I wish the aluminum trim was "at least" an option for the non-sport and the AWD versions of the M35.
Also, as for the dash (center part)...IMO Infiniti could have done better job, but...the more I look at it...the "less" I dislike it. I am actually starting to like it.
Also, wish you could get the power rear sunshade without having to get the premium package.
Also, is there really much difference in road noise and stiffness between an 18" and a 19" tire/wheel?
There have been numerous reports that various Ms have the factory spec 40psi in the tires, hence contributing to noise and harsh ride. The tires should be 32-33 psi. Make sure you test drive cars with proper pressure tires, and above all take delivery of the car with the proper pressire in the tires
As if anyone but my wife could possibly care or relate: We have almost always ordered our cars, Audis, mostly, but now my wife ordered her new BMW and I ordered, yesterday my new M35x. I anticipate a July potential, but my order document hedges and says "August."
The cool thing about ordering is it is like getting a new car twice. One time, however, it did go to the ludicrous zone when we ordered our first 2000 TT in a metallic black color and from the date of the order to delivery it was 14 months. My one and only Audi A8 also took forever, but I was part of Audis test market. They brought a 1996 European spec A8 to Cincinnati and allowed "several" customers to take them for 24 hours and then order them with essentially a promise of a 36 month lease with a 0.01% money factor -- I bit.
The lead time was about 9 months, but Audi sent me a video tape of "an" A8 being built and the people in the factory thanking "me" for ordering the car -- when the car finally came in it was fantastic, so it truly was like getting two new A8's in a 9 month period of time.
My wife's X3 custom build is slated for 90 days, the Infiniti 100 to 110 days -- we'll see what really happens.
Of course I order all my books, CD's and DVD's from Amazon, so I guess I am kinda not into instant gratification. For years, my Audi dealer was also a Porsche dealer and only kept units to test drive in stock and all cars were ordered.
My entire home theater system, too, was ordered from an AV specialty store and the lead times for this equipment was weeks.
Different strokes.
I cannot imagine ever being able to FIND a car that I wanted on the lot. Infiniti does make it somewhat easier with its limited packages, but for a few weeks, I was convinced I wanted an M35x Liquid Platinum/Bourbon, Journey, Sat Radio and Sat Navigation with rear seat DVD player. No such thing exists and the dealer claimed that such a combo would have to be ordered.
I ended up with Journey and Technology w/Sirius in the colors I mentioned with the body color rear spoiler. No such unit is in our region at this time.
I'm much the same way. A very large percentage of my system came from the net company Audio Advisor, and I'm always purchasing from Amazon or Newegg. If they ever get around to internet sales tax, I'm going to be really mad.
:confuse: I've made it through the normal decision process...A6...MB -E...Lexus..finally decided the M35 has the better value. I also decided I "must have" the Journey and Tech package. Lastly, I love the crimson roulette pearl with the wheat interior, and of course the chrome-finished rims. The only thing I need help with is if the AWD is necessary versus a RWD. I live in Michigan, so the answer may seem obvious, but I also own a Yukon XL for those relatively few days when snow may be a major problem. I use to own a BMW that was worthless in a dusting of snow. Two dealers I spoke to told me that the RWD handles relatively well in the snow, but does anyone have any experience with this? It's too late to test drive one in the white stuff. Just curious if anyone has tried a RWD in the snow? Additionally my wife has me on a short leash, its either AWD or the Tech package. Decisions... Decisions...
Much of your rationale is personal taste, of course. To some, the more isolated the ride is from the road, and the smoother it is, then the better. Lexus is a well executed example of that philosophy. To others, me included, the feel of the road is an important part of the driveability. It's a matter of degree as well. I just came from a Corvette that had tons of road feel and tons of noise to go with it. The M seems to offer that great blend! Not exactly a "sports car" in the true sense, but probably relative to a Lexus those thoughts do appear!
RWD cars in any kind of snowfall rank from literally un-drivable to passable. My XKR is in the former catergory, my LS430 in the latter, that is if I put on some Blizzaks in the winter months. One thing I like about Infiniti's AWD system versus Quattro, SH-AWD, the Lexus system, etc, is that it can put 100% of torque to the rear wheels, and in my opinion does a pretty convincing job of emulating RWD feel. An Audi for example, never lets you forget that its AWD.
