Got my car!!
#1
09-23-2003, 11:53 AM
Join Date: Sep 2003
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Got my car!!
I finally got a car.. but it's not a Z. It's a '04 G35 coupe. Here's the deal:
I have been saving up money, and reading Z forums daily, for the last year to buy a 350Z. My plan was to buy a Z and keep my '99 anv. edition Miata as a daily driver. In a year or two, I could buy a new daily driver instead of having two cars that are both two seaters.
Last Saturday I went to the Infiniti dealer (Crest in Dallas) to have a 2nd look at the G35, just to make sure I was making the right decision in buying the Z. The salesman had me test drive a black G35, and I really liked it a lot. Then he showed me the absolutely perfect car that had just been unloaded off the truck. It's Diamond Graphite, and has Willow interior. One of the things that really bugged me about the Z, was that the touring Silverstone was only avaiable with the black plastic interior, with either black or orange seats. Ugh! No frost..
The G35 was configured exactly the way I wanted. It has every option on it, including the aero package with the spoiler, 'premium package', that includes the 6 disc in dash Bose system, upgraded wheels and brembos, Sirius SAT radio, the navigation system, and 6 speed MT. The sticker on it was $38.6k. They also tinted the windows, 35% sides, and 25% everywhere else (legal limit in Texas). It looks phenomenal.
So I thought about it all day Sunday and went and bought it on Monday. I thought, why not buy my new daily driver now, and then see what happens in the next year or two for a pure sports car? Maybe by then I'll rather have a Supra, or maybe a turbo Z if they make them. I ended up paying sticker, but got about 800 more for my trade then book value, so I think I made out ok. I got 10K for my Miata, and put 15K down in cash, with 4.5% financing, my payments are under $300/mo, which is basically one day's work for me. Can't beat that..
Some pictures can be found at.. http://t.hackett99.home.comcast.net/
I haven't waxed a deep shine into it yet, and the lighting makes the color look a little more flat then it really is.
Now, my impressions, good and bad, of my new G35 coupe. Just my opinion as a new owner..
- The good.
* I love the exterior styling. It definitaly has some resembelance to the 350Z, which is a very good thing. The aero package really sets it off. The *** end of the car is huge, and the spoiler makes a very good difference in the appearance. The exterior of the car just looks tough to me. Since I got the car straight off the truck, there is not a single mark on it, nor did I see any swirl marks, or orange peel. There may very well be some there, but it looks very good to me. I will be researching care tips, as I want it to look top notch all the time.
* The interior is shhhweet!. The contrast of gray and cream color looks very nice. The aluminum accents look very classy, and the whole interior gives the impression of luxury. All of the controls are easy to access, and it's nice having cruise control, and stereo function controls on the wheel. There are too many features inside to list, and the center console looks nice. Lets just say I think it's all wonderful.
* The leather is top notch. It feels softer and thicker than the touring Z leather. The seat side bolsters seem exactly the same as the Z, so it keeps you right behind the wheel. The seats don't move at all, as was reported with some Z's. I like the electric seat functions, and the heaters will come in handy when it gets cold. The electric seats are very configurable on the driver side, and less so on the passenger side.
* Visibility is good all around. The Z has a tiny view out the back, which the G35 does not suffer from. I know Z drivers get used to it, but I do like it better in the G35.
* The Bose sound system is a good and bad story. The good is CD and Satellite sounds great. My car came with Sirius SAT, and it sounds as good, if not better, then CD's. For a stock system, I'm pretty happy with it. I'd like to have more power and punch, and will look at upgrades down the road, but for now, I'm really happy with it.
* The navigation system is great. It's easy to use, and gets me home no matter how lost I get. It slides up out of the top of the stereo, and looks very nice, especially at night. It also displays other car functions, such as open doors, fuel milage info, and maintanance info. I was getting low on gas, and the NAV alerted me, and asked if I wanted to set a destination to the nearest gas station. The fuel milage info shows average mileage, real-time mileage, and distance to empty. For a guy like me, who gets lost very easily, the NAV system is a must have.
