Thank you and goodnight.
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Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Western Suffolk, NY
Thank you and goodnight.
Although I have not been an active contributor to the forums, I am a regular visitor to the site. My guess is that if one were to search my posting history, the spikes would be the summer of 2006 when I leased my first G--a 2006 coupe
or the spring/summer of 2008 when I became a sedan owner for the first time in my life (24 years of car ownership)
As such, it is with great sadness that I am leaving the G family. As my existing lease expires, I cannot in good conscience lease another G. Although, I have eyes for the G37X (basically combining my first two Infinitis into one package), it seems I will fight that urge successfully. Although the economy has not had an effect on me yet, and I feel somewhat safe, one never knows. Things are too uncertain. One could argue that I should never have been a habitual car leaser in the first place, putting only about 4,500 miles on my vehicles annually, and not fully "using" the car.
Much to the satisfaction of my beloved wife, I am going to pull the trigger on a 2009 Civic SI in coupe form. This time I'm buying, not leasing. I am test driving the car on Saturday, so barring an extremely unfavorable reaction to the Honda, I am about to shed almost 700 pounds and 109 horsepower from my driveway. I've done a lot of research, and I think I can live with this car. I think when folks see a 41 year old bald(ing) man in a business suit getting out of the bright red SI, the reactions will make up for the loss in power to weight ratio and the loss in "status." (I'm actually excited to see my neighbors' reaction when I drive it home, since over the last five years, we all appear to be trying to one up each other.)
What will I miss the most about the G? Although frequently criticized by the automotive press, I love the sound of the VQ at wide open throttle. It's been labeled as "harsh," as inferior to the smoothness of BMW's V6 motors, but to me the sound and feel is exhilarating. Similarly, although my sedan's exhaust note pales in comparison to the coupe, I still love its menacing growl. I will miss the refinement of the G's interior; the feel of the controls and the feel of the leather (the SI is only available with cloth seats). But what I will miss most is the actual power of the motor, which always caught new passengers by surprise. ("How much horsepower is in this thing?")
I will miss the camaraderie that I've felt here in the forum. I haven't researched this yet, but I'm guessing that since the average Civic owner is likely to be much younger than the average Infiniti driver, I should not expect the same level of maturity, tact and helpfulness that I've experienced here. (Although, from what I hear, there is a bond among Honda owners.)
I will continue to check the forums--and maybe even post once in a while--even after I return the Infiniti in a few weeks just to stay abreast of the current state of affairs and new announcements. I hope to be back in an Infiniti when things become more certain for our country and the world. Heck, if they build a G37X convertible, that would be hard to pass up.
Thank you for everything.
Noah "Kromax" Kromaksian
or the spring/summer of 2008 when I became a sedan owner for the first time in my life (24 years of car ownership)
As such, it is with great sadness that I am leaving the G family. As my existing lease expires, I cannot in good conscience lease another G. Although, I have eyes for the G37X (basically combining my first two Infinitis into one package), it seems I will fight that urge successfully. Although the economy has not had an effect on me yet, and I feel somewhat safe, one never knows. Things are too uncertain. One could argue that I should never have been a habitual car leaser in the first place, putting only about 4,500 miles on my vehicles annually, and not fully "using" the car.
Much to the satisfaction of my beloved wife, I am going to pull the trigger on a 2009 Civic SI in coupe form. This time I'm buying, not leasing. I am test driving the car on Saturday, so barring an extremely unfavorable reaction to the Honda, I am about to shed almost 700 pounds and 109 horsepower from my driveway. I've done a lot of research, and I think I can live with this car. I think when folks see a 41 year old bald(ing) man in a business suit getting out of the bright red SI, the reactions will make up for the loss in power to weight ratio and the loss in "status." (I'm actually excited to see my neighbors' reaction when I drive it home, since over the last five years, we all appear to be trying to one up each other.)
What will I miss the most about the G? Although frequently criticized by the automotive press, I love the sound of the VQ at wide open throttle. It's been labeled as "harsh," as inferior to the smoothness of BMW's V6 motors, but to me the sound and feel is exhilarating. Similarly, although my sedan's exhaust note pales in comparison to the coupe, I still love its menacing growl. I will miss the refinement of the G's interior; the feel of the controls and the feel of the leather (the SI is only available with cloth seats). But what I will miss most is the actual power of the motor, which always caught new passengers by surprise. ("How much horsepower is in this thing?")
I will miss the camaraderie that I've felt here in the forum. I haven't researched this yet, but I'm guessing that since the average Civic owner is likely to be much younger than the average Infiniti driver, I should not expect the same level of maturity, tact and helpfulness that I've experienced here. (Although, from what I hear, there is a bond among Honda owners.)
