Should I trade my 04 I35 for 06 M45?

[kaz2020]

Really happy to have found this site. I am considering trading my Black/Black 2004 I35 with 94K, 2 owner car for a Silver/Bourbon 1 owner 2006 M45 with 77K. I have owned the 04 since 08 and it has been a great car but does not have the V8 or any technology.

The M45 has no outstanding recalls. All recalls have been addressed by Infiniti dealer. My concern is with the reviews I have read about the 06 M45 steering and stalling. I have driven an 08 G35 and a 08 EX35 of other family members and find the steering too tight in those models. Concerned the M45 will have that same feel..? I prefer the steering of a Q45 or Lexus 430 but not looking for those cars.

I would appreciate any feedback on whether its even worth letting go of my I35 for an M45 with a 20k mileage difference? Also if anyone could share other problems with the 06 M45 I need to look at before committing? Thank you

[milto0n]

Whats your daily commute like?

[macgiver]

mac, short answer I believe YES ,at least 3 or more ways to address that steering "perceptual" issue-IF it even exists to same degree in THIS particular M45. Silver nice, V8 very very nice, 20kmi LESS nice,REAR WHEEL DRIVE instead of FWD most bestest, .............. Just do your homework ,but I think you're working on an A in my opinion You know how something you thought WAS an issue , that after all other HIGH-POINTS overshadow it ? That issue(steering) has faded away , or just becomes normal , like it seems gone & "normal" ? That's the V8 power and "Fun-factor" of the all around drive-experience which may completely win you over.

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum!

[kaz2020]

No commute here except the occasional trip to the coast. Cars are garaged kept as the temperature can get to 120 on some days in the desert. The 2004 I35 is in great shape just a little boring. Do not drive on long trips to keep mileage down. Always liked the big V8 Q45 so the M45 in great condition got my attention.

[pedsemdoc]

Wow, no contest in my book...M45 all the way!!! Tons of technology for a 11-12 year old car.
Plus, I think it drove fantastically.

To be honest, I've never driven an I35, so not sure what it's like.

If you search M45 issues/problems you should be able to find several threads highlighting some issues that owners have brought up.
But, a not so complete list from memory:

haven't remembered reading a lot of steering issues with the M45
But, fellas have had some issues with stalling/limp mode with the crank shaft position sensor, etc.
(search limp mode/stalling and you'll see the threads on that)

1. dash cracks!!!!
2. make sure oil consumption not too great
3. some leaks, especially if valve covers old
4. broken driver's seat rail
5. can't fill gas tank all the way - there's a technical service bulletin/recall, IIRC
6. adaptive headlight motor goes bad
7 side mirror motor goes bad
8. get a new battery if it's the original, lot of electrical gremlins, starting problems have been caused by a weak battery, that seemed to test ok
9. Bluetooth phone sound quality, another TSB/recall, IIRC

tons of info here, lots of knowledgeable guys
just do your homework and you should be fine, you won't be sorry with making the trade.

Craig

[EdBwoy]

I vote yes as well.

The steering on the M will be much "sportier", the ride a little "sportier". Depending on what you're seeing listed locally around you, the offer on the i35 seems a little too low to me.
If you're in a comfortable position to, I'd try to just buy the M and keep the i35 - either to sell it yourself, or to allow a spare/road trip car. (This is a slight tangent, and very personal opinion as you mentioned not driving to keep mileage low. Unfortunately, it doesn't always fetch a premium when you're ready to let go)

Coming from the i35, you'll enjoy the turning radius while parking the M45, although you might not like the fuel economy. It rewards you in smiles per gallon.

[kaz2020]

I agree that seems a little low on the trade value but does reflect what the market shows for that model trade in. I have entertained the thought of selling on my own for an additional $500-$1k maybe.. Not many people looking for BLK/Blk cars in the desert. I moved this car to the desert a few years ago and have been looking to replace the 2004 I35 for several years mostly due to its color. While my favorite color on a car is Black its not a color that works well in the hot desert. The nice thing is that I also have a 2002 I35 color Cypress with 121K and drives very smooth. Smoother than my 2004 with 94K. I have had the 02 since 04. Both of the I35"s always maintained and kept in new looking condition. They have looked nice side by side in the garage. I will miss that look. I vision eventually replacing the 2002 with a small SUV down the road. These Infiniti I35's have been champs in my book. Good solid 3.5 V6 semi luxury for it's day with a smooth ride. Pretty much inexpensive cars to repair. There is one problem with both of them with the CD player skipping. No big deal as I purchased a Bluetooth cassette adapter that makes the car Bluetooth compatible with our phones for calls and music. I have made a list of things to review about the 2006 M45 I am considering with the help of this forum. Much appreciated!

[LIBRILZ]

Having owned a 98 Q45, and 2001 I30t which is very similar to your car let me tell you the whole run down in my honest opinion..

