Everyone is different. If the dude is responsible, its a great car. I've found that if someone helps pay for it and helps with maintenance, a greater level of respect is given to the car.

 

If I had my G when I was 16/17 there is not a chance on earth that vehicle would be intact today.

His friends will ride in it, egg him on. He will most likely want to show off what ***** his new G actually has.

While its what he may want it probably isn't what he needs for a first car.

Get him comfortable enough on the road with something a bit cheaper and let him earn the G.

Good luck with your decision.

 

My first car was a 350HP Mustang at 16 years old. I'm still alive today. Of course, a little skill and coordination did play a role in that. A g35 isn't really a hard to control car IMHO...so i wouldn't be afraid of a 17 year old behind the wheel of one.

My opinion on having that car at 16/17...first car should be a beater. You should be focusing on learning to drive vs looking cool and getting girls. Most people i know crashed their first car, or destroyed it by lack of caring.

I also think a kid should buy their own first car on their, but that's my opinion.

 

I tried to buy my own first car but my mom wouldn't let me. At the time it made me mad because I wanted to have the pride of knowing I was driving my own car (even if it was a POS). In the end she bought me that TA with the agreement that I would pay for the insurance, gas, maitenance, etc. She just paid for the actual car payment. I think in the end this was better because kids should be saving their money for college or their life after high school at this point and not have to worry about paying their bills when they're only 16/17 years old. Having them contribute but not being completely responsible for the payments is good because it adds a since of responsibility and pride.

 

Get him a beater, teach him how to fix what goes wrong with it. Let him have some experience driving before you throw him into a rwd car. All this experience should help him be more responsible and then move up to the G.

 

OP, I agree somewhat with some of the others. Granted, we do not know you or your son and how you raised him or how responsible he is (or is not). I'm 39 with a 9 and 6 year old, so I haven't had to cross that bridge yet. However, I do know boys (I wunce wuz wun) and I fear that the the issues that might arise (from a carload of young, spirited men) might be evident rather quickly and frequently, especially in a G35. Nevertheless, you know your son better than anyone and I'm sure you have already thought of the consequences.

That being said, the G35 is a very dependable, comfortable and SAFE vehicle. They have their occasional recalls and product campaigns that can be researched rather easily on forums like this and www.infinitihelp.com. The gas mileage is okay, but you could definitely do better with a Honda or similar. The power is definitely there and the cars are very customize able (both sedan and coupes). They are easily capable of running 200k+ to 300k+ miles on the ODO with proper maintenance. And they are incredibly sexy out of the box.

Is it a good car for him? It's a good car for anyone, but then again it's only going to be as good as the previous owner's (if buying used) care taken of it and how your son (or you) keep it up. Hondas and other "economical" cars are also highly customize able, so just because a civic gets 30+ miles per gallon when you buy it, doesn't mean it cant be modded to run 11 second quarter miles or beat unmodded mustangs (no offense Mustang5L5) from stoplight to stoplight. That's where your ethics and his integrity come in.

Hope that helps a bit.
GL with your decision! I'm sure you got bigger worries having a 17 year old young man (other than what kind of car he drives...)
rob.g

EDIT: Don't know if you ever specified, but if you are looking at the sedan, the G35X is All wheel drive.

 

I think you should go for it, OP. I would have been very grateful had my parents gotten me a G35 for my first car and would have taken good care of it considering no one else my age had a car that nice.

 

Everyone has their 17 year old mistake.

I'd suggest buying both a rear left and right spindle. When he inevitably bends one, make him replace it.

Also, teach him how to drive the car. Even in a parking lot on a rainy day. If not he will end up experimenting and the outcome will not be cheap.

All in all, I'm grateful for getting my G at 16 turning 17. We bought it new and was given to me when it was 7 years old so I can't say anything for the market, but from what I hear they are getting cheaper.

Have fun, good luck and keep him safe.

 

I got my G coupe when i was 16... (Now 21) Never got into an accident i guess because it was manual and i was still learning MT so i did not drive like most teens.

my insurance was $106 a month full coverage with Alstate. Not bad price at all

gas is not cheap, i will say that... lets hope his school/work is close to home

reason why my mom let me buy a G was because they are very safe cars. yes civics are cheap and get great mpg but they crush like tin cans in an accident.

 

It depends how you were taught to drive. If a teenager can be cautious I'll be impressed. But driving like a grandmother and not knowing how your car will react in certain situations may get you killed one day when the stakes are higher than a couple hundred dollar spindle.

I was too confident even after taking courses up at BMW Spartanburg. All it took was an unintentional dick move with bald summer tires and not enough road.

 

Dont think it will be a good idea, like most post stated he drives good when your around. And the fact that he is already showing you mods is a big no in my book ! Get him a civic and let him mod that

 

This thread's kinda in the wrong section LOL.

I'd move it but it's too heavy for my puny light-blue status

 

G35s aren't fast so if he wants one and you are willing to get it for him go for it.

 

 

Its definitely not the worst car for a 17 year old, but its far from the best. When I was 17 I was a good driver whenever my parents were around. I had a pickup truck, granted it was a dakota r/t reg cab with a 5.9L V8 that I did a lot of motor work on, but i would do quick races every chance I got. I never wrecked it but I came close a few times. Now with all the mods I put into it, it was quite a bit faster than a stock g35 in a straight line but I have a feeling I would have had worse luck with the g if I was driving it when I was 17.

Also my cousin got his g35x sedan at 17 and wrecked it several times doing stupid stuff, and his parents considered him a good driver, and I know he wasn't racing it either (the accidents were too stupid to be caused by racing)

edit: oh i forgot you wanted pros and cons.

Pro: Pretty safe car if he does get in a wreck.

Con: RWD and decent mid-high rpm power can make it very treacherous in inclement weather. When I first got it, I had some surprises in the wet where I would go to give it a little throttle from a 25 mph roll in 3rd gear and everything would be fine until it would get into the power band and then light the tires up. You get used to it though.