters. I figured RWD still wasn't a good idea, but after looking at the G35 coupe can you blame me for hoping otherwise?

I wish they'd start putting AWD on more cars...anyone know if it's planned on the G35 ever? (I'm sure they'd take some sales away from Audi, at least up here.) I've heard rumors about them adding it to the Maxima, but I don't think that's confirmed...anyone know? I'd consider a WRX but even at only 30 I feel too old to be driving that car.

Thanks again

cheerioboy26

supposedly it is coming for the 2005 MY.

martylaw

The dealer I visited said that the G35 will have AWD as soon as this March (not the coupe, though). Might be worth checking that out. We have a Jaguar X-type with AWD. Your might want to consider it. Price should be comparable to a loaded G35 Coupe.

jimrcofga

You really must give the auto industry a lot of credit for selling FWD as an improvement rather than the quality cutting measure it really was. In the fifties, as a result of OPEC cutting oil production, congress mandated minimum gas mileage so that auto manufacturers had to pull a chunk of weight out of their products to enhance fuel economy. The result was FWD (no drive shaft and extensive weight saving). To sell these out of balance (60/40)oddities, traction in the snow was emphasized since it was the only benefit they could hang their hats on. Have you seen many FWD Mercedes or Lexus's?

kdshapiro

No but I've seen a number of them struggle in snow in the NE over the last few years.

blacktalon

Well, lower weight is a performance advantage, but I don't know if it's worth the less even weight balance, increased understeer, and weight transfer the wrong way during hard acceleration.

Living in the Northeast, I'd like to see more AWD sports cars, and if the G35C or 350Z comes in an AWD model, that would be a big plus...

jwilson1

jimrcofga wasn't talking about sports cars. The development was especially on family cars. Sports cars just plain disappeared (nearly) until the technology of electronics and computerization caught up enough that you could make a performance application. Sure, the traction was a side perk, but it was a huge one if you live in the snow belt. The only 4wd I heard of growing up was in a jeep, a heavy truck, or rich man's iron. For people who drove Plymouth's or Fords or Chevies, it was the mid-body fwd that you could afford, both to purchase and to buy gas for.

BTW, jimrcofga, it was the '70s.

JW

jaydoll

Blacktalon,

You have hit the nail on the head. I have a coupe due in Friday or Saturday with the 18" summer performance tires and the 6 speed. Last night we got dumped on with 10" of snow. My 02 Audi A4 also has a summer/performance tire in a 17"size . These tires are by no means acceptable for driving in snow, but it can be done in a pinch. A quick tire/rim change over or even a change to a all season tire for the Audi and you are good to go in any conditions that you would face driving in New England. The same can not be said for the G35 coupe. I suspect that the G35 even with blizaks will have problems in any kind of snow. This all comes full circle to your point, a AWD coupe would solve this problem for any customer that will face the magic flakes during the winter season. I have heard that the 04 sedan will be released in a AWD version in the summer of 03. Is the AWD version of the coupe to follow the sedan? I may have to stick it out with the Quatro A4. Looks like it is shaping up to be a wild NE winter.

vmaturo

Found out on FreshAlloy that I could get replacements at Access Auto Parts. I paid about
$34.00 incl tax for a pair. With a lifetime warranty at that!......

Fast and easy to replace.

My previous 89 MaxSE never had a problem with those struts after 5 1/2 years and 100,000 miles.

jimrcofga

jwilson1 is correct, of course it was the 70's. Forgive an old man's memory...

rob944

Much more important is the tires and the driving style.

FWD makes it easy to be lazy and not get into trouble in slippery stuff. RWD you must be smoother(steering,gas, and braking) or else you can trade ends pretty fast. Try out in a large parking lot after a snowfall. Pretend there's a egg between your foot and the gas and brake pedal.

Buy winter tires not all seasons if you live in an area that gets snow. I constantly blow past 4X4's in ditches in my 16 year old 944 (RWD) during snow storms. The only thing that holds me back(and probably the G35) is when snow is deeper than 6-8" is the air dam on the front acts like a snowplow.

I think the G35 with LSD and other aids will make a pretty decent winter car if driven right with the right tires.

Rob
86 944
02 ml320
03 g35??

prodmngr

Thought I'd compare some of my past cars to the Infiniti G35 coupe I just bought and which will be delivered Saturday (I've been driving a G35 sedan for a week)

'97 BMW 528i - an incredible mix of handling, sportiness, and luxury. a super car...downside = overpriced and I didn't care for the upholstery quality or the very, very light colored carpet. Also, even though the engine sounded great, it wasn't all that speedy.
Kept it a little over two years.

'99 Acura TL- I thought I'd economize, and what a mistake. The only good thing about this car was that for the five months I owned it, it was extremely reliable and needed no unscheduled service. Otherwise, extremely boring exterior, and felt like I was in an Accord. No soul.