I will continue to check the forums--and maybe even post once in a while--even after I return the Infiniti in a few weeks just to stay abreast of the current state of affairs and new announcements. I hope to be back in an Infiniti when things become more certain for our country and the world. Heck, if they build a G37X convertible, that would be hard to pass up.
Thank you for everything.
Noah "Kromax" Kromaksian
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From: Western Suffolk, NY
Agreed.
Folks, I could not pull the trigger on the Si. I test drove it twice, including a good highway run. I enjoyed driving it, had a lot of fun winding it through the gears, I LOVED the seats. Then I got back into my G, and I realized what was missing. It wasn't the HP, it was the torque--or rather, the lack thereof. It was a dismal 139, and it felt like less. In order to get the most of the 197 HP, you really have to kind of beat the crap out of it. There is no moving along in 2nd, punch it and go. Since I plan on buying this time, it didn't seem like the best move.
Well then, I test drove the Accord coupe and I saw the light. True, it's slower than the G, but not to the point of real annoyance. True, it's FWD and not a true sports car. But it's nice, and I got a good price. I'm picking up a white 6MT with navi tomorrow or Saturday.
On a funnier note, and one I'm sure most can appreciate, last Saturday, before I realized I would actually be getting the car so soon (it had to be located from another dealer--for some reason 6MTs with navi are rare), I filled the tank in my G. D'oh! Good thing gas prices aren't what they were last summer--then I'd be really mad. Anyway, I was determined to use up all this gas, even though I didn't have to go anywhere. Typically, I average 15-16MPG in strictly local driving. My goal was to get that down to around 10MPG for this final tank. So far, I've gotten it down to 11.5, with another day or two left and between 1/2 and 3/4 tank to go. I have been driving like a mad man, and really appreciating the car as it heads into the sunset. I will miss her. Point of fact, I can't bring myself to turn it in so my wife has graciously volunteered for the job.
Folks, I could not pull the trigger on the Si. I test drove it twice, including a good highway run. I enjoyed driving it, had a lot of fun winding it through the gears, I LOVED the seats. Then I got back into my G, and I realized what was missing. It wasn't the HP, it was the torque--or rather, the lack thereof. It was a dismal 139, and it felt like less. In order to get the most of the 197 HP, you really have to kind of beat the crap out of it. There is no moving along in 2nd, punch it and go. Since I plan on buying this time, it didn't seem like the best move.
Well then, I test drove the Accord coupe and I saw the light. True, it's slower than the G, but not to the point of real annoyance. True, it's FWD and not a true sports car. But it's nice, and I got a good price. I'm picking up a white 6MT with navi tomorrow or Saturday.
On a funnier note, and one I'm sure most can appreciate, last Saturday, before I realized I would actually be getting the car so soon (it had to be located from another dealer--for some reason 6MTs with navi are rare), I filled the tank in my G. D'oh! Good thing gas prices aren't what they were last summer--then I'd be really mad. Anyway, I was determined to use up all this gas, even though I didn't have to go anywhere. Typically, I average 15-16MPG in strictly local driving. My goal was to get that down to around 10MPG for this final tank. So far, I've gotten it down to 11.5, with another day or two left and between 1/2 and 3/4 tank to go. I have been driving like a mad man, and really appreciating the car as it heads into the sunset. I will miss her. Point of fact, I can't bring myself to turn it in so my wife has graciously volunteered for the job.
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,299
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From: By the sea, Tx
G35 sedan w/ too much money in mods
Sorry to see you give up the G. I've only had mine for a month and can't fathom driving anything else. Accords are nice as well, but in a different way. Don't be a stranger, my guess is you'll be back in a G sooner than later. 
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Registered User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 111
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From: Western Suffolk, NY
Here is the sad ending...
I planned on leaving my car at the train station this morning for my wife to pick up and bring to the dealer for the dreaded lease return. Last night, as I'm cleaning out my stuff, I realize that I can't take the key with me on the train, since it has to be returned. I can't lock it in the car, because the car won't let me lock it with keys inside, and I'm not leaving it unlocked, unattended with the key inside. So I come up with a brilliant plan to lock the car open the trunk, throw the key inside the trunk (discretely--wrapped up in something) and shut the trunk. Just to make sure that would work, I tried it. The trunk won't lock with the key inside either! I never knew that. Anyway, this shut down what was to be my final ride--this morning to the station. I thought about taking it for one last spin last night, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was too broken up over losing her. This morning, my dad swung by to pick me up and drive me to the station. It looked like there was frost on the cars, but I didn't think it would be that cold. On my way down the driveway, I touched the windshield and felt that sure enough, it was ice. That was the last time I'll touch her. As we drove away, I whispered "thank you and goodnight." It's over.