Has anyone seen the M in the crimson/red color? Is it the same as the red on the G35...it has a different name but in the brochure it looks about the same.
After driving the 05 530i, 06 GS300 & 06 M35, I traded my 2003 530i for an M35 with Journey pkg. & Nav system. Was leaning toward another BMW but the new style, non-intuitive iDrive, and BMW dealer attitude decided it for me. Have driven my M35 for several hundred miles now and know I made the right choice. The infinity actually corners flatter than my 5 series. A great road car.
Just traded in my 03 FX35 for a M45 non-sport with Journey and Tech. I considered M35x for a moment because the benefit of all-wheel drive but just could not resist the power of the large engine.
Ivyfchu, if you do not mind, what kind of trade in value did you get for your '03 FX35? I have an '03 FX35 2WD with the Tech package 30K miles that I was thinking of trading for a M35 with Tech/Journey & DVD.
Warren Brown reviewed the M35X in today's Wash Post. Brown is a non-techie kind of guy, but he liked the car a lot... "Sitting in the car is akin to fitting one's body into a rich, comfortable glove. It is a rare instance in which status plays second fiddle to seduction. Once inside, the admiring or envious stares of others quickly lose meaning, impact. Opinion -- yours, theirs -- yields to tactile reality; and the feeling is good -- very, very good."
I also live in the DC area and have been monitoring inventories. They don't seem to be going all that fast and they appear to have increased inventories over the past week. I bought a G last year from Passport; decent experience but they are presently giving me a bit of the runaround on getting a quote for an M35 Sport. I live very near Rosenthal and have bought cars from them in the past (in addition to using their Service Dept) but can't say that I've been all that pleased with the experience. I'm planning to buy next weekend; just trying to figure out from whom. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
tdoma, my 03 FX35 was AWD with touring package only (non-sport and no tech) and it only has 11k miles. I traded it in for 27.5k which is right at around the fair trade-in value suggested by kelly blue book & edmunds. Hope that helps.
Talk to your Infiniti service dept/body shop. Often times different colors require steps or stages. For example Lexus Pearl whites (any whites i.e. golden, opal) are referred to as five stage paint. Black for example has the fewest stages, could be regarded as cheaper per say, and I do not believe has a pearl effect.
I'm planning on ordering an M35X and I'm considering the Mobile Entertainment System. While I have not seen one in person, I was wondering whether the positioning of the drop down screen would make it difficult to see without the backseat passengers really straining their necks (especially small children). I would appreciate any thoughts.
About the MES. I suggest checking it out in person if you can. I ordered my M45 with it (due in next week), and then a couple of weeks ago I had the chance to see it on another M45, and I was a little disappointed. The screen is really close to the rear passengers, so you have to turn your head sideways a lot if you are sitting in the side seats. I think it is ok for the center seat passenger. Secondly, when the screen is down, your rear view mirror view is pretty useless. You can only see a sliver on each side of the screen out the back. They couldn't put the monitor any further forward in the car because of where the sunroof is.
I'm not completely sorry I ordered it this way though. I think I may purchase some Vizualogic headrest screens when they become available for the M (hopefully they will). It should be fairly easy to tie them into the system given the wiring is already there for video, and since I ordered the MES, the rear seat remote and headphones from that system will still be usable. If you don't order MES, I'm not sure if you can get a 2nd source audio feed out of the system so that the rear DVD can be listened to with headphones while you listen to music in the front.
I sat in one with the MES and decided to pass on it for the reasons of degree of dificulty of seeing it. However, I think it would be fine for children. The screen size was OK, the picture quality was quite good -- the sound was great the cool factor was there too. I think the kind that are in the headrests would be my choice however.
Mark, Congratulations on your purchase. I've been reading the posts on this forum for a while, yours especially interested me as I have narrowed my short list down to the M35x and the A6. My wife and I recently, 5 months ago, had our first child and the first casualty was my Saab 9-5 Aero, which we traded in for a Lexus RX330. The deal was that this summer when the new car frenzy had died down a bit we would trade in my wife's wagon for a new sedan for me. I actually almost bought an A6 2.7T in 02 but had a very bad experience with the internet sales manager who actually told me that "everyone is busy" and if I could not come in on Wednesday to give her a deposit she could not guarantee the car would be there on Saturday. I loved the car, at the time it had the nicest interior of any car I had ever been in, but I just could not tolerate that response from someone after we had already agreed on price. I told her that while I'm sure her workday is busy I do cancer research at MIT (Harvard now) and that my days were an order of magnitude busier than hers and that I was taking my business elsewhere. I sent an email to the general manager of the dealership, but he apparently was on vacation and by the time he wrote back to me with his apologies I had already closed the deal on the Saab.
