Help me make up my mind about buying a 06 M35

[jeostang]

I'm very close to purchasing a 06 M35 sport for my wife. However all the reviews of gas mpg is scaring me a bit. I've seen a few reviews of 16mpg in the city.

Can you guys give me your likes and dislikes about the car? What should I look out for?

Thanks

[palincal]

My only gripe is the lack of sixth gear. The car runs at 3K RPM at abt 70 which is ridiculous for the engine size. I get abt 18 MPG is city. Fortunately, I don't drive on freeway too much otherwise I wouldn't be happy abt the highway MPG.

M's are the best bang for the buck. Superb combination of class, technology, power and reliability with poor resale value (good for used car buyers).

[AlbuquerqueM45sport]

I purchased my M45 for the power, performance, and value it delivered as a true 4 passenger touring car. I tried the BMW's, Lexus, Audi's and others. I never considered the MPG when looking for a car of this type. Honestly, if MPG is what your looking for, purchase a vehicle with less performance, then you will abtain the MPG you are looking for. Honda, Nissan, and Mazda offer nice vehicles with much better MPG and decent performance. But nothing compares to the raw thrust, and handling you will feel at this price, in my opinion.

[CakeDaddy]

I purchased my M45 for the power, performance, and value it delivered as a true 4 passenger touring car. I tried the BMW's, Lexus, Audi's and others. I never considered the MPG when looking for a car of this type. Honestly, if MPG is what your looking for, purchase a vehicle with less performance, then you will abtain the MPG you are looking for. Honda, Nissan, and Mazda offer nice vehicles with much better MPG and decent performance. But nothing compares to the raw thrust, and handling you will feel at this price, in my opinion.

exactly... If MPG is an issue for you with any vehicle, go buy a honda civic. I bought my car for what it i. Its a V8, yes. I also own an SUV and I knew the consequences, so dont gripe about mpg; just go buy yourself a gas friendly car and be done. MPG is not a valid gripe these days, SORRY!

[harvdog21]

Well, I am the recent purchaser of an '07 M35 Base, and I only have a few thousand miles on it personally, but here are my thoughts:

* Steering, brakes, and driving "feel" is very similar to an '08 BMW 335i. It transmits excellent feedback to the driver.

* Solid and rattle free chassis and cabin.

* Fit and finish is excellent.

* Engine is smooth and powerful, and transmission shifts smoothly.

* I am a bit disappointed in the 8 speaker Bose system. The amp is not very good, and I miss not having equalization tweaks.

* I also miss not having a 6th gear on the freeway.

* Gas mileage, in my opinion, is decent. I'm getting about 19 mpg mixed right now.

* In a sea of Mercedes 230's and BMW's, I feel like I stand out in the M35. When I park next to these other cars, I think the M is a classier ride.

Overall, for the price you can pay for one in this market, I don't think there is a better value anywhere. What other premium brand can you purchase that will have the looks, performance, and reliability of Infiniti? You can spend more money buying a new Accord or Camry and get better gas mileage, but would you feel as good when you take it out on the town or up in the hills?

[antzrus]

I hear the Sport suspension is not very friendly; unless you are married to an all restraints are off kind of a woman..!

Go for the regular M, it sticks like glue (depending upon your rubber) w/a more agreeable ride.

Gas mileage? You able to afford (think service-parts etc., etc) an M you don't need no damn gas mileage!!!

Regrets? Yeah, Bush's last eight years.

[tytamto]

Even though the 3.5L V6 is slightly more fuel efficient than the V8, it is by no means a thrifty engine. Overall, the mpgs will vary by as much as 3-5 mpg between different cars with the same powertrains. Some have reported getting 26+ on the highway, others get no more than 22 mpg.

My M45 gets around 15 mpg right now in city traffic. The best I got with a dirty air filter was 21.5 mpg highway @ 75mph.

If you are concerned about fuel cost and economy, the M's will disappoint you. They are large, heavy, and have rather thirsty engines, and no 6th gear.

A V6 Accord (or a Mazda 6) is a much more sensible choice if you are looking for a reliable, large, comfy sedan with good fuel efficiency, and more aggressive handling than a Camry.