* The performance is impressive. It has 7 less hp, and is 120 pounds heavier then the Z, but still really gives you a kick in the ***. I never expected Z-like performance out it, but it's very close. For a daily driver, it's much more then I expected. I thought about how often I try and get in a drag race, and how often I try to take a corner at max speed, and frankly, I don't do either very often at all. What the G35 offers me is just perfect. The Pilot Sport tires grip very nicely, and I understand they are a better tire then the stock Z tire. I'm still breaking it in, but I'm not babying it either. I've hit 5k RPM a few times, but I have not gone WOT on it yet. After I hit 500 miles, I plan to be a bit more agressive, and then let it rip at 1000 miles. If the experience so far is any indication, it's going to be even more thrilling stomping on it.
Oh.. and VDC is a very weird thing the first time you feel it. I've never driven a car before that decides I'm getting out of control and fixes it. I have a lot of driving to do to get the feel for the car, and what it can do, before I turn VDC off. It would be nice if the slip light stayed on a little bit longer then it does, so I can see that the system engaged, without having to look down in the middle of the situation.
So far, I have not seen a single bug in the car, such as the window grease problem, or drifting etc.. All and all, for a combination of looks, luxury, performance, and price, I think it's tough to beat the G35 coupe.
- The Bad
* There is too much wheel gap in both the front and back. There seems to be a little more in the front. Perhaps a suspension mod to lower the car a half inch would be good.
* The front end is a bug killer. I expect it'll attract rocks too. I'm seriously considering a clear bra to take care of the situation.
* The car comes with tire pressure monitors, but I have no clue how to see the current pressure from inside the car. I looked at the manual, but there does not seem to be a way. The manual states the computer system will notify me if the pressure gets low, but I'd like to be able to see a real-time pressure reading.
* I can't save seat and stereo settings. It would be nice if you could save multiple configurations so that if other people drive the car, they can just push a button to recall their preferences. But then.. it's doubtful anybody else will ever drive my car..
* The cup holders are useless. Not that I ever anticipate having fluids in the car, but still, they are very small. Also, the arm rest doesn't extend far enough forward. If it extended another 4 or 5 inches, it would be much more comfortable. Perhaps an after-market solution is in order.
* The Bose audio system will not play MP3 CD's. That's a huge disapointment to me. I'd love to fill up 6 CDR's of MP3's and feed them all into the system. Why that's not standard in an '04 car is beyond me. Perhaps it's the long arm of the RIAA. Also, the FM sound quality is crap. I don't use it at all since I have SAT radio.
* Not so much a flaw in the car, but something I noticed. There are so many gadgets in the car, especially with the NAV system, that's it's very distracting when driving. Like, if I'm listening to SAT and want to know who the artist is, and the name of the song, I hit a button on the stereo to call up the name, look down to read it, and find myself drifting all over the place. There are so many reasons to look at the center console, and I may just end up crashing the car if I don't get over how cool everything is and pay attention to the road..
* The rear seats are made for little people. Frankly, the only use I see for them is throwing stuff back there that used to sit on the passenger seat in my Miata, which really isn't a bad thing. Anybody over 5'9 is going to have glass touching the top of their head, and leg room is pretty non-existant.
So, that's my story. I may keep my eye out for a used Z, but for now, I'm loving the G!
I have been saving up money, and reading Z forums daily, for the last year to buy a 350Z. My plan was to buy a Z and keep my '99 anv. edition Miata as a daily driver. In a year or two, I could buy a new daily driver instead of having two cars that are both two seaters.
Last Saturday I went to the Infiniti dealer (Crest in Dallas) to have a 2nd look at the G35, just to make sure I was making the right decision in buying the Z. The salesman had me test drive a black G35, and I really liked it a lot. Then he showed me the absolutely perfect car that had just been unloaded off the truck. It's Diamond Graphite, and has Willow interior. One of the things that really bugged me about the Z, was that the touring Silverstone was only avaiable with the black plastic interior, with either black or orange seats. Ugh! No frost..
The G35 was configured exactly the way I wanted. It has every option on it, including the aero package with the spoiler, 'premium package', that includes the 6 disc in dash Bose system, upgraded wheels and brembos, Sirius SAT radio, the navigation system, and 6 speed MT. The sticker on it was $38.6k. They also tinted the windows, 35% sides, and 25% everywhere else (legal limit in Texas). It looks phenomenal.