But I digress, I was wondering if you took the A6 4.2 out for a test drive and if the V8 leveled the playing field against the M35X. I still love Audi interiors and all wheel drive is a must for New England winters, though the Saab handled quite well with just front wheel drive. I checked back with that dealer recently and that internet manager is no longer with them, so I'm ready to give them another chance. Incidently, we generally buy our cars and hold on to them for 4-5 years, the Saab being an anomaly brought on by pressing family needs, so your problems with lease deals should not affect us. You seem quite knowledgable about all things Audi, and now the M35x also, so your opinion would be most appreciated.
BTW, if you posted about the A6 4.2 and I missed it my apologies for making you rehash them.
I've used my bluetooth setup for the last week and it works great. My phone is a Motorola V551. Negligible road noise & speakers work well on my M35. Even transferred my entire phone list to the car by the bluetooth connection. Only one number misconnected. The voice tab setup worked fine too.
I have a SonyEricsson T637 in my M35X. The sound quality from the speakers is terrible. I am playing around with the base and treble controls to try to make the voices understandable.
How many sets of golf clubs can you get in the trunk? I have an A6 and this is my main complaint since the trunk is functionally quite small - 3 bags at most. Before that I had a Volvo S80 which was able to take 4 sets of clubs. This is nice if you and your buds want to golfing and ride together.
It seems the Bluetooth quality with the M is all dependent on the phone. A few other boards have similar threads, and it is a mixed bag. People with the same type of phone seem to report similar results, implying the phone is the variable here.
> I also live in the DC area and have been monitoring inventories. They don't seem > to be going all that fast and they appear to have increased inventories over the > past week... I'm planning to buy next weekend; just trying to figure out from > whom. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
I guess you live in VA. You can try Jim Coleman Infiniti just north of the border or JBA in Ellicott City. Try the "Costco deal" -- $2,500 over invoice incl. the destination charge for a car already on their lot. Good luck this weekend and let us all know how it went!
Does any one have experience with an M and the Nokia 6230 or the Mot V551 (both Cingular), I think I prefer the 6230 but want the phone that works best.
I just got my M35x with Journey/Tech packages. I have a Motorola v551 Bluetooth cell phone (Cingular). The bluetooth setup with the car is simple and has worked well so far. Voice recognition dialing is probably 95-99% accurate, as long as no one else is speaking in the car. Reception and volume seem fine (at least as good as my hard-wired, handsfree Nokia kit in my other other car). It is great to be able to leave my phone in my pocket and still use it. The only downside to the bluetooth is that your phone battery will drain more quickly if it is always on. It will probably need charging every 1-2 days.
If you don't mind divulging -- where do you live and what was the price? I'm in NY and I'm looking at the M35x, Journey, Tech, Spoiler, Splashguards, and so far I have 2 dealers competing for the sale.
The one I visited tonight had an order form written up for $2,500 over invoice, pre-tax ($48,382) including all the options mentioned above and winter mats (which I'm not even sure they have for the M, I just BS-ed him that another dealer had put this same deal on the table for me.)
I told him to beat "the other guy's deal", (i.e.; the deal that I felt would be reasonable) and he said that he couldn't, that he could only match it. Judging by the bulging vein in his neck and his reddening face, I thought I was probably getting a pretty good deal, relatively speaking, but still not the best deal I can get.
I would say that $2,000 over invoice for the M35x as described above is attainable, and all that need be done to get it is a few visits to 2 or 3 dealers. Just pit them against each other and I guarantee, that for $2k over invoice (if not less) the car can be had.
Just to test the limits, I'm going to a third dealer in the area (there are about 6 within 25 miles of me) and bluffing that I was offered $1,500 over invoice by another Infiniti shop. Let's see if they will match it, or if I get laughed out the door. My guess is they will come damn close.
