I originally had a 2001 Skyline 250GT (G35 sedan) which I owned for about 3 years and then traded for a Version 9 STi. It was something I have always regretted doing. Sure the STi is fast and handles well but for an everyday car driven on public roads it was terrible. Harsh ride, noisy, rattling panels, very short gearing, its a track car for the road and while it sounds like fun to drive a track car the reality is that its not. I would imagine an EVO would be a very similar driving experience to the STi.

A few days ago I sold the STi and bought a 2003 Skyline 350GT coupe (G35 coupe). I haven't stopped smiling since.

 

It was worth the buy for me because I got a 2004 Lazer Red/tan interior G35 coupe with the steptronic tranny for $6,500. A neighbor/church member of ours wanted to get rid of the car because they have an M45 and just purchased an E39 M5. His wife who drove this car has been letting me drive it for about 3 months now because it usually sat in the driveway, so I bought it off of them for a low price, especially for a car with 47,000 miles on it. With me being 17, the only expensive thing for this car is insurance

I hate driving manual transmission cars, however the steptronic is a little laggy with both upshifts and downshifts. The K&N air intake is also a downside because it's robbing the car of power, so I'm trying to get the dealership to give a discount on an OEM system from a totalled G. The interior has tons of plastic (something you'd only expect in a Nissan) and the interior has a few noticable rattles. You can hear the chassis flex from the interior when the car is being driven out of the driveway (it's a steep hill). Other than that, it's just enough power to get me through those daily drives on the backroads. So far, the car has proven to be reliable and since I do my own servicing, it cost much less to run than my other car because of the avalibility of parts, downgrade of oil, etc.

I say it may not be worth it for you because looking at todays prices, you can get more out of other cars for the same cost as the G35. For instance, the E46 M3, E39 M5, M45, etc are better rounded cars pertaining to handling and engine performance, usability, and quality. Not knocking the G35, but the cars listed have much better interior quality (ex:rather than having plastic squeeks and hard leather seats, the M3 has soft, sports like seats which are confortable during long drives and the handling is impecable due to balance and high quality parts). Either way, if you can get this car for under $16,000, its the bang for the buck performance/luxury coupe. But, if it were possible, I would not go over $13,000 personally. Good luck with your purchase