So I thought about it all day Sunday and went and bought it on Monday. I thought, why not buy my new daily driver now, and then see what happens in the next year or two for a pure sports car? Maybe by then I'll rather have a Supra, or maybe a turbo Z if they make them. I ended up paying sticker, but got about 800 more for my trade then book value, so I think I made out ok. I got 10K for my Miata, and put 15K down in cash, with 4.5% financing, my payments are under $300/mo, which is basically one day's work for me. Can't beat that..
Some pictures can be found at.. http://t.hackett99.home.comcast.net/
I haven't waxed a deep shine into it yet, and the lighting makes the color look a little more flat then it really is.
Now, my impressions, good and bad, of my new G35 coupe. Just my opinion as a new owner..
- The good.
* I love the exterior styling. It definitaly has some resembelance to the 350Z, which is a very good thing. The aero package really sets it off. The *** end of the car is huge, and the spoiler makes a very good difference in the appearance. The exterior of the car just looks tough to me. Since I got the car straight off the truck, there is not a single mark on it, nor did I see any swirl marks, or orange peel. There may very well be some there, but it looks very good to me. I will be researching care tips, as I want it to look top notch all the time.
* The interior is shhhweet!. The contrast of gray and cream color looks very nice. The aluminum accents look very classy, and the whole interior gives the impression of luxury. All of the controls are easy to access, and it's nice having cruise control, and stereo function controls on the wheel. There are too many features inside to list, and the center console looks nice. Lets just say I think it's all wonderful.
* The leather is top notch. It feels softer and thicker than the touring Z leather. The seat side bolsters seem exactly the same as the Z, so it keeps you right behind the wheel. The seats don't move at all, as was reported with some Z's. I like the electric seat functions, and the heaters will come in handy when it gets cold. The electric seats are very configurable on the driver side, and less so on the passenger side.
* Visibility is good all around. The Z has a tiny view out the back, which the G35 does not suffer from. I know Z drivers get used to it, but I do like it better in the G35.
* The Bose sound system is a good and bad story. The good is CD and Satellite sounds great. My car came with Sirius SAT, and it sounds as good, if not better, then CD's. For a stock system, I'm pretty happy with it. I'd like to have more power and punch, and will look at upgrades down the road, but for now, I'm really happy with it.
* The navigation system is great. It's easy to use, and gets me home no matter how lost I get. It slides up out of the top of the stereo, and looks very nice, especially at night. It also displays other car functions, such as open doors, fuel milage info, and maintanance info. I was getting low on gas, and the NAV alerted me, and asked if I wanted to set a destination to the nearest gas station. The fuel milage info shows average mileage, real-time mileage, and distance to empty. For a guy like me, who gets lost very easily, the NAV system is a must have.
* The performance is impressive. It has 7 less hp, and is 120 pounds heavier then the Z, but still really gives you a kick in the ***. I never expected Z-like performance out it, but it's very close. For a daily driver, it's much more then I expected. I thought about how often I try and get in a drag race, and how often I try to take a corner at max speed, and frankly, I don't do either very often at all. What the G35 offers me is just perfect. The Pilot Sport tires grip very nicely, and I understand they are a better tire then the stock Z tire. I'm still breaking it in, but I'm not babying it either. I've hit 5k RPM a few times, but I have not gone WOT on it yet. After I hit 500 miles, I plan to be a bit more agressive, and then let it rip at 1000 miles. If the experience so far is any indication, it's going to be even more thrilling stomping on it.
Oh.. and VDC is a very weird thing the first time you feel it. I've never driven a car before that decides I'm getting out of control and fixes it. I have a lot of driving to do to get the feel for the car, and what it can do, before I turn VDC off. It would be nice if the slip light stayed on a little bit longer then it does, so I can see that the system engaged, without having to look down in the middle of the situation.
So far, I have not seen a single bug in the car, such as the window grease problem, or drifting etc.. All and all, for a combination of looks, luxury, performance, and price, I think it's tough to beat the G35 coupe.