Purchased an M45 Sport today and take delivery tomorrow (light silver with black interior, technology and journey packages) The car also has rear seat dvd which I didn't want, but was installed in the car so the dealer gave it to me for $1000 off the $1500 list plus and additional $1500 off the car for a total $2500 discount. Now I want to get a Bluetooth phone from either Verizon or Sprint. Verizon has a Motorola V710 but they couldn't tell me if it's compatible with the M. Has anyone tried this phone in an M class or have you heard whether it works? Any other comments about this phone or alternatives? Thanks!
The V710 has extremely limited bluetooth capability, thanks to Verizon "protecting its Get-it-now partners" (read: you'll pay us for the ability to actually USE the phone, thanks). I seriously doubt that the V710 will work with the M.
I'm not sure what sprint's policy is, but in general GSM carriers such as Cingular or T-mobile are much farther ahead than CDMA carriers when it comes to Bluetooth.
"With the write-ups this car has been getting, I can see the salesman saying, " Mr. Cream, I do believe we have a failure here to communicate."" Should be ---> "Whhhut we've got here is, fhhailure to communicate..."
That's what I thought the response would be to requesting $2,500 over invoice, but both dealers, one for sure, are ready and willing to sell me the car for just that.
I don't know if this is their bare bones number for right now, but I doubt that it is. The way I look at it, and the way most smart salesmen would look at it, is "a sale is a sale". It's not like the salesman is getting 100% of the fee, every dollar he cuts probably means $0.50 less to his pocket BEFORE tax takes out another $0.15.
In any case, I'm betting that Infiniti is very eager to move these things fast to bolster future demand and to reinforce what a great product the car is (not to mention recoup the $ they are spending marketing it.) That said, they are not going to attempt, at least not now, to entice buyers by dropping the MSRP by any significant amount, because that would take away from the car's prestige and perceived value.
So, how can Infiniti boost early M sales figures without diminishing the cars image as a high cost for high value/content, prestigious product? Maybe offer some back-end incentive to their dealerships??? Just a hypothesis, but I'd bet that the salesmen are getting some nice back-end premium, which is why 2 dealerships, the only 2 that I've dealt with thus far, are gunning to sell me the car for $2,500 over invoice.
They can get skinny on these cars. Despite rave reviews, the boom has not hit yet. It could be this month that it does, and in that case, now is the time to get a good deal from eager salesmen. (Unless you want to wait til the middle of 2006 when the buzz dies down and the competition catches up.)
And I believe the Cool Hand Luke quote continues: "...So you git whut we had heeya...which is the way he WONTS it, well he GITS it!"
Good luck with your "finesse." Let us all know if it worked. You really have nothing to lose. The Lexus dealers are already coming off their MSRP stance for the GS but that's probably because the car isn't doing too well in the comparos and the M is.
Something tells me you wait till April 30 (last day of the month), walk into the dealership and offer 1000 over invoice and you'll be driving out with a new M. There's an aweful lot of them on the lots in the jersey area, i assume NY isn't much different.
I owned a 1997 Audi A8, 2000 A6 4.2, 2001 A6 4.2 sport and currently an allroad (A6 based 2.7T 6spd manual). I took the new A6 3.2 and 4.2 for multiple test drives. The 4.2's I drove did have the 18" wheels and tires but NOT sport.
The Infiniti M35x is at a point in "feel" midway between the new A6 3.2 and 4.2. I believe the A6 4.2 is a bit quicker from 0 - 60mph or 0 - 100kph if you like. The M35x feels very strong, I would almost say V8 strong. It is certainly stronger than the A6 3.2. The A6 4.2 has the sweeetest sound -- the M35x is not quite as nice, but I think it sounds nicer than the 6 in the A6 3.2. But that is way subjective.
The fact of the matter is, tho, that an M35x which due to its STANDARD rubber being V rated UPH allseasons 245 x 45 x 18" the M35x seems to carve the road better than the A6 4.2 with standard suspension. The 3.2 with sport suspension is perhaps a bit firmer (and that is a good thing) than the M35x, but not much. The Inifiniti understeers less due to its better balance.
An Infiniti with Journey, Tech and a wing on its butt including dest charges is MSRP'd at $50,240. If you put everything on the A6 3.2 that is possible it will have heated rear seats and the Infiniti will not, it will have a power rear window shade and the Infiniti will not. The Infiniti will have a better sound system (DVD-Audio and more speakers), lane departure and automatic cruise control; lastly it will have a power actuated steering column which only the Audi V8 4.2 offers (other than the A8, of course). And, if you care, the Infiniti when parked will play a DVD on the Navi screen.
