Hi everyone,

I've been doing a little research on G35s and I'm finding a lot to sift through. Currently driving a 2002 Civic. Used to drive a 1997 BMW 328i.

With a budget of about 12k, I'm finding 03-04 Coupes/Sedans (in MT only - my preference) w/ about 100-130k km on them.

I know I should make sure that the radio works, be ready for rattles, clicking rear axle and brake squeak. Nothing seems major here. Anything I should REALLY look for besides signs of accidents (I used to paint, so I can tell when a car has been through an accident) and rust?

I'm wondering several things:
1) I'm a university student on co-op and I move a lot. Is it possible to take the wheels off a bicycle, fold down the rear seats of a G35 coupe and fit a bike in there? If not, will the sedan?

2) IMO, The sedan looks MUCH worse than the coupe. Is there any way to get the coupe look for the sedan - at least for the back bumper?

3) What are things I should not expect from the G35? Space? Luxury/sound insulation? Mileage? Reliability?

The car looks great. It gets good reviews. I've heard it's a little back heavy and, honestly, I don't think the front is that pretty (the rest of it is, though). I want to know what you guys think I should look out for when I buy one and if it's a good car to have for a university student.

Thanks!
M

 

I don't think it's a good car to have for a university student. The body takes damage pretty easily compare to some other cars and is expensive to fix. If you do get one, you might want to think about putting on those ugly door protector strips which help prevent door dings when others open their doors into your car(even though the are F'n hideous looking). Our doors also swing out wide in the coupes so it's tough to get into and out of the car in tight spots without hitting the cars next to you (although I'm always super duper careful of this), and it doesn't have much space in the trunk for cargo for when it comes time for you to move out for the year and pack all your stuff into the car. You should easily be able to fit a bike in the back set if you remove one or both tires without even putting down the rear seat.... just lay a cloth down over the seats so you don't scratch them or the center console up too much with the hard metal parts of the bike (pedals, etc).

Other reasons why it wouldn't be good for a University Student:
-Poor cargo capacity
-Tough to get in and out of the back seats if you carry passengers back there (plus the seats are motorized and prone to wearing out the plastic gears from sliding the seat up and back all the time)
-Not the best fuel economy
-Expensive maintenance (tires wear out fast, etc)
-Low profile tires/rims are easy to scratch and damage on curbs and pop/warp easier when running over things or hitting potholes, etc. in comparison to a higher profile tire.
-Could be a target for vandalism
-Attracts more attention from the police than cheaper and less flashy cars
-Harder to control if you were to drive it while slightly buzzed\drunk (even though you obviously shouldn't)
-Insurance will cost you more than a cheaper car
-Here's a slightly insignificant one: The beamless windows are always going to be dirty as your drunk and clueless passenger/classmates shut them by the window instead of pushing on the door itself.

I used to get so pissed when I was in college from all the damage that other idiots would do to my cars while parked in the lots... and my cars weren't even THAT nice (Nissan Sentra SE Coupe, and Nissan 240SX S13 Hatch).


Honestly... I think a little 2-seater pickup truck is a perfect vehicle for college. They are small enough to get into tight parking spots, high enough to avoid most damage from other cars, tires are really tough to pop from running over things or curbing them, you'll have tons of space in the back to carry your stuff for when you go back an forth from campus to home at the end of the year/semester, and if it's a 2-seater, you won't have to cart around all your classmates and drunk friends all the time. Maybe get one of those X-cab versions so you have a little extra space in the cab to keep books and a backpack in, etc... but not big enough so that you can easily fit adults back there in the suicide seats. Example: X-Cab Toyota Tacoma 4-cyl Prerunner or 4x4, Ford Ranger, or Nissan Frontier. I don't know if all small pickups are this way, but my Tacoma has an absolutely amazing turning radius... so it's real easy to get into and out of tight quarters without hitting things.

 

Everything he said, plus...

Yes the older sedans don't look as good stock as a coupe does, and since it sounds like you're on a tight budget, body mods might be out of the question, so stick with finding a coupe.

The older sedans are quieter than the coupes, the drivetrains are pretty reliable but in your budget you're looking at higher mileage for the most part.

 

Right on. I don't drink often and I am strictly against drunk driving. My mates don't drink much and are relatively tame drunks, so I'm not worried about that either.

You've given me some sound advice and it seems you guys think the G35 isn't the car for me. I really like it and I see it as a safe alternative to the BMW E46s out there (but maintainance is probably even worse on those).

Argh, I feel like this is the one time in life where I can enjoy a coupe. Is this really not the case? I don't exactly want a small pickup just because I'm really not a fan of pick-ups in general. Insurance is a legitimate point though - somewhat sure that insurance in Canada for a 22 year old in a coupe will not be very friendly to the wallet. Humm.

I'll have to mull it over some more.

