lots of questions here. i'll try to answer them in reverse order.

financing - on an '06, you won't see 1.9%, probably closer to 5% with a credit score over 720 unless there is some dealer incentive going on, but i doubt that for '06s.

configuration options - you can always custom order your coupe exactly how you want it, but expect less flexibility on the price. given the expected mods you've listed, doesn't seem like price should be much of an issue. just go to infiniti.com, config it how you want it on the website, print out the results and prepare to negotiate. i know for the '06 sedan, i managed to get it for a couple hundred over invoice. don't know what the market is like for coupes.

 

A sunroof can be had without the premium package - problem is will dealers stock these? From what I've seen, it looks like everything coming in for '06 is coming in pretty well loaded. If it has a sunroof, you can probably guess it has the premium package. It won't be until next year when supply catches up that base models start to roll in. 6MT is rare in itself, finding a 6MT bare bones is rarer, let alone in the color you want.

 

If you get an interest rate of 5% or lower let me know who you use please...

Be careful what dealers tell you in terms of what can and can't be configured on your car from factory. When I was shopping for mine I got different stories from different people.

1K below MSRP show be easy. IMO you should work up from invoice or better yet wholesale instead of down from MSRP.

Good luck.

 

Just order it the way you want it. I wanted my 6MT without sunroof, Prem. and Nav. so I had to order it. Most of the 6MTs on lots had Prem/sunroof. There were a lot of ATs in with various options available. It took between 60-70 days for my 'hartop/lightweight' ( ) 6MT G coupe to arrive. Well worth the wait... ...but I was looking at about $3000-$4000 in additional options I didn't want otherwise.

 

Smartkey isnt possible on the 6MT but bluetooth is.

 

Just bought my 2005 G35 6MT last night with sunroof, sirius, trunk mat, and splash guards for $1200 off invoice, and only $95 for doc fees. I worked them over long and hard(and it was end of the month, end of the day, so I had that going for me) , but lets just say I called about 40 dealers over the past month within a 300 mile radius of me trying to find the least loaded car I could find in the color I wanted, in the price I wanted. I'd say if you have time and patience and can do the leg work, you can find what you want in stock somewhere for a great deal, but so many times during my search I just wanted to say "heck with it, I'm just gonna take that loaded baby over there", or "screw this, I'm gonna just order what I want and take the hit on the money". I'm glad I stuck it out.

Also, check out www.bankrate.com for the average prices for the week on financing. My credit union had the best rates I could find: 4.49% for 4 year, 5.25% for 5, and 6.25% for 6. but the dealer was able to match the rate with some wrangling, so I just financed through them to make the paperwork easier. Shop around, run a credit report on yourself and FICO score report as well from a credit agency like www.experian.com or www.equifax.com, and they'll also give you information about what kind of rates you are looking at based on the score. The 1.9% you have on the civic was probably factory financing done as a special deal to get more sales. Banks won't be able to give that to you in general right now. There was infiniti factory financing on 05's that ended yesterday for 1.99%, but it was only for 05's and only on a 3 year term.

 

Another benefit of ordering is that the dealer will be more than happy to work a deal with you. When I asked what sort of deal Grubbs would give, the salesman volunteered "We'll take $1500 off MSRP on any ordered car." I asked a dealership closer to me if they'd meet it and they countered with $1750 off.

This was back when the '06 was 8 months away or so and I was ordering right at the cut-off time for '05s. I could have got a better deal, but I didn't want to delay over $500. And for a 6MT back then, ordering gave me the biggest discount. They could have knocked $2000-$2500 off a Sunroof/Prem/Nav./Sat. package easily on an AT or even a 6MT, but that was still significantly more than I was willing to pay for this car.

Besides, I simply didn't want a sunroof and there were no '05 IP/Stone hardtop 6MTs to be found.

My advice: Talk to a dealership about what sort of deal they'll make on an existing car, even if it has option you don't want. Don't waste his time, but get him to give you an idea of what they're comfortable with. Then mention your option preference and let him know that you'll most likely order to fit that. Now talk to him about discounts on an ordered car. Negotiate. Remember that this car isn't the "rare / hot / unavailable '06 6MT..."blah blah blah. It's just a plain unit worth $X when ordering. Figure $500-$750 over invoice into your offer if you want them to go for the deal without jerking you around. A fast, modest sale is usually acceptable on both sides AND IT'S FAST! No reason to sit in the lobby 1/2 the day over $250.

I'm also 4 hours away from the dealer, so a waste of time is not only a waste of money, it's also a huge inconvenience. I bought online (Shaelea @ Austin Infiniti) and had a great experience. Heard from others here who also had good things to say about her and their online purchase. Might be something to consider. You could do this with your local dealer to avoid showroom hassles as well. I did it out of necessity.

I usually like the buying process. I have real expectations and get the deal I want, all while chumping some salesman's lame technique, lack of product knowledge and generally calling them on their BS rationale for not being able to go lower on the price or when they try to do the model/option-level switcharoo. Does getting some perverse satisfaction out of doing this to these guys make me an @**hole, or am I just a car guy that enjoys giving a sheister some of his own medicine?