The Audi A6 3.2 will be over $54,100 (and comparably equipped the 4.2 will be about $59K) to the Infiniti's $50,240 -- the Inifiniti will have a 60,000 mile full warranty. The Audi 50,000. The Audi will be over $200 per month more on an apples to apples lease. The Audi will have free maintenance. The Infiniti needs maintenance every 7,500 miles. Yet the Infiniti needs a tune up at 105,000 miles, the Audi much sooner (but it is free).
I would love to have either car. If given a choice of a gift from the heavens, I would take a free Audi A6 4.2. If my choices were a free A6 3.2 or the Infiniti M35x it would be a somewhat tougher choice -- but if it were free, my long term loyalty to Audi might just nudge me that way despite the lesser content of the A6 and the lower performance of the A6, "just because." However, since I have not yet won the lottery or gotten a free car from Audi or Infiniti, I -- using my money -- choose the M35x with Journey, Tech and a wing on the butt for equal to or less than 39 months at 15,000 miles per year.
Did I mention that the Audi A6 4.2 engine sounds sweeeeeeeet!?!?!
Did I mention that the Audi A6 4.2 engine sounds sweeeeeeeet!?!?!
Indeed it does, Mark. Indeed it does. You should hear it in the Touareg! Music to any V8 lover's ears. I was surprised at how much better the 4.2 sounds in the Touareg than it does in the A6. And that's saying something, considering how nice it sounds in the A6! :shades:
I am thinking of getting the V551. In order to transfer the phone list do you need to store it on the SIM card or can it transfer from the internal phone book? Does the sound system change automatically to a sound field without bass to make voices better to hear?
I agree with the inventory posts about the excess number of M45's compared to M35's. I've also seen an increased inventory of sports compared to non-sports. My local dealer had the following in stock today:
2 M35 6 M35 sports 1 M45 5 M45 sports
There were no AWD drive models here in NC.
My questions are: can anyone summerize the difference between the sport vs. non-sport with regard to standard equipment? It's hard to figure from the infiniti web site. Second, has anyone seen that the excess sport and 45 inventory is translating in deals for these models?
I've already offered my dealer (Northern CA) $1000 over cost but he has yet to call me back to agree. I've watched his inventory go from 24 cars about 2 weeks ago to 15 today. Maybe we're a bit ahead of the curve here but it doesn't look good for deep discounts for a while, at least around here.
Comments
Also, as for the dash (center part)...IMO Infiniti could have done better job, but...the more I look at it...the "less" I dislike it. I am actually starting to like it.
Also, wish you could get the power rear sunshade without having to get the premium package.
Also, is there really much difference in road noise and stiffness between an 18" and a 19" tire/wheel?
The cool thing about ordering is it is like getting a new car twice. One time, however, it did go to the ludicrous zone when we ordered our first 2000 TT in a metallic black color and from the date of the order to delivery it was 14 months. My one and only Audi A8 also took forever, but I was part of Audis test market. They brought a 1996 European spec A8 to Cincinnati and allowed "several" customers to take them for 24 hours and then order them with essentially a promise of a 36 month lease with a 0.01% money factor -- I bit.
The lead time was about 9 months, but Audi sent me a video tape of "an" A8 being built and the people in the factory thanking "me" for ordering the car -- when the car finally came in it was fantastic, so it truly was like getting two new A8's in a 9 month period of time.
My wife's X3 custom build is slated for 90 days, the Infiniti 100 to 110 days -- we'll see what really happens.
Of course I order all my books, CD's and DVD's from Amazon, so I guess I am kinda not into instant gratification. For years, my Audi dealer was also a Porsche dealer and only kept units to test drive in stock and all cars were ordered.
My entire home theater system, too, was ordered from an AV specialty store and the lead times for this equipment was weeks.
Different strokes.
I cannot imagine ever being able to FIND a car that I wanted on the lot. Infiniti does make it somewhat easier with its limited packages, but for a few weeks, I was convinced I wanted an M35x Liquid Platinum/Bourbon, Journey, Sat Radio and Sat Navigation with rear seat DVD player. No such thing exists and the dealer claimed that such a combo would have to be ordered.