Also, is it just me or are the early G35 coupes the prettiest of the G series? I hate the rounded bumpers and the look of the new G37. But I just cannot get enough of the back end and sides of the older G35 coupe.

 

Since you live in Canada, you can add the fact that G35 Coupes suck in snow/ice as a big negative. You'll have to buy a set of dedicated winter tires just to be able to get the car through 1-2 inches of snow safely... and if you get a lot of snow on the roads, you won't be able to go through it even with good winter tires (poor ground clearance, RWD, wide tires, decent power, not a ton of weight over the rear tires).

In the end though, it really depends on how important having a nice car is to you. If you're a huge car person, then maybe you might find it worth all the hassle, worry, expense of having a nice car on campus.... but a G35 Coupe is definitely not "ideal" for the situation. You'll probably have plenty of time in the few years immediately after college to have a nice sport Coupe... unless you get married and have kids right after college without spending a couple of awesome years enjoying the adult lifestyle of a single male professional.

 

To be honest, if you have your heart set on getting it now...and you really love the car, go for it. But when I was in college I knew getting into a new car wasn't the best option. Unless you really hate your Civic and are in need of something else.

Maintanence/reliability wise, the G is better than an E46 BMW. But the decision is yours, none of us are gunna talk you in or out of it. The G's are awesome cars, but like everything car related; every time you step up from something, you need to factor in the change of lifestyle (expenses, maintenance, etc)

 

As a college student with an 04 coupe, I can tell you that if your willing and able to pay for maintenance and gas, you should be ok. Gas mileage is pretty bad for me as I'm always doing doing short trips to class etc. and live in a city. Parking in tight spots will teach you yoga because the doors are so long. I usually don't carry more than one person in my car so the backseat isn't too bad. Cargo space is small, I'm sure you could fit a bike in with the seats folded down. But cargo space is small for longer breaks from school.

It's a really fun car though and don't i dont regret having it, but it definitely isn't cheap

 

Thanks for the detailed responses guys, especially party man.

B FIFE, as you are a student, you can probably sympathise with me most here. I understand that this car isn't particularly suited for students in any way (bad mileage, expensive to repair body damage, bad insurance rates and low cargo space). I don't drive to and from school, but I do use my car to bring my friends around occasionally and I do personally enjoy cruising a lot.

I am a bringer of many things. I do photography, I ride bikes, I do sports. All of these things require some space. It's mainly the bike that concerns me. With my civic, I can throw a bike in the back and shove boxes everywhere. With the G, I'm going to guess that I won't be able to put too many boxes into the car.

That said, are there any specific reliability problems of the G that makes it expensive? You guys seem to imply that the car is expensive to keep...so I'd like to know what exactly makes it so - aside from fuel and insurance (I drive 2-3 times a week for maybe just 10km per trip - very little but I certainly savour the feeling of rowing through the gears on a bendy wide road. I'm not so much a commuter.)

I've been looking at a couple of Gs. One of them was a car with 75k km on it from 2006. Owner said he was third owner. First owner had it as a show car in metallic green. Something between the second and first owner allowed some insurance heckling to occur where someone key'd the car (*cough*intentionally*cough*) to get an insurance-paid repaint to paint the entire car black. For $12k, it looked amazing, but the history worried me. That one got sold.

The other one I'm looking at now is :http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ453901872

And

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdLar...8&ImageIndex=1

Owner says this one went through a front fender accident with one of the previous owners. Says the back tires are pretty much gone (sounds like a guy in his 30s with a middle eastern accent...might have drifted the life out of the tires?)?

Anything I should watch out for with used Gs?



Also, I used to drive my BMW 3 series through tons of snow with no problems at all. Maybe it was the clearance of the car or just a gentle foot or something, but I never had to dig that out and I never had any unexpected drifts. And I was driving stick.

 

I've only had a few issues with mine. The driver's window motor has gone out 3 times. Luckily, I got one from O'Reilly's the first time and it comes with a lifetime warranty, so I only had to pay once. This seems to be pretty common.

The brakes wear pretty fast, there were even lawsuits filed against Infiniti because of it, so you may want to upgrade your pads and rotors. The original owner of mine had all his service history, and he replaced the brakes twice within 68,000 miles. Im at 86,000 now, and I need pads but the rotors look to be in good shape so it may depend on how/where you drive.

Tires also wear pretty quickly because you can't rotate them since they are staggered. A set of 4 tires for me was ~850 installed.

Gas is the main expense though, I came from a Honda Accord so the gas cost surprised me a little lol.

All these things can add up. Also, don't forget about the mod bug, it gets us all haha

Mechanically though I haven't had any problems, and I don't exactly baby the car. It's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. When looking at used ones, make sure it has a good amount of tire left, and watch out for Oil Consumption on the 05+ 6MT's

When you take it on a mountain road for some fun though, these little issues disappear pretty quickly