[ghstudio]

Keep in mind that all the M35's run just fine on regular gas...and if you can find gas without ethanol you will actually increase your MPG by about 10%. I get 19 mpg in city traffic in Southwest Florida on my 08 M35....I don't floor the gas. Your gas mileage will be worst with lots of stop and go traffic or if you always try to be the first when the light turns green. Yes, the revs are too high at 70-80mph, but aside from a little more noise, the car rides beautifully.

The only problem with the 06 M35's (all models) (I had one) is that the passenger seat lacks enough adjustment...it is actually uncomfortable for most everyone. They fixed that with a fully adjustable seat in 07. All the other changes have been pretty much minimal or "who cares" stuff. I would suggest buying an 07 just for the passenger seat.

The sports models seem to have a problem with road grooves of any sort, due in most part to the larger rims, thinner tires...and the fact the the OEM tires are really poor. Some 06 Sports owners have had their steering gears replaced (under warranty) in an effort to fix this problem. I would recommend against buying a sport...the basic M is the same car with slightly different trim.

If you buy an M, buy it with Navigation.

[jeostang]

Thanks for the responses guys. I've found a M35 sport for sale for 23999 fully loaded, I got the guy down to 21500. Does the regular M handle just as well as the sport? I like to drive aggressive which is the reason why I want a sport, my wife (who will be driving the car the most) is a normal driver. Were are both used to a nissan Maxima SE. (The gas mileage on that is about the same as the M)

[jeostang]

If the ride is too bone jarring for my wife, I was thinking about getting a set of Regular M35 rims and matching tires for her. WOuld that help any? Since those are not low profile tires.

And is 21500 fully loaded with 39k miles a decent deal or should I keep looking?

[ggoddard]

Just bought a 06 M35x for my wife. Remarkably it only had 14K miles...certified used.

I agree with most of HarvDog21's comments. The price you were quoted seems to be pretty good. Is it certified? Not sure if you care, but it usually costs about 1K more from a dealer. Given that it's a Nissan the odds of you actually needing to use the warranty is low, but it helps with peace of mind.

There are 07s coming to the auction markets now...so if you want a newer model, you may want to look. I'm not sure what the differences (standard options) are between the two, but it might be worth some exploration.

[harvdog21]

I searched for several months before I bought my '07. I paid $23k for mine with 27k miles, and Journey/NAV package, in mint condition with new tires on it. $21.5k is not bad, but it's not great. $19k-20k would be a good deal in my opinion. I started out looking on ebay, but found my car on autotrader. If I were you, I'd find a good '07 like mine so that you have longer factory warranty, and better resale value down the road.

[jeostang]

Where are you guys finding these good deals??

Whats up with the X models. THere seems to be an a lot of them for sale.

[jeostang]

I searched for several months before I bought my '07. I paid $23k for mine with 27k miles, and Journey/NAV package, in mint condition with new tires on it. $21.5k is not bad, but it's not great. $19k-20k would be a good deal in my opinion. I started out looking on ebay, but found my car on autotrader. If I were you, I'd find a good '07 like mine so that you have longer factory warranty, and better resale value down the road.

What was the asking price. I've seen a lot of CPO for high Mid to High 20s. Guess I should start calling dealers and giving them the price I want to pay.

[harvdog21]

Asking price was $23,888 from a wholesaler in Hayward, CA. At the time, they also had an '06 M35 Sport for $21,888 (asking price.)

[TribalCBR]

this is a great thread. im still trying to get rid of my truck before i get mine. so im seeing a lot of mixed feelings on the sport and base. is the sport that much worse per say than the base?

[antzrus]

this is a great thread. im still trying to get rid of my truck before i get mine. so im seeing a lot of mixed feelings on the sport and base. is the sport that much worse per say than the base?

Don't say worse-say different. The M is a luxury "sporty" type machine; but luxury is the key word here. The basic M 35 is a fantastic "sporty" luxury machine; plenty of power and handling. Making the suspension tighter than the basic model is overkill in my opinion, and the "luxury" feel apparently diminishes markedly from what I have read on these lists over the past two years.