'00 Audi A6 2.7T - beautifully designed inside and out. just a really nice and reliable car with a good dealer experience. Can't really fault it, except next to the BMW it felt a little soft in its handling characteristics, and did not feel sporty enough to me. Just felt kind of ponderous. Kept it two years.

'02 Saab 9-5 Arc 3.0T - an ok car....after the BMW and Audi it was clearly not as well put together. Just look at the vinyl material stitched behind the steering wheel...awful torque steer (I'll never own another fwd vehicle again) and medium quality of interior materials. On the plus side, you get a lot of options for the money, and it's fun to drive in a gimmicky kind of way (ignition switch, night panel, ventilated seats, etc.). Kept it almost a year.

G35- This car reminds me why I kept my '93 Maxima SE for two years. It just feels like it's tight as a drum and the engine purrs. The handling and tautness beats all of my previous cars. The styling is outrageously nice and I consider the price a steal. The only minor faults I've found are the dash materials look cheap, and it didn't do as well as the BMW in blending sport/luxury riding mannerisms. All in all, I haven't been this excited about a car in a long time. It's funny how the a lot of people talk about the efficienct, yet soul-less nature of the Japanese cars vs. the Germans. To be honest, my Audi felt a bit soul-less, and the Acura really did, but this G35 has soul to spare! Enjoy everyone.

caramo

Guess I'm not so bad after all.

88 Mustang GT - 4 years 10 mos.
92 Dodge Stealth - 4 years 1 mo
95 3000GT Spyder - 2 years
98 Mitsu Eclipse - 2 years 3 mos.
2002 V6 Camaro - 9 mos.
2002 Z28 Camaro - 4 mos and counting. I'll probably keep it at least 2 years, but the G35 coupe is looking more and more like it could be my next car. (AWD would be a major draw! I loved the AWD on my Stealth and Mitsus.)

oldprofessor

My record over the last decade is as follows:

1992 Toyota Camry traded for
1996 Infiniti I30 traded for
1999 Audi A6 2.8 with quattro traded for
2002 Acura 3.2 TL-S (still have)
1993 Honda Civic Del Sol traded for
1995 Acura Integra GSR traded for
1999 VW Passat GLX traded for
2003 Infiniti G35c (just got)

In terms of reliability, the I30 and the TL-S have been the best by far. The Audi A6 was the worst, hands down, and it had the highest MSRP.

nerd

What sold you on the Infiniti? I am shopping for a sport sedan, and the Infiniti G35 has made the short list along with a BMW 325i.

sphinx99

I've been a Honda boy,

1988 Prelude (6 years) trade for a
1999 Prelude (2 years, lease) turned in for a
2001 Prelude SH (1 year) traded in for a
2002 Honda S2000 (8 months)

Then I bought back my 2001 Prelude SH about six months later for a few hundred bucks over what I traded it in for. (I love soft markets--technically it was cheaper for me to let it sit on a dealer lot than it was for me to insure it.)

I'm a sucker for capable but completely unloved cars. I really ought to get one of those below-invoice CL-S 6-speeds that they're practically giving away. If I were made of more money, the G35 coupe would be sweet, but you can pick up CL-S 6-speeds for under $29k out the door, at least here in Detroit.

robmarch

I think that awd, especially when sold as a performance aid and a foul weather aid, could really add profit to nissan/infiniti's line. There are a lot of people out there that settle for FWD cars because they're concerned about a RWD car's performance in snow and bad weather. It wouldn't cost them much to make it available. And, an AWD maxima or G35 at 27k and 32k, base, respectively, would be a no brainer for many sporty sedan buyers.

The engine, interior, size, and reliability are all excellent on both of these cars, the AWD would really sew it all together, in my opinion.

oldprofessor

Many things sold me on the G35: looks, value for the money, reliability of Nissan products, the fact that everybody and his/her brother doesn't have one, fun-to-drive quotient. I've already told my wife that we should consider trading the Acura TL-S on a G35 sedan next summer. Although I like the Acura, relative to my G35c it feels kind of floaty, if you know what I mean.

clpurnell

I have owned the following
1979 Mont Carlo ( 6 mos )
1987 Plymouth sundance (4 mos)
1987 Olds cierra (3.8l V6 S1 wonderful engine) 5 mos
1991 Chevy Lumina 2yrs
1999 Dodge Stratus 2.5 years
2001 Chrysler 300M 1.25 year (still have)
Looking at the G35 sedan/coupe and for my first suv

oldprofessor

What kind of reliability have you had from your American products? If you look at Consumer Reports, you'll see that Nissan products are generally at the top of the heap reliability-wise. Of course, you can get a lemon with anything, Toyota/Nissan/Honda/Mazda included. It's just that the probability is lower with the Japanese cars.

birdman579

I've heard the fall of 2003 for AWD in the sedan. Nothing definite on the coupe. Its already available in Japan as AWD so they should offer it now! Perhaps Infiniti is trying to spread out the release of the various G35s to maintain the excitement.

ndahi12

Every time you trade a car you bought new, you are throwing money away. Note that the people who end up being wealthy are the ones who keep their cars for a long time, live in the same house, and stay married for ever. Most of you need to read the "millionaire next door."

