my name is james i had a monte carlo as my last vehicle. i joined the army last year and been in training since nov and not allowed to drive it f*ing sucks but im getting a fat bonus check soon and ive been wanting to get a g35 for forever but never really fit in my budget. im looking to spend about 15,000 and the ones ive been lookin at are between 2003 and 2005 with roughly 50k miles to 100k miles. a couple things that stick out for me to buy it is it must be manual 6speed and i aslo like pop-up navigation. my bro is a big vw fan and he is pushing me to get a new jetta since they are 16,000 anyway but im still stuck on the g35. if anyone has any comments that i should look