Well, going to be buying/leasing a new car soon, probably when I move from NY to CA at the end of March or early April. I would use this car as my daily driver to replace my '96 Contour SE (I'm keeping the Z06).

Here's the list of cars I'm considering (in order of preference so far). I haven't looked at or test driven any of them yet at a dealer. All must have manual transmissions (I hate automatics). Price target is $30k to $35k:

New:
1. Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe
2. Volvo S60-R (probably will be close to $40k)
3. Mazda 6
4. BMW 330i
5. Audi A4 1.8t (3.0 if I can swing the price)

Used:
1. 2000 or 2001 Audi S4
2. 2001 BMW M3 (E46)
3. 2000 BMW 540i w/ 6 spd. manual

I'm a car nut, and I love to drive, so the car must be fun to drive. My Contour has been a lot of fun over the 7 years and 125k miles that I've owned it while being extremely reliable and easy to maintain. I'm really looking for that kind of fun and low maintenance/easy to live with characteristic with my next car too, but with more luxury, performance, style, and prestige this time.

The Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe caught my eye at fitting my needs quite well, as it offers great styling, handling, power, luxury, and a great bang for the buck factor, plus it seems to be engineered for low maintenance and low operating cost. I really like the Audis and BMWs, but I've heard from too many people who own them of various problems that I would find highly annoying. Some of the problems are minor electrical glitches or weird noises, others more major like complete engine failure. I don't want a high maintenance car that's at the dealer all the time for service.

Anyway, with the G35 Coupe, what are your favorite things about the car? What things don't you like about it? How do you think it stacks up with the cars in my list (both new and used)?

How bad is the back seat in the Coupe? I'm single with no kids, but I occassionally need to drive business clients around on local trips (not often though). I always liked the versatility of a 4-door, but I find the G35 Coupe looks so much better than the sedan, that I don't want to consider it. But I want to make sure I can live with the Coupe and its back seat. If it can't hold 2 average sized people back there, then it may be a problem.

Also, are these things still hard to find? I keep hearing conflicting stories, like some people waiting 3-4 months to order one, while others just walk right to the dealer and buy one off the lot. The dealer near me now in NY always seems to have 12 or more in stock, of which a good half are 6MTs. I know southern CA where I'm moving to is a haven for sky high prices and limited availability on new cars, so I may just buy it here in NY and have it shipped to CA when I move.

Are people paying less than MSRP now?

Also, how does the exhaust sound on the G35 Coupe? I haven't heard one in person yet. I did hear a 350Z, and thought the stock exhaust sounded really nice, and was wondering if the Coupe sounded similar.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black
1996 Contour SE, Black/Opal Grey, V-6 5spd, 125k miles

 

Great News!
1)According to me and many other people, the coupe's exhaust sounds better.
2)Back seat will fit anyone 5'9 and under, comfortably, while me at 6'0 with long hair, my hair hit the rear windshield so i had to slouch down a little, there is lots of leg room, so i was fine. The room back there is just fine! ITs very comfortable actually.
3)Most people are paying MSRP while some are getting anywhere from $400-1000 off the sticker.
4)Havent been to Cali since December...back then they put custom wheels on many of their g's and thus drove the price up 5K unnecessarily
Overall though, im sure the availability is fine in Cali, i was in LA and i must have driven by at least 4 dealerships, there are about 6-7 if you search the infiniti website. So you'd just have to shop around, or call around...it lists dealerships #'s
5)As for the many stories you've heard about availability, basically if you order one to your specs, now it will take 3-4 months because of the waitlist. People getting it same-day are those who happen to visit the dealership while they have the coupe in-stock or in the showroom, basically they get lucky, they find something close to what they want on the website perhaps, and call.
Good luck!


<font color=blue>-Ramb<font color=red>0</font color=red></font color=blue>
Yeah, Mongolians!

 

Anything's going to be better than that Contour/Mercury Mistake POS!

I seriously looked at all of these cars for my wife and ended up with the G35. The only car that I would pick over the G35 coupe on your list is the E46 M3 and good luck finding one in this price range, even used. To me, the G35C 6MT felt like a M3 anyway and that's a hell of a compliment considering that it's $20K cheaper.

Sal

 

I've got a 2002 BMW E46, switching to the G35 coupe soon. Thought I'd give some input on your other choices since I've owned 5 different Bimmers, including 2 E46's and a 540. The 540 is the best car on your list (also the priciest new). It is an amazing vehicle, and pretty reliable. However, it is extremely expensive to maintain, so you have to get an extended warranty. 5 speed is a little grabby -- only complaint. Also remember the body style is about to change.
You will never get a used 2001 M3 for under 40k, unless the engine has blown up , as some are prone to do.
The 330 is a great car, and you could possibly swing one in your price range, if few options.
The G35 is the way to go here, IMO, particularly in your budget. You get much more for your money

 

With the exception of the Volvo and Mazda6s (which wasn't out yet), I looked at every car on your new/used list plus many others including a 99 AMG C43. New or used I just could not find a better looks/performance car for the money. I saw several S4's that would have been nice but had 40K miles on them, same with 540i 6sp, etc. I'm not rich enough for a $40K "used" M3 even though they ae very sweet cars. Why pay $30K+ for a used car with very little warranty left? For $35K the G35C 6MT was the most logical choice as well as a great looker and performer.

 

I'm tempted to say get the best 2 seat convertible sports car in the world - The Boxster S - but maybe you should hold out for the Carrera GT instead?

Then again I hear some rental car companies are letting their fleets of Corsicas and Berettas go pretty cheap...

