Thinking of getting a G. Need ALLLL the advice I can get. Help

[818G35]

Hey guys. I'm new to the forums and don't have a G yet. I have a Lexus at the moment and I love it, but the G35 coupe is just so sexy. I was thinking of getting an '03 or '04 or '05 G35 coupe (the old body is so much nicer), but I had a couple of questions. What is you experience with YOUR g35? The good and the bad. Performance, handling, maintanance cost, gas cost, how often does it break down, what problems does it have, things like that. All help will greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

[Sentientbydesign]

Buy MINE!!! Lol

I love these questions...

I assume you are looking for a coupe. Here goes...

First with the differences-

2003/2004 were pretty similar

280 HP 270 ft/lbs TQ

I believe 2003 was the only year that leather wasn't standard. I could be wrong, but I'm sure I've seen 2003s with cloth interiors.

Brakes were a little on the small side up front and had some excessive dust issues. Infiniti extended a 3 year 36k mile warranty on brakes for 2003 and 2004 because of this. Aftermarket brake pads are supposed to fix this issue.

Brembos were standard on 6MT coupes.

03/04 Coupes had the larger "surf board" style spoiler.

I believe there were different 17" rims (the flat, ugly 5 spoke) and the nice 18s.

2005 brought quite a few nice options-

Interior dash was redesigned- Brushed aluminum trim was added where the painted plastic was. New heated seat buttons. I think the gauge cluster was replaced too.

The 6 speed manual equipped vehicles got a partially redesigned engine with higher peak HP and lower peak TQ (though overall TQ is higher than the Automatic). The engine is reported to have stronger internals, higher red line, and variable exhaust.

The spoiler option got more compact.

The 19" Forged Rays became an option on the sports tuned suspension package (standard on 05+ 6MT coupes).

Sports tuned suspension package also included VLSD standard.

The Brembo option was removed and larger front brakes were fitted on all G35s (except AWD Sedan).

I need to reformat all of that for the sake of Articlization.

[Sentientbydesign]

As for maintenance.

The two common issues that I've seen over and over are window motor failure and valve cover leaks.

Both covered under warranty.

The 03/04 manual transmissions were a little on the finicky side and had some issues. I'm not sure if they ever stopped redesigning them.

By now, you should be able to tell if the transmission has issues as those yeas are pushing 6 years old.

Tires on the coupe can be a bit of an issue as they can't be rotated (staggered rims and tires front to back). Theoretically, you could get one size of wheels for front and back and use spacers to make it all look good, but...meh.

I usually just shop constantly and have back ups ready to be swapped out.

The tires life will depend on how well you keep the alignment in spec and what type of tires. Ultra high performance tires are soft and usually wear quickly.

Maintenance has been pretty easy for the most part. I've had a few unexpected PITA issues like my passenger side window regulator coming unscrewed (not a common problem, but still aggrevating). Driver's side door handle broke from the inside too. Again, not common, but aggrevating.

Driver's side seat seems to develop a little movement and possible squeak, especially if you're a bigger person. Haven't really found a fix for that.

If you get a 6MT, the OEM clutch/flywheel combo replacement is around $2300-$2600 every time. I went aftermarket and cut that cost by more than half.

Fuel economy is...well, it's a sports car. If you drive it like it begs for, then expect 16-18 MPG. If you drive it like the EPA, then squeezing 19-23 is more possible.

Paint is really brittle. Some will say it's soft, but I was told by a body shop that the real issue is that it isn't soft enough lol. The front of any car will usually get pelted by sand and rocks. A good shop will mix in a flex agent into the paint for that part of the car, but Infiniti and most car manufacturers don't because they spray the cars en masse.

This isn't a G35 issue. It's just a common complaint.

On a side note. If you want to drive one, come down my way. I'm seriously selling mine (need 2 more doors and better fuel economy for my 110 mile daily commute). You must know how to drive stick though. No learning on my coupe!!!

[818G35]

Thats some serious info. Thanks. It seems like it has the power I want but the problems I don't need. Mind givin me a little more info on yours? Who knows, we might end up working out a deal or even a trade? Let me know.

[Sentientbydesign]

Maintenance seriously hasn't been a real issue. I think the real issue with the car was spending the past 2 years figuring out how to fix everything myself for MUCH less than taking it to the dealer.

I bought my 05 specifically because I wanted to more powerful engine, better interior, better brakes, better transmission, the 19" wheels, and VLSD as it was a pain trying to figure out for the previous years.

My 05 is black on black.

It has 81k miles on it. Engine has about 35k miles on it (replaced under warranty for oil consumption).

Here this is better:

Engine, Clutch/Flywheel, front shocks, brakes, radiator fluid, transmission oil, and differential oil have been/will be replaced this year.

On saturday I will be fixing the last 2 loose end items which are the front brakes (Stoptech Rotors and Hawk HPS pads) and my broken door handle. I have all the parts, just haven't opened the door yet.

My coupe is the base model with Sports tuned suspension package (Sports tuned suspension, 19" forged wheels, VLSD). I have the front lip and splash guards, but they are not on the car and probably need to be repainted.

Check out my signature for the few mods that I've done to the car. If I was still single, I would probably keep this car. My son is the single biggest reason I need to sell it. Plus my budget is a lot tighter now, so getting a lower monthly payment and lower insurance will help a lot too.

I'm asking $16,500.