The 06' M35x is a popular machine; winning x2 years on Consumer Reports number one luxury sedan spot. The gas mileage is mildly less than the 2 wheel drive but again: you can afford an M, you don't need no damn mileage!!

[harvdog21]

I test drove a few Sports and they were definitely a firmer ride. If the price was right though, I would have purchased a Sport over the Base.

[maqueswell]

jeostang:

Please do your research on pricing for the M35 in your area. Always take into consideration when someone comes across a great deal and than suggest what you should pay.

Becareful going to wholesalers and auctions and make sure that you get a carfax or any other report on your cars history. These are some great cars, but if the car wasn't cared for prior to you buying it you can have troubles.

You can purchase an M35 for dirt cheap prices, but remember buyer beware!

Mad Max

[sdkhalsa]

I just bought an 06 M35(base model) with 23K miles. Price from auction in Phoenix was $19,500. There were several 07 M35's with similar mileage going for about $22,500. Condition of this and the other cars was excellent. As is commonly reported, I am having the steering tram-tracking and wandering issues. New tires are on the way, but I am wondering how likely a rack and pinion job will be. Meanwhile, on a recent trip to California gas mileage was 22.5 going 80 all day. If I brought the speed down to about 70 it was running about 26. Yes, the 6th gear, or greater spacing in the gears, would have been nice. My in city mileage is about 20 with a soft foot. I am just celebrating the improvement from my old Q45 which ran about 15 in the city.

[M4T5]

I cannot comment too much on the M35 as I am an owner of an M45. Though the cars are really the same other than possibly a bit more weight and the larger engine.I can see from reading all of the post to be aware of these issues:

1. slightly below avg fuel econ.

2. 2006 models: Driver seat shifts forward upon braking. TSB was issued for this.

3. Personal test drive experiences: the Sport models drive like a sports car. The ride is ridged and bumps and road imperfections can and will be felt. You get most feed back through the steering wheel. Base model: seems to be right on par between a sporty and luxury sedan feel. The road imperfections are a lot less noticeable. I would almost consider the base model suspension the perfect fit for this type of car.Between the two models, I would also have to say the base model will out last the sport model due to the softer ride. (less future rattles, suspension parts will last longer, and tires will last longer). The base model would be the more reliable choice of the two in a long term ownership. Both model cars are awesome driving machines either way.

4. Seems everyone believes the transmission lacks a 6th gear. The RPM's do run higher than most cars, but the engines power band and the transmission's gear ratios are more than likely matched for the best performance of economy and power combined. Gives you the ability to have minimum engine lag and the most acceleration at almost any given speed.

5. 2006 models: Have passenger seat adjust ability issues. This was corrected in the 2007 model years.

Miscellaneous complaints: 1. No auto lock feature on any of the M model years to current. 2. Slightly lacking audio system unless you find one with the 14 speaker Bose system. Which still lacks a little in my opinion. I know, mine has that option.3. Still confused by this one: No DRL's! (Daylight Running Lamps). I thought this would be a standard feature for all passenger car vehicles by now. It should be!4. Lacks high beam HID lamps. The high beams also shine too high. Kind of useless IMO.5. Fog lights look good when looking at the car coming down the road, but I would have thought they would have had enough illumination to make night driving better. They are hardly even noticed. The only time I know they are on is when the light instrument panel indicator light is illuminated.Maybe you have to be actually driving in "Fog" for them to be useful.

Very few complaints here really. All cars will have some. It's a great car by far! Especially for the prices your finding them at! The price I paid for my 2007 M45 well equipped with 18,000mi far exceeds what you are looking to pay. Even the M35's were all priced at or more than $26,900.00. Maybe the market here around the Houston area is in high demand for them compared to other locations.Though I paid more because I purchased mine from an Infiniti dealer with a 6yr/100K mile certified pre-owned warranty. I still vouched for the Elite Extended Warranty Plan at the end of the sale.My Base(it's hard to describe it that way) model came with every option except the Premium pkg, which only adds back seat passenger controls. Which wouldn't do me any justice anyways. I would look at buying a 2007 model and automatically eliminate some of the above listed complaints.Good Luck!

J