Maybe a BU-ICK minivan with a slush-box auto?

 

at what dealership in NY did you see all of these 6MTs in stock, inquiring salespeople want to know.

 

The only comments I'll make are:

1. The turbo Volvo S60 (I'm not familiar with S60-R) made no impression with me as a sports car. It was pretty blah. If I was going to go Swedish, I'd go Saab 9-3 Vector. Better handling and torque and definite character, though it lacks an engorged hp number.

2. What would you put in a Mazda 6 to get it into the $30k-35k range, a home theater? It's a very fun car, definitely my clear choice over a Honda/Toyota/Nissan in the same range, but it's definitely not in the same class as these other cars you've listed. If it was it'd be the steal of the decade, since you're only going to spend about $26k fully loaded. If you're thinking a turbo kit gets you into the $30k range, be advised that there's really no room to install anything in the V6 version, and the inline 4 (the only version sold in Japan) is rumored not to be receptive to high pressure boost. But if I had a friend with only $24k to spend, the 6 would be one of the two cars I'd point him towards (the other being the WRX -- that's a savage little beast).

3. Why would you want to be another one of those guys with a 330i?

4. The G35 is the best material possession I've ever had. I would not sell you mine if you offered me full sticker for it.

-Jack

Black obsidian / graphite '03 Coupe premium nav

 

>>at what dealership in NY did you see all of these 6MTs in stock, inquiring salespeople want to know.<<

Able Infiniti. They currently list 7 G35 coupes in stock, of which 2 are 6MTs. I have seen them with a much larger amount in stock about a month ago.

2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black
1996 Contour SE, Black/Opal Grey, V-6 5spd, 125k miles

 

Thanks for all the tips/advice. Very helpful information for me, especially the ones who either have owned or tested the cars on my list. First hand experience carries a lot of weight.

The G35 remains at the top of my list, and I'm sure a test drive will seal the deal in my mind.

But just so I know what to expect, what are the G35's weaknesses, now that you're living with the car? What don't you like about it? No car is perfect, I know. I just want to know what its little quirks and drawbacks are ahead of time. Like right off the bat, I can tell a few drawbacks to the car in my opinion: 1) the dashboard design is plain and looks cheap, 2) I don't care for the front-end styling (the headlamps mostly), 3) rear seat headroom is limited, and 4) the fold-down rear seat isn't a 60/40 split design. But I can live with these drawbacks; they're not deal killers in my mind.

Any other drawbacks you could identify that I missed would be appreciated. Thanks again for all your input.

2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black
1996 Contour SE, Black/Opal Grey, V-6 5spd, 125k miles

 

OMG![img]/w3timages/icons/shocked.gif[/img] It's the front end, especially the lights, that I think is one of the G's most attractive features! Very distinctive. But only you can decide for yourself.

<font color=green>GG</font color=green>

 

well I would say the new g35 would be best on you list. Though since it will be a daily driver and fwd might be important like your contour, possible cl-type s might be worth a look at. or even the 2004 nissan maxima. Again this is if fwd is important.

98 NSX BASCH SUPERCHARGED (11.7)
70 240 Z 3.1 TRIPLE WEBBERS (13.89)
03 G35 COUPE BLACK 6SP

 

For between 35,000-40,000 i would go with the G35 Coupe. If the Volvo S60R sales for less than 38,000 then you might want to consider the Volvo. That car looks pretty nice. It has AWD, and it makes 300 Horsepower with a Turbocharged Inine 5, and 295ftlb@2100 RPM

 

There's a good article in R&T this month that could help you with some of the cars in the class that your looking in. But it seems you've covered the gamut in price/prestige/performance.

I'll over my advice on the volvo, my wife has an 850 T-5, which is 'close enough' to the S60R, minus a few horsepower! Great car, she loves it, I like taking it out to stretch it's legs every now and again, but not something that I would spend 40K on for myself, when there's so many more options at that price. The new volvo, if I recall claims AWD, but as R&T stated, it's a semi passive system that call on the rear wheels only when the front tires indicate slippage. That's all fine and good, but they also indicated that the car exhibited heavy torque steer. This I can speak to from experience, my wifes car is awful. It's intially distracting, and somewhat irritating, and you never get used to it.

The S4 is another animal all together. My close friend has an S4, and is almost 'married' to the car. When I drove it, he had the car chipped (about $1K) and it was pushing 300+HP. I have never driven a car that I felt more comfortable in, or more in control. I almost broke both our necks when he encouraged me to pull a high rev start to show me the benefits of true quattro. All I can say about the S4 is WOW, and it has four doors. But, one hell of a price tag. He had his turbos replaced at 80K, but everything else has been fine, and the interior fit and finish, and ride quality is still good as new.

On the G35, I don't own one yet, but it is what I've set my sight on, hence my lurking in these forums. My only comment based on your question is that if a vendor/customer escorted me to a two door car and asked me to squeeze into the back seat, I would probably suggest that someone else drive.

But, if that same customer escorted me to a Z06 and asked me to squeeze into the passenger seat, I would probably say the car is fine, but suggest that I drive.... ;-)

Good luck....

and if it's only once and a while that someone has to ride in the back seat....someone else could certainly drive, or suffer the indignity of sitting in seats that were made someone under 5'5 and 120lbs.

 

its more like 5'9" and 250 pounds can fit back there, the seats are huge and there is lots of legroom.....its just the headroom is limited...

<font color=blue>-Ramb<font color=red>0</font color=red></font color=blue>
Yeah, Mongolians!