hey guys.. well im a college student now and just sold my camaro..

im looking at buying a 03-04 g35.. i had an ip 03 back in the day and sold it due to school

besides some body styling is there much difference from the 03 to say the 05 model?

i do like the gauges and center on the 05 but at least the cluster could be modded.. is the paint that much better on the 05s? any reason i should shell out more for an 05-06..

ive found a nice 1 owner 03.5 6mt with 50k miles w/ nav for about 14,500..

what should i be able to find a 05 and up one for? and do u guys think it would be worth shelling out more for it?

 

well the 03-04 6mt have the brembo brakes, 05+ have upgraded 2 piston fronts as well as larger rotors than the 03-04 without the brembo brakes. I don't think the paint is any better. 06+ does have projector headlights and slightly different tail lights with trunk release on the tail light. of course you could easily change the headlights and tail lights on your 03. at most it would cost an extra $1000 for the parts, just the trunk release button wouldn't work.

 

PM'd ya.

 

Not to add, the '05 has the better motor!

 

nice car dave.. i wish it wasnt silver ha.. have had 3 so far and im starting to not like it..

btw can u guys chime in on the better motor deal?

 

It was upgraded in '05 to 298 hp.
Wikipedia has a nice write up on it.
Search G35 on google.

 

ah yes the 05+ have the rev up engines in them. forgot about that since I don't have one. a bit more hp, but a bit less torque. some of the rev ups have the oil consumption issue. you can search it on the forums.

 

If you can afford newer, go newer. However I have a 2004 and I love it...wouldn't change a thing.

 

Consumer reports noted the 06 having fewer problems than any other year.

 

I don't chime in much around here but, the 03-04's are no comparison to the 06-07's. Pretty much all of the problems that plagued earlier production models have been resolved. Interior is far nicer, nicer wheels (OEM 19's), significantly better headlights (projectors), newer taillights, way nicer tail, bluetooth. I have over 30K on my car and not a single complaint. The famous OC problem is highly overstated since not really that many cars have it.
If you can afford an 06' they're dirt cheap now, I'd say go for it and post pics.

 

If i had the choice I would go with an 06+. I currently have an 04 and love it, but the 06 is refined and IMHO seems to be a better car all around.... This comes from my experience with my 04 and test driving two different 06's. All 6MT. Just MHO though.

 

thanks for all the info guys..

last question.. should i be concerned getting an 06 with 85k as compared to getting an 03 with 55k..

as of right now id only be able to afford an 06 with higher mileage probably around 70-80k..

true the 06 are refined which is why i was debating here what to do thanks again

 

Best to wait if you can nd get an 06' with low mileage.
Problem with older, or high mileage cars is, who knows how they were maintained? Also, and older car is less expensive to buy but, would also have a lower resale value. Oh well, it's up to you.

 

Rule of thumb; always buy a newer car if you can.

I would save up a bit more money and buy an 05+ with lower mileage, say under 50k. Yes the initial outlay is more, but these cars are going for super cheap these days, and you're still going to find a good deal if you wait.

These cars aren't built well and have tons of little, and sometimes not so little (oil consumption), problems so buying a car with no maintenance history already at 85k miles may turn into a nightmare that ends up costing more than just saving for a clean low mileage car in the first place.

Good luck!

 

OP: I was on the fence like you as well and had a budget. But I decided to shell out a little more dough and couldn't be happier. I got the exact car I wanted and love driving it every chance I get. Your already dropping a lot of cash for it, go for broke and get what you absolutely want.

On a side note; I got my 06 with 40K for $19.