hey guys,
newbie here to this forum, 1st post...I'm seriously considering trading in my bmw 545 for an 04' or 05' G35 Coupe.
I'd like your opinions about any common issues that these cars may have or may have at high miles?? I test drove one today (04' with 53K miles 6MT) and i loved the way it sounded and been researching and they seem quite reliable. I liked the way the interior is positioned towards the driver and very good looking finish. My car is starting to give me problems and i do not want to deal with it since i'm out of warranty i don't want to dig into my savings for repairs.
How do these cars do when miles get up there ?? cost of maintenance?

thx guys for any feedback.

 

well i can tell you that with my 04 coupe 6sp, that i have had no problems at all for the 10 month's I've owned the car. Its been reliable and a fun car to own. If you search the forums a little more you should find some more answers to your question though.

 

These are quite reliable cars. The main problems for the 03/04 are electric window motors, noisy tires, and radio head unit. Most of the other complains are related to rattles in the interior. If you select a 6MT, you will get the Bembo which have been low maintenance. I bought my 03 a few months after the G35 came out, and I have had no problem - only regular maintenance.

 

If you can spring the extra dough, the 2K6 coupes are the most complete of them all. They're so cheap nowadays that you get the most bang for the buck out of all the models. They have the upgraded interior, wheels, taillights, headlight, bluetooth, etc. Coming from a Bimmer you might not want to downgrade too much. Happy hunting, and remember, search is your best friend.

 

Main problems would be premature tire wear and noisey tires, weak paint, window motor failures and rattles. Engine and Auto Trans are rock solid.

 

someone correct me if im wrong but from what i understand the 03-04 didnt really have much of an issue with Oil Consumption problems like the 05-07's have or had right? at least thats what i thought..

 

I have an 05 IP coupe and love it. The car has given me no problems in the 7 months of ownership and needless to say I love it.

Do your research on the ownership history of the car you decide to purchase and take the time to find the right deal.

You can do it!

 

Correct. No oil consumption issues on these early models.

 

thankx for all your feedback guys - now i'm more inclined in getting one. What do u guys think of this price...04', IP, Nav, 6MT with 53K selling for $17.5K I found it at a Lexus dealership, is the price ok ??

 

For a little perspective:

I actually just purchased an '04 about 3 weeks ago from an individual seller. I would classify it as "excellent" interior and out. 6MT 27.6k miles, brembo package w/out spoiler, 18" wheels, and bose system. Babied, always garaged, dealer managed from day 1 with all the paper work. Inspection came out clean. I took it for $16,500.

That was the second car I settled on, as the first got in an accident 2 days before I was going to hand the guy the money!! That first car was an '03 with 50k miles, and I was going to take it for 13,700.

Your deal seems like a decent price, but if you keep looking you'll probably find a better deal elsewhere. If it's from private seller just make sure you get it inspected.
***only reason I would say maybe just settle for that deal is if it's a black 6MT in immaculate condition. That was the ideal buy for me, but just about all the blacks I found were auto, or horrible deals. Anyway, good luck man!

 

I'm located in SoCal, do you think location would have an impact on the price? the car is white in the pre-owned lot of a Lexus dealership. 6MT.

 

hmm, I'm not too sure as I live in Maryland. I searched all across east coast but never farther west than Kentucky. I want to say that even there you should be able to find a better deal. Also, It wouldn't hurt to bargain that dealer's price lower. One thing is for sure, as the economy is doing worse, it's getting better for those in the market for a car. If that dealership is anything like those here, they're dying to make deals and are willing to drop prices lower. My cousin just bought a brand new sti and got them to drop the price 4k (though the price of that car was in the 30s). If you can drop that price to like 16k, that would be a good deal I'd say.

As for the color, I found a few white 6MT coupes out there during my search. For some reason it was only the black ones that I had trouble finding. In the end though, it's your preference. I've seen some really nice looking white G35 coupes out there. If it's the color you want, perfect. : )

 

yeah man, i want white, but i'm not sure how many whites are there...are there one or two types of whites in the g35 cpe??
I would consider black but my last two cars have been black, including the one i currently drive.
Lets hope they don't sell it anytime soon.

 

most of the cars I found were diamond graphite (gray). White were a bit more rare. As far as I know, there's only one type. Anyone else can correct me on that if i'm wrong. One thing I can say is that if I was in your position looking at a black one, I might be a bit more inclined to jump on the deal and spend a bit more cash to get it. Still, I'd try to lower the price as much as I could before pulling out my wallet :P