I ended up with Journey and Technology w/Sirius in the colors I mentioned with the body color rear spoiler. No such unit is in our region at this time.
Ordering is 1/2 the fun.
I would suggest the M35x.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19052-2005Apr1.html/?nav%3Dlb&sub=AR
[Free registration required]
36 Months, 12K miles - 61% residual with a money factor of 2.17
39 Months, 12K miles - 60% residual with a money factor of 2.19
Have they changed and would also like to know:
48 Months, 12K miles
36 Months, 15K miles
39 Months, 15K miles
48 Months, 15K miles
Thank you
A long time ago I downloaded one for the G35 but I cannot find where to do so on the M35 site.
I sent an e-mail to the Infiniti web site a week ago, but I have not heard back from them.
Thanks.
...keith
Save for the USA Today review, I can't remember anything nearly as gushing coming from the main stream press in the last 10 years.
There was a car many years ago that had such journalists doing handstands. The first LS400.
I'm not completely sorry I ordered it this way though. I think I may purchase some Vizualogic headrest screens when they become available for the M (hopefully they will). It should be fairly easy to tie them into the system given the wiring is already there for video, and since I ordered the MES, the rear seat remote and headphones from that system will still be usable. If you don't order MES, I'm not sure if you can get a 2nd source audio feed out of the system so that the rear DVD can be listened to with headphones while you listen to music in the front.
http://www.vizualogic.com/
But I digress, I was wondering if you took the A6 4.2 out for a test drive and if the V8 leveled the playing field against the M35X. I still love Audi interiors and all wheel drive is a must for New England winters, though the Saab handled quite well with just front wheel drive. I checked back with that dealer recently and that internet manager is no longer with them, so I'm ready to give them another chance. Incidently, we generally buy our cars and hold on to them for 4-5 years, the Saab being an anomaly brought on by pressing family needs, so your problems with lease deals should not affect us. You seem quite knowledgable about all things Audi, and now the M35x also, so your opinion would be most appreciated.
BTW, if you posted about the A6 4.2 and I missed it my apologies for making you rehash them.
Thanks,
Randy
http://users.adelphia.net/~captnorm/m35/front-60.jpg
http://users.adelphia.net/~captnorm/m35/rear-61.jpg
~~~~_/)~~~~
Norm
Thanks for your help.
> to be going all that fast and they appear to have increased inventories over the
> past week... I'm planning to buy next weekend; just trying to figure out from
> whom. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
I guess you live in VA. You can try Jim Coleman Infiniti just north of the border or JBA in Ellicott City. Try the "Costco deal" -- $2,500 over invoice incl. the destination charge for a car already on their lot. Good luck this weekend and let us all know how it went!
06 M35x
Should be 340 foot-pounds.
I'm in NY and I'm looking at the M35x, Journey, Tech, Spoiler, Splashguards, and so far I have 2 dealers competing for the sale.
The one I visited tonight had an order form written up for $2,500 over invoice, pre-tax ($48,382) including all the options mentioned above and winter mats (which I'm not even sure they have for the M, I just BS-ed him that another dealer had put this same deal on the table for me.)
I told him to beat "the other guy's deal", (i.e.; the deal that I felt would be reasonable) and he said that he couldn't, that he could only match it. Judging by the bulging vein in his neck and his reddening face, I thought I was probably getting a pretty good deal, relatively speaking, but still not the best deal I can get.
I would say that $2,000 over invoice for the M35x as described above is attainable, and all that need be done to get it is a few visits to 2 or 3 dealers. Just pit them against each other and I guarantee, that for $2k over invoice (if not less) the car can be had.
Just to test the limits, I'm going to a third dealer in the area (there are about 6 within 25 miles of me) and bluffing that I was offered $1,500 over invoice by another Infiniti shop. Let's see if they will match it, or if I get laughed out the door. My guess is they will come damn close.
I'm not sure what sprint's policy is, but in general GSM carriers such as Cingular or T-mobile are much farther ahead than CDMA carriers when it comes to Bluetooth.
That's what I thought the response would be to requesting $2,500 over invoice, but both dealers, one for sure, are ready and willing to sell me the car for just that.
I don't know if this is their bare bones number for right now, but I doubt that it is. The way I look at it, and the way most smart salesmen would look at it, is "a sale is a sale". It's not like the salesman is getting 100% of the fee, every dollar he cuts probably means $0.50 less to his pocket BEFORE tax takes out another $0.15.
