WOW, alright. I test drove an 06 Coupe today and a 2007 G35X back to back.

All i can say is WOW to the 2007 G35X sedan.

The interior is a huge upgrade to the earlier models for one and the outside styling is SWEETTTTTT.....especially in WHITE

I really like how in the non navi package, there is still a screen in the console. Looks nice

The AWD and the all seasons that came with it are really decent. I felt so much in control in this car that I was smiling right through. As for power, WOW. It felt like there was more torque in this car as well and it seems a heck of a lot faster and pulls harder than the 06 Coupe. Is this right? Much more torquey. I am a torque kinda guy

The 06 had a rattle on the driver side window in which when i heard it, was reminded of the many rattles that people refer to in these cars (not the coupe's fault). The handling and steering in this car felt "lose" today. This is because of the summer 19" SUMMER tires. Even though there was no snow on the ground, the temperature really affected the performance of them.

I should not have driven the G35X today with the 06 coupe as it was like testing apples and oranges. RWD VS AWD with the RWD outfitted with summer tires. So really, they cannot be compared.

06 coupe Auto = 275 HP and 268 torque
07 g35x auto = 303 HP and 268 torque

The g35x felt more stronger in the low end from a stop cause of the AWD, yes i know....but on a highway it pulled harder and faster as well. Is this a right interpretation?

I should not have driven then back to back. Now i really like the sedan
I was smiling right through

Here is my dillema, I was thinking seeing that i always wanted the coupe, i should still buy the coupe and in about 2 years i would hopefully be able to do a direct trade (HOPEFULLY) as the coupe's value withholds its value more and faster than the sedans. So a used sedan should cost lower. Maybe wishful thinking

But wow, everyone, go and test drive an 07 sedan AWD. WOW....

thanks for listening all....

 

I took my 07x in for it's first service today and they gave me an 06 loaner. You are right, there is a huge difference. As you mentioned looks alone would sell you, but I also found the 06 in a totally different class. The handling was loose, the suspension felt cheap, and the power was noticably less. 07 has 306 just to correct you. The 06 just felt like I was driving a cheap car. The color of the dash lights, the button layout. In it's defense it is the loaner, so maybe owned ones drive and handle a little better. Remember just my opinion, they are still a nice car, just not comparable.

 

Would you really be happy with the coupe now. You sound so impressed with the sedan.
Then again it might be better to wait for the new 08 Coupe with it's changes and power increases.

 

I know, but I don't really want to spend another 8 -15 K on a car. I need to get a car sooner than later. So a decision has to be made.

Thanks for the comments guys.
But DAM, the sedan 07 is HOT.
My only concern is that it may not hold its value in about 3 years based on past history. Example, on autotrader, there are about 7 pages of G35's selling. Two pages are coupes and the rest are sedans. The sedans are considerably cheaper as well. That is why i said an option may be to buy the coupe now and enjoy the 2 door in my younger days and then in about 2-3 years, trade to a used sedan.

Am i getting old :|
hahahahah

 

By looking at the autotrader listings, you really can't tell much as those prices aren't telling you what the vehicle is actually going to sell for. What I'm seeing when looking at the prices is more a reflection of the price difference when new - ie: base coupe new = $47,000; base sedan new = $40,000 (just roughly).

If you want to compare resale value I would look at what the manufacturer thinks the vehicle is worth to them in 3 or 4 years. this can be done by looking at the vehicle's residual with respect to equal leases:

0 down
07 coupe base - MSRP = 47,200
residual @ 24km/yr 36 months = 25,488
25,488 / 47,200 = 54%

0 down
07 sedan base - MSRP = 40,000
residual @ 24km/yr 36 months = 21,994
21,994 / 40,000 = 54.9%

So, it's already showing that Infiniti is expecting the market to fall on the coupes, especially once the 08 releases. this is easily seen above as the sedan actually retains more value, even though it's a very miniscule amount. You've got to remember that the manufacturers don't want to get stuck with a vehicle that hasn't had enough paid off and if the buyback is too low then lessees are not likely to take the deal at the onset as it's wiser to pay less during the lease.

the numbers above were taken from Infiniti.ca, other than the math - my Macbook helped me there,

 

^Very interesting perspective. However, the comparison you describe above has mcuh more to do with an outgoing coupe model versus a new sedan model that will not be redesigned before the lease expiry date.

IMHO, the Coupes seem to hold their value more than the Sedans do, even considering the initial price differential. This is purely an anecdotal observation from reviewing local sale prices and speaking to the dealer sales team.

 

Albert's write up got me thinking about it also.

I looked up the base price of a
07 G35 Sedan Sport = $46,790
07 G35 Coupe Sport = $50,600

Difference = $3,810

I looked these up at an Infiniti Dealers
05 G35 Sedan Sport (46,000KM) = $34,870
05 G35 Coupe Sport with Manual Tran (48,000) = $39,775

Difference = $4,905

I realize I looked up the new prices of the 07s but still it gives you an idea of the depreciation in 2 years, and the sedan only depreciated $1000 more. according to those figures

 

I'm aware of the model year styling affecting the residuals, however, it was the only data I could use that has any true meaning. The 06 numbers are no longer posted. I do recall that when I did this math, back in the summer of 05 (when I bought my sedan), the difference was reversed (coupe held about a 2% advantage over the sedan).

When I checked again in 06 sedan, just for fun, it was obvious that the 06 was on it's way out as it had a lower residual (05 retained more value after 4 yr lease term).

There have been a couple of corrections amongst manufacturers over the past 5 -10 years. There was a time when a BMW/Mercedes/etc would retain 56%+ after 4 years, but I've watched those even out to what the rest of the market's at as well.

My 2002 Maxima had a residual value of 52% after 48 months. My 05 sedan, I *believe* was at 50% and I seem to recall the 06 at 48%.

I recall looking at the residual of an Aztec when they came out and they were at 33% after 4 years - how telling is that???? LOL!!!

I trust manufacturers to have a pretty good idea as to what their vehicles will be worth in a couple of years. It's really the only repeatable/reliable info we, as regular Joes can go on.

 

Agree on everything above. If we had access to actual retail and dealer used G sales we would have the most accurate facts on this. Obviously we can't access this other than on a random basis. That's what I based my statement on

 

This is still probably consistent with the market overall and with what I said in my initial post.