here's the deal: my 6MT '04 sedan is nearing the end of its warranty life. this week it goes in for valve covers & plugs (~$1500) but i probably won't catch anything else before the warranty is up this fall. my car has 78k kms and is generally in great shape, me being a semi-**** retentive car guy. i have always loved the '06 6mt sedan but i am beginning to think that upgrade would serve little purpose since it too would be out of warranty soon. i have owned many vehicles out of warranty but now that i am into more advanced cars (as far as electronics are involved) the thought of no coverage is less then appealing. i don't want to sink too much money in to long-term maintenance of my G if i will be selling it.

soooooo, what are your thoughts on the new G37 sedan? i believe it is new for 2009, and i would be getting the 6mt model. i would probably buy a ~1 year old unit in 2010 so i am just planning ahead. it has 330hp, but less torque than my '04 and i sure hope they have improved the shift action of the tranny.

i test drove a 335 sedan this weekend. nice car, great handling and smooth engine. i consider it to be a direct competitor for the G, but it was a bit small, and to be honest the power felt a bit weak until 4k. the lexus is also nice, but the IS350 has no manual option and i won't be ponying up for an IS-F. i was offered $15k for my G by the dealer, but could get $19.5-$20k privately in the Vancity market.

any thoughts are greatly appreciated. part of me wants to hold onto my G since i know how it has been kept, and it has been a great car. it owes me no money and has been paid off for years so unless things start to break i am on easy street. but that's always a gamble...

 

There's a lot to be said for 'paid for'. That said, i do love the power and refinement of the 37, in a way. I say 'in a way' because it doesn't have the visceral feel of my 03.

 

definitely benefits both ways.

For me going from the 04 to the 08 is huge improvement.
The front suspension (lower wishbone) is far superior
& the 6mt shifts beautifully.
It's still not in the S2K class, but I like it better than my Z4M 6mt

 

^ thx. i am glad to hear the shifter has been improved. that will help since the tranny in Gen 1 cars is particularly notchy and is a big factor in my decision-making. my old honda civic or MX6 V6 shifted 100x better then the G, but i still love a manual.

InTgr8r - do you notice the larger size of the new sedan? it looks much longer/wider/taller. is that ever an issue? how about interior space, is that comparable to Gen 1, or larger? when i sit in the new car it feel like i am more surrounded with goodies, and the centre tunnel feels higher.

 

Not really, I don't notice the size difference at all.
It's definitely wider but I don't think there's much difference in the other dimensions (minor)
I always like lots of elbow room with the center console & have no complaints in that regard.

 

Good idea Canucklehead.

I moved from an 04 6mt coupe to an 08 X that was 52 weeks old. I've also had the 37 sedan out for 3 days on 3 occasions. the only thing you'll notice power wise is there's a lot more of it. I'm a big fan of the 3.7 I haven't driven a 6mt in the 2nd gen but no doubt InTgr8r has it nailed. The car is much more refined than 1st gen.

BTW I moved from a MX6 6mt to the G and agree with you on the shifter & miles. Mazda has that pegged well.

 

Markup is about 4 grand on those suckers, andthere are some nice factory incentives available right now that they wont tell you about! Good time to buy.

 

I do not have much to add in terms of an actual personal review - however everything I have heard and read about the new G37 Sedan is positive. The only issue I heard about are some NVH issues which should still be leagues ahead of the first generation car. Overall it is the best bang for the buck in its class right now. The 335i is an excellent car as well - but as you said, a tad too small for many folks.

 

I was surfing channels while on vacation and the car show (no idea what it was called) was reviewing the G37 Sedan. All good comments, then the guy steps out of the car and stands on the soapbox, and starts to go on about how you have to give it gas when slipping into first. He babbles on a bit about how much he has driven standard this, and that and on and on, finally gets to his point that if you cannot go into first without revving then it will result in premature clutch wear. I didn't pay much heed, I personally was not impressed with his mannerisms. But then I remembered stalling the car when I took it out for test drive right out of the lot. I hadn't driven a standard for quite sometime, but I naturally did not rev slightly when engaging first. So that got me wondering, is there really something to what the guy had to say? I dunno, still wouldn't make a diff to me either way.

 

The G37 Sedans look mean (beautiful)! The G37 Coupes in my opinion when it comes to looks are just plain boring. The old G35 Coupe has much simpler lines, but it just does something the new coupe doesn't.

 

Even with the old G35 series, I have found first gear to be useless. It's always a quick shift into 2nd and the car starts to move. JMO

 

that is very interesting. i have had trouble finding a 6MT sedan to test. yesterday my car was having warranty work (valve covers) done and i was given a G37X as a loaner. it felt a bit heavier than mine, but i did notice a slight boost in power so i need to sample the manual car.

i have no trouble engaging 1st gear in my car.

 

^ I have no problem what so ever with 1st gear.
In fact it's probably the smoothest 1st gear that I can remember owning.

 

i love my 6mt sedan, im not sure what the comparison for the gen sedans as I had an '03 coupe which was auto. The power difference is a huge jump from the first gen models

 

Buy one! I love the g37 sedan its just SICK.