In any case, I'm betting that Infiniti is very eager to move these things fast to bolster future demand and to reinforce what a great product the car is (not to mention recoup the $ they are spending marketing it.) That said, they are not going to attempt, at least not now, to entice buyers by dropping the MSRP by any significant amount, because that would take away from the car's prestige and perceived value.
So, how can Infiniti boost early M sales figures without diminishing the cars image as a high cost for high value/content, prestigious product? Maybe offer some back-end incentive to their dealerships??? Just a hypothesis, but I'd bet that the salesmen are getting some nice back-end premium, which is why 2 dealerships, the only 2 that I've dealt with thus far, are gunning to sell me the car for $2,500 over invoice.
They can get skinny on these cars. Despite rave reviews, the boom has not hit yet. It could be this month that it does, and in that case, now is the time to get a good deal from eager salesmen. (Unless you want to wait til the middle of 2006 when the buzz dies down and the competition catches up.)
And I believe the Cool Hand Luke quote continues: "...So you git whut we had heeya...which is the way he WONTS it, well he GITS it!"
*Bold typeface indicates speculation*
The Lexus dealers are already coming off their MSRP stance for the GS but that's probably because the car isn't doing too well in the comparos and the M is.
Aceman
The Infiniti M35x is at a point in "feel" midway between the new A6 3.2 and 4.2. I believe the A6 4.2 is a bit quicker from 0 - 60mph or 0 - 100kph if you like. The M35x feels very strong, I would almost say V8 strong. It is certainly stronger than the A6 3.2. The A6 4.2 has the sweeetest sound -- the M35x is not quite as nice, but I think it sounds nicer than the 6 in the A6 3.2. But that is way subjective.
The fact of the matter is, tho, that an M35x which due to its STANDARD rubber being V rated UPH allseasons 245 x 45 x 18" the M35x seems to carve the road better than the A6 4.2 with standard suspension. The 3.2 with sport suspension is perhaps a bit firmer (and that is a good thing) than the M35x, but not much. The Inifiniti understeers less due to its better balance.
An Infiniti with Journey, Tech and a wing on its butt including dest charges is MSRP'd at $50,240. If you put everything on the A6 3.2 that is possible it will have heated rear seats and the Infiniti will not, it will have a power rear window shade and the Infiniti will not. The Infiniti will have a better sound system (DVD-Audio and more speakers), lane departure and automatic cruise control; lastly it will have a power actuated steering column which only the Audi V8 4.2 offers (other than the A8, of course). And, if you care, the Infiniti when parked will play a DVD on the Navi screen.
The Audi A6 3.2 will be over $54,100 (and comparably equipped the 4.2 will be about $59K) to the Infiniti's $50,240 -- the Inifiniti will have a 60,000 mile full warranty. The Audi 50,000. The Audi will be over $200 per month more on an apples to apples lease. The Audi will have free maintenance. The Infiniti needs maintenance every 7,500 miles. Yet the Infiniti needs a tune up at 105,000 miles, the Audi much sooner (but it is free).
I would love to have either car. If given a choice of a gift from the heavens, I would take a free Audi A6 4.2. If my choices were a free A6 3.2 or the Infiniti M35x it would be a somewhat tougher choice -- but if it were free, my long term loyalty to Audi might just nudge me that way despite the lesser content of the A6 and the lower performance of the A6, "just because." However, since I have not yet won the lottery or gotten a free car from Audi or Infiniti, I -- using my money -- choose the M35x with Journey, Tech and a wing on the butt for equal to or less than 39 months at 15,000 miles per year.
Did I mention that the Audi A6 4.2 engine sounds sweeeeeeeet!?!?!
Indeed it does, Mark. Indeed it does. You should hear it in the Touareg! Music to any V8 lover's ears. I was surprised at how much better the 4.2 sounds in the Touareg than it does in the A6. And that's saying something, considering how nice it sounds in the A6! :shades:
2 M35
6 M35 sports
1 M45
5 M45 sports
There were no AWD drive models here in NC.
My questions are: can anyone summerize the difference between the sport vs. non-sport with regard to standard equipment? It's hard to figure from the infiniti web site. Second, has anyone seen that the excess sport and 45 inventory is translating in deals for these models?
Thanks