- The Bad
* There is too much wheel gap in both the front and back. There seems to be a little more in the front. Perhaps a suspension mod to lower the car a half inch would be good.
* The front end is a bug killer. I expect it'll attract rocks too. I'm seriously considering a clear bra to take care of the situation.
* The car comes with tire pressure monitors, but I have no clue how to see the current pressure from inside the car. I looked at the manual, but there does not seem to be a way. The manual states the computer system will notify me if the pressure gets low, but I'd like to be able to see a real-time pressure reading.
* I can't save seat and stereo settings. It would be nice if you could save multiple configurations so that if other people drive the car, they can just push a button to recall their preferences. But then.. it's doubtful anybody else will ever drive my car..
* The cup holders are useless. Not that I ever anticipate having fluids in the car, but still, they are very small. Also, the arm rest doesn't extend far enough forward. If it extended another 4 or 5 inches, it would be much more comfortable. Perhaps an after-market solution is in order.
* The Bose audio system will not play MP3 CD's. That's a huge disapointment to me. I'd love to fill up 6 CDR's of MP3's and feed them all into the system. Why that's not standard in an '04 car is beyond me. Perhaps it's the long arm of the RIAA. Also, the FM sound quality is crap. I don't use it at all since I have SAT radio.
* Not so much a flaw in the car, but something I noticed. There are so many gadgets in the car, especially with the NAV system, that's it's very distracting when driving. Like, if I'm listening to SAT and want to know who the artist is, and the name of the song, I hit a button on the stereo to call up the name, look down to read it, and find myself drifting all over the place. There are so many reasons to look at the center console, and I may just end up crashing the car if I don't get over how cool everything is and pay attention to the road..
* The rear seats are made for little people. Frankly, the only use I see for them is throwing stuff back there that used to sit on the passenger seat in my Miata, which really isn't a bad thing. Anybody over 5'9 is going to have glass touching the top of their head, and leg room is pretty non-existant.
So, that's my story. I may keep my eye out for a used Z, but for now, I'm loving the G!
#2
09-23-2003, 12:01 PM
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Re: Got my car!!
Congrats on the car you'll love it for years.
David Stoner
1-888-220-8015
350/G35 Mods
www.350zforums.org/store check out our G35 section!
1-888-220-8015 for G35 350Z owners only
www.350Zforums.org
David Stoner
1-888-220-8015
350/G35 Mods
www.350zforums.org/store check out our G35 section!
1-888-220-8015 for G35 350Z owners only
www.350Zforums.org
#3
09-23-2003, 12:02 PM
Re: Got my car!!
tire pressure is only a warning if low. will not give numbers.
i just picked up my car last week. still haven't driven it much. been holding off driving it in the rain. no need, have two other cars (soon to be one other).
i tested a bunch of cars. with the G, tested sedan and coupe, both auto. dealer suggested i go to test a Z to check out the manual 6
i just picked up my car last week. still haven't driven it much. been holding off driving it in the rain. no need, have two other cars (soon to be one other).
i tested a bunch of cars. with the G, tested sedan and coupe, both auto. dealer suggested i go to test a Z to check out the manual 6
#4
09-23-2003, 12:57 PM
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Re: Got my car!!
congrats!!!!
Looking to Group Buy anything for this car...I am looking for some deals guys...email me at hsug@suissamiller.com
Looking to Group Buy anything for this car...I am looking for some deals guys...email me at hsug@suissamiller.com
#6
09-24-2003, 11:54 AM
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Got my car!!
Good luck and enjoy the car!!
The only real quirk that I find with this car is the manual backrest adjust. Let's say you let someone into or out of the back seat from the driver's side, it resets the position of the backrest to default, and it is so hard to adjust the backrest back to the way it used to be !! It is very sensitive with your weight...I just wish it was electric...if that was the case, I wouldn't even care for any Memory function.
The only real quirk that I find with this car is the manual backrest adjust. Let's say you let someone into or out of the back seat from the driver's side, it resets the position of the backrest to default, and it is so hard to adjust the backrest back to the way it used to be !! It is very sensitive with your weight...I just wish it was electric...if that was the case, I wouldn't even care for any Memory function.
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