ok opportunity to buy a 2004 black G35 coupe 6MT - 16,700 miles - average to clean condition. price-- $26,900.

The interior seems to have a lot more usage than a car w/ 17k should have. the door handle trim (silver piece) has a lot of scratches on it - as if the driver couldn't help but wear 6 rings on 4 fingers and then couldn't keep from grabbing it every 2 seconds - same thing on the gear shift ****.

The stereo sounds like hell.... tweeters seem none existent. I haven't heard a bose stereo that I've actually liked in.... in say oh about 10 years. But this was a bit excessive.

Am I being too picky? My other option is to wait a few months when the 2005s drop in price.

Any input is welcome. Thanks.

 

The 05's interior is worlds above the 03-04. If you cant wait for the 05 then get the 04, but most would prefer the 05 over the 04.
-GP-

 

that's because they are really made by clarion

 

Worlds above is a bit much IMO...But if you seem this upset about the 04 right now, I cant imagine how you'll feel after the purchase...Id probably wait just because you dont want to regret spending 27k...

I dont think he said the 04 interior was BAD he was saying this particular car had lots of wear...Those who have 05's and talk about it being night and day compared to the 04's are dillusional imo...Is it better and cleaner looking? Sure...Worlds above? Not so much...Now the 07-08 concepts is a different story...

 

2005... +1

Way cleaner looking that the 04..
they actually use real aluminum trim
instead of that plastic fake metal stuff..
and if you get the 6spd you get the
cool orange stiching..

 

I've driven plenty of 03-04's and IMO i dont like it one bit. I cant stand how the radio and ac controls are up and down push buttons as opposed to the ***** in the 05-06. The door panels are more refined, the material looks better, the clock is positioned much better, the shifter on the automatic is 100x better with the boot. The gauges are pushed back further and look better. I was offered 30k on a loaded 04 sedan OTD and turned it down mainly because of the interior.
-GP-

 

I, too, am deciding from an 04 or 05. I think the 2005's have fixed the 2004 problems some have had.

 

Thanks for the input folks. Much appreciated.

 

It sounds like a good deal. Use the scratches to talk them down more. If there is something wrong with the stereo, it can be fixed under warranty still. I don't believe the Bose's changed for 2005. As for the interior, that's matter of opinion. I'm from the minority who likes the center dash counsel more on the 2003/2004. You also won't enjoy the look or performance of the Brembos on a post 2004 6MT G coupe. Post 2004's lose torque, but gain horsepower. Some say the non-revup's are faster, particularly with a faster 0-60 time, others say otherwise. I think they're all about the same, as I tested a 2005 and 2004 6MT's extensively before deciding on the 2004, which saved me $3,500. It's all a drivers race when you're that close in HP / TQ. All in all, I have no regrets on my purchase. There aren't many cars that match the look, performance, and reliability at this price range on the road.

 

I agree. I like the 03-04 better.

 

03-04 6MT > 05 6MT due to 1 reason: Brembo.
05 AT > 03-04 AT.
I sat in a 05 and was not impressed with the change. Yes, it's better, but not world better. I'd take Brembo over improve interior any day. If interior is your main reason, then get a 07, cuz that seem to be world better than 1st gen G35.

 

Get an 05, the paded arm rests on the door are much better than the rubber ones on the 03-04`

 

Better off getting the G with the better interior and upgrading brakes later. The 05 brakes are much better than previous years brakes. THey got rid of brembo because they were having problems. My 05 has 33k on original brakes and I definatley don't stop soft.

 

Nickk6, I believe you are corrrect there. I have friends who have the previous model and have nothing but problems with their Brembos and wished it came with the 05 brakes (cheaper to maintain).

See my two post here:

https://g35driver.com/forums/showthr...79#post1493479

Funny, I think alot of folks are having this same delimma as you.

Anyway, in summary: Don't fall for the "Brembo is better" and "More Torque" excuse to get the 03-04 vs. the 05-06. I wouldn't have minded if the 05+ came with the brembos but is in no way going to sway me in getting the 03-04 (Plus, the ugly orange/yellow color of the Brembos were a turnoff for me). Think of YOUR needs. What are you looking at when you drive? Your brakes or the interior of the car? Remember, the brakes can be upgraded IF you really need better brakes for tracking and can increase the TQ/HP on a little addition of the MREV+. Then again, how much money are you talking about? If it will save you $5K from getting the 03-04 vs. the 05, I don't know...that's alot of savings!

 

i have a 04-- get the 05. IMO the 04 interior quality is pretty much comparable to my old 94 honda accord. brembos you can always add later on.. changing the whole interior isn't exactly easy and it's costly.

btw I have no problems with my brembos. 30k of hard driving and they stop no problem on a dime.