I have to say I think I preferred my I30 more than my M45, the M45 drinks gas like a Nissan Armada, and past 3 gear because of the transmission gearing, this car runs out of steam quick. A G35/37 will leave you no problem past 65 MPH. Also most M45s burn oil, mine does and I find this highly annoying to always have to check it and make sure I buy oil every few fill ups

Then there is the interior color, at night all the lights are orange vs. the beautiful green, black, and white the I30/35 has, not a fan of that at all..Infiniti got wise and changed all the interior lights color in the 08+ Ms

Also most of these cars, the dashes do crack, and even then I feel like the quality of materials on the interior is slightly inferior. I always got complemented on my I30s interior I have to say, and myself I honestly preferred the material choices much more. The M is a much quieter car on the road however, you will notice roadnoise is much more subdued

As far as driving wise, the steering on the M45 and I30/35 is similar but I give a slight edge to the I, while both are just a tad too slow, esp the M which is supposed to have much more sporty of intentions that the I35, the M also has a more vague feel to it in my opinion..I don't think it had to be G37 tight and quick steering, but something better feeling I would've much preferred..for example I have a M45 Sport and the steering between a sport and a Non sport is the same, no changes, on the G35/37 the Sport has a different steering rack..why didn't they do this?!

I have the middle tier sound system but honestly I'm not impressed, Maybe the Ms with the 14 speaker bose system with speakers in the seats sound better but I'm generally just like its 'ok', your I35 subwoofer definitely has more bass to it, and even the 98 Q45 I had, it's bose sound system was MUCH better

I say try to hold on to one of the I35 even after getting the M, as those are really great cars, I took mine to 204k before Harvey took it out and it still had zero problems lol.. my M I don't know how it will fare in those regards, which is kind of why I'm thinking if I can get the money, I'll just try to get an M56 or something, they seem better made that the mid 00s Nissans when Nissan was penny pinching and counting every little dollar

[kaz2020]

I agree that the M56 is a nice looking car. My experience with both my I35’s has been positive. I have had my 2002 for 12 years and the 04 for 10 years. The black 04 with black tint always gets so much attention/compliments to this day. I just filled it up today after I noticed the low fuel light was on. $58.00 @3.79. I always run supreme in these cars and have tested lower grades in the past which neither car liked. These cars love supreme and run much better with supreme. I also add a little Marvel Mystery Oil from time to time to the gas and oil. Neither of my I35 cars have stock navigation bluetooth or rear view camera which is something I would like to have. I test drove a 2005 Q45 a few years ago and really liked the suspension and ride however I was not impressed with the exterior design. The 06 M45 exterior design was an improvement from the Q. I am understanding that the suspension and ride of the M45 is not the same as a Q? I am more interested in a luxury V8 ride than a fast sport model. I also felt that 10K for a 2006 M45 with 77K miles was a little high. Especially when offering $2500 trade value for my 2004 I35 with 94K.

[AZhitman]

I'm gonna be the dissenter here and say keep the I35. They were spectacularly bulletproof cars, and 94K is just getting broken in good.

The early Ms had issues, and I don't think 06 was "good times" for Infiniti...

Now, if someone offered up an 03-04 M45, I'd do that deal all day long.

[EdBwoy]

Now I understand why you wouldn't want to keep the black one. Otherwise, knowing you have 2, I would have wanted to keep the more aesthetically pleasing one.
And IIRC, of the early FWD VQ35DEs, the 04 i35 is the year that did not have the timing chain guide issues.


Anyway, I thought the A33s were decent looking cars, with the i35 being the prettiest. I usually gauge my vehicles on what I see inside and what I can see from the outside, both at night and during the day. The i35 headlights and tail lights seemed well thought out, and I liked the old school cornering lamps. [In the M45, if you have AFS, your projectors will swivel to the outside when cornering]
The ergonomics of the A33 platform aren't to be beat, and the i35 had way softer seating than the Maximas... and any M45 you get. The BOSE sound system was punchy, but in the M cars it is more refined. In that the subwoofer might not kick as hard, but the acoustics are more well thought of*.
[Another caveat here, since you can get an M with different tiers of sound system - the surround sound/ home theater one ranging down to the base model with only 6 speakers and no subwoofer - not BOSE]
And all i35s came with the rear sunshade, some with front heated seats and even some with all 4 heated + steering wheel, right? Not that you'll really need those in the desert, but again getting a Y50 M with the rear sunshade and thus reclining and heated rear seats is close to impossible. Other than that, very few i35s had navigation. You are very likely to get it in the M. And you're also very likely to get the heated AND COOLED seats .


For every other aspect of technology, the M has the i35 beat.
Now, comparing that to a Q is a different story. The Q will ride better and steering will be a little more numb. If you like technology, you'll focus on the M.
Otherwise, I am pretty sure you can get a Q45 for half the price of an 06+ M45.

This one is huge
I know our i35s were oil consumers to various levels. All VK45DEs do too. However, the early iteration of the VK seems to withstand it better. I am yet to hear of a single 03-04 M45 or 02-06 Q45 with a catastrophically damaged engine due to oil neglect. It might be purely a game of numbers, but you are likely to come across engine stories.
We don't fully understand why the difference exists, but it is generally agreed that good upkeep and paying attention to your oil helps ward off the bad spirits.