New G37

[PPKK]

Hi folks,

I am new to Infiniti and this forum (or any car forum for that matter), however, since this forum was quite helpful when I was making my purchase decision I thought I'd join and contribute back a little.

I looked at the 328i, 335i and the G37 and ended up leasing a 2010 G37 MT Sport. Really loved the way the bimmers felt, but coming from a Mazdaspeed6 the 328i didn't feel as fast (still drove beautifully) and since a nicely equipped 335i would push $50K, ultimately I felt that as a daily driver the G37 suited me best since it has a lot more goodies for the price, has a great engine and the interior is a lot more plush in my opinion. My only gripe with the G - and the first thing I noticed when I test drove it - is the way the clutch engages, which I can best describe as "grippy." I wonder if it will get better with time, but it's really not a big deal and I am getting used to it after driving it for a few days. It's a sweet little car.

The dealership was about 20 minutes from the closest freeway so I didn't test drive it at higher speeds as I always do before buying, and as luck has it as soon as I left the dealership and got on the freeway I noticed farily pronounced vibration at around 65-70 miles/hr. Not sure if it is due to flat spots on the tires or a balancing issue, but I told the dealership about it and they asked me to drive it for a week and if it didn't get better (flat spots) bring it in. I have driven about 100 miles on it and the vibration is still there so I guess I'll be taking it in.

Here's what my lease looks like:

- $3,750 down (including fees, taxes and first month's payment.) The actual downpayment allowance was $4,750, but $1,000 of it came from VPP rebate so my out of pocket was $3,750
- $300 per month
- 12K miles per year
- I don't have the details with me but from memory money factor was 0.00152 and residual is $21,300


How did I do?

(Edit - corrected numbers)

[soul_hfk]

congrats on the new ride and welcome to Nico..... oh and we love pics here

[bentrod]

Congrats on your new ride. You must be a hell of a negtiator or did you have a trade-in that you didn't mention? Using the Infiniti web site lease calculator, it looks like you were able to get over $5500 off of the MSRP (or more if you added nav etc). To get a lease of 36 mo/12k the total of your downpayment and discount would have to exceed $9k. Outstanding!

[ACoupe]

How did you get that deal?
Crazy!
I went through my dealer and with the VPP he quoted me $6600 down for a 535 a month lease on a new G...

[ACoupe]

Never mind, I'm in Canada so the price up here for the G37 is +/- 20k more than in the U.S. depending on the options. Bah.

[PPKK]

Here's some additional information to help with the math:

- I gave a trade-in that was valued at $13,500. $4,750 was put as down payment ($3,750 from the trade-in and $1,000 from VPP), and the dealer is going to send me a check for $9,750 for the remainder of my trade-in
- According to the lease paperwork, the buy came out to $33,697 (vs. MSRP of $38,035)
- One thing that could make a difference is that I am in NC, and taxes are pretty low at 3%

I walked in the dealer on Monday morning (you could drop a pin) and negotiated for a while. Basis the reactions it sounds like I got a pretty good deal, that makes me happy

[sniper27]

that's a heck of a deal.

[SleepyMonkey]

good job and welcome!

(I may PM you when it's time to buy again! )

[Johnny6Speed]

As far as the grippy clutch goes, I have to say mine is one of the tougher clutches I've driven. But I'm pretty well used to it by now.

[madmax2k1]

I experienced the same vibrations with my car and it was due to the RE050 tires; even after a road-force balance there were still mild vibrations at 60-65 mph. I ended up dumping the OEM tires for some Potenza RE0760 that are way smoother on the freeway.

[PPKK]

Madmax,

I too, am afraid that it may be the tires. I take it that in your case the dealer didn't contribute to changing tires?

If it comes to that - and considering that I will likely have to change the tires before or by the time my lease it up, I'll simply keep the OEM's and put them back on before I hand it in.

[Kendahl]

You are not the first person to complain about the clutch. At least one reviewer disliked it so much that he could not recommend the car in spite of its other virtues. After 3 years and 25k miles, I still have occasional rough starts with mine. What I have found works best is to hold a steady throttle and modulate the clutch.

[PPKK]

I have owned quite a few cars with stick shift throughout the years, all different. I always thought my Mazdaspeed6 was one of the more difficult car I had ever owned to shift smoothly, but after some time I got the hang of it - besides, 270 horses always managed to put a grin on my face regardless of how the transmission felt.

The G is actually not too bad, I am still getting used to the slight shaking that takes place when the clutch engages (better described as "grabs") in 1st gear, the rest of the gears are OK. The car is still too new and the shifter is a little tough to put in and out of gears, but once things loosen up a little it should be all good - at least I hope!

Along with the bimmers I also test drove a stick VW CC, and loved the way the transmission felt in all of them, much better than the G. But hey, somehow 327 horses manages to put a big smile on my face anyway!

[madmax2k1]

Madmax,

I too, am afraid that it may be the tires. I take it that in your case the dealer didn't contribute to changing tires?

If it comes to that - and considering that I will likely have to change the tires before or by the time my lease it up, I'll simply keep the OEM's and put them back on before I hand it in.

Let the dealer balance them first and see if this eliminates the vibrations; there is a small chance that the tires may be defective and you should be able to replace them under warranty.

[sniper27]

i have the RE050 and they don't vibrate. they are, however, on the noisy side. i also will be replacing them with RE760 when they wear out.

[SVTCOBRA]

Welcome to Nico and Congrats!!!

Sniper, give us a review of the RE760's after you get them.
I had the RE750's on my cobra and they were some of the best tires I've ever owned!
The RE750's were very comparible to the Yoko S-Drives.
However, the RE760's look more advanced.

[G_whizz]

Welcome to NICO and congrats on the killer deal!

[telcoman]

I have owned quite a few cars with stick shift throughout the years, all different. I always thought my Mazdaspeed6 was one of the more difficult car I had ever owned to shift smoothly, but after some time I got the hang of it - besides, 270 horses always managed to put a grin on my face regardless of how the transmission felt.

The G is actually not too bad, I am still getting used to the slight shaking that takes place when the clutch engages (better described as "grabs") in 1st gear, the rest of the gears are OK. The car is still too new and the shifter is a little tough to put in and out of gears, but once things loosen up a little it should be all good - at least I hope!

Along with the bimmers I also test drove a stick VW CC, and loved the way the transmission felt in all of them, much better than the G. But hey, somehow 327 horses manages to put a big smile on my face anyway!

Although I have a G35 my clutch did not become comfortable until I exceeded 25k miles

A little trick you can try to get used to the clutch and have smoother take offs from a standing start at a red light in first gear is to keep your eye on the tach and attempt to modulate the gas pedal and letting out the clutch so the rpms do not rise from idle as you engage the clutch and begin to take off. Try it and see if that helps you get used to the clutch.

Telcoman

[PPKK]

Well, I took the car in today to take care of the vibration issue and they did a road force balance on the wheels it and told me that one of the front wheels was missing 15g of weight so that would normally take care of the issue. To the dealership's credit, they asked me to take the mechanic on a ride to ensure the issue was taken care of but since the closest freeway is 20 minutes away from the dealer and half way back to work, I told them I would just take my chances in the hopes that the balancing fixed the issue. Sure enough it didn't, so I need to take it back next week and leave it with them.

Assuming their road force balancing is accurate, what else could be causing this? I feel the vibration starting from 55mph and it gets stronger as I go faster (I went to 80 then slowed down). It seems to be coming from the back of the car as I feel it in the seat a lot more than in the steering wheel.

Any suggestions?