I know you will say, "you only live once," but trading new cars is very wasteful given that they depreciate almost 30% in the first two years of ownership.

The only car I ever sold was a used 1994 Toyota Tercel. The cars/truck that I buy new I keep for a long time. My 1998 SE-R is now my race car and my 02 Tundra is the tow truck. My daily driver is a 1992 SE-R with 140K on the odo. I bought it for $1200 and fixed the clutch, gave it a tune-up and it runs like a champ with 27 mpg in mixed driving. It is also fun to drive.

dklanecky

I've followed the formula and I'm still waiting to be wealthly:-) As long as we're on the owning up to mistakes trend, Vehicles I've owned:

1972 Pinto (Fell apart in 4.5 years)
1973 Harley Sportster (AMF years. Don't ask, sold in 1974.)
1977 Camaro(Donated to charity in 1989)
1984 Camry (donated to chairty in 1999)
1989 Civic (will be donated to charity in 2002)
1995 Max GLE (200,000 miles and still excellent)
2000 Max SE (112,000 miles and just broken in)

(All bought new by the way.)

Now looking at G35 sedan/coupe to replace the donated Honda next spring! (I may be swayed by the 350Z if it shows up as a roadster.)

So many new cars in so many promising designs with only 3 spots in the garage! It's a great time to be a fan of the automobile!

prodmngr

Besides the cars I listed for comparison against my new G35 coupe, I also owned two other cars during that time period, but they weren't sport sedans (Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Audi TT). Regardless of how much money I spent on these cars, and their reduced value at trade-in or sale, I'd hardly call indulging in my passion for cars as "throwing money away". Maybe Ndahi, your value system says that to you, but the expression "throwing money away" implies that one is doing something stupid. I disagree. It's just a matter of priority. If someone wants to keep his car for five years and try to acquire wealth, then I say best of luck to him. Or, if like me, he wants to trade cars every six months and he can afford to do it, then I say "way to go" to him too. Freedom of choice....and trust me, there is more than one road to wealth.

clpurnell

Actually all were pretty reliable. The monte was almost as old as I was and never failed to start little things didn't work but it ran. The plymouth was the only one to ever leave me starnded because of a bad wiring harness. The Cierra had 120k on the clock and ran like new. It was totalled when I was rear ended. The dodge ran perfectly other than some annoying sounds and early problems with rotors it was a good car I put 60k on that one in 30 months. The chrysler has been reliable but I have had some quality issues and the dealer service has been p*ss poor. But it has never failed to start or had any major problems and has 27k on the clock.

To the guy about trading cars alot and wealth. My first three cars were extremely used and bought with cash. My dodge was the first new car and the chrysler the second. I will never drive a single car I think for more than 3 yrs. Cars if purchased correctly and other smart investments made can have very little effect on total wealth. I consider it as an expensive hobby since I don't normally spend alot of money on any other hobbies. No car whether you drive it for 2 yrs or 10 in a wise financial decision. A wise financial decision would be to ride a bike or walk it also would be healthier. Read the millionaire next door and I still love cars and always will.

I am looking at the G35 because of Nissan/Infiniti's reputation for quality, reliability and service. Also for the fact that it will spank almost every sedan or coupe under 50k in performance

ppower

to bump up the hp and torque some. The AWD is going to sap the power out of the current setup.

Have to say AWD would be a great improvement and upping the interior trim.

Ppower

rbezerra

I am looking at buying a car around the end of the year and am very interested in the G35c. I could not believe when Infiniti decided to sell the manual trans with only the top-of-the-line G35c and had a lengthy e-mail discussion with Infiniti customer service about it. Based on my searches of the Infiniti Web site for dealer inventories, it looks like you can't touch a manual trans unless you are willing to buy stuff like the DVD navigation system too and push the price up to $37K. If I wasn't boxed in by circumstances, I might wait for a year or so until Infiniti makes the manual more readily available (which seems inevitable). Nonetheless, I was wondering if anyone has actually used the quasi-manual auto trans that is sold standard with the G35c or the G35 sedan. Is it any good? Does feel anything like a regular manual trans?

nerd

All good reasons, especially the relibility. I like to drive cars, not wait for them to be fixed. (That's why I parted company with GM).

My wife has a 2002 BMW 325Ci, which is a fabulous car. But, I am considering the G35 just to be different. Why the heck should we have two BMWs when we can have variety in two fine cars? We still have her '97 Integra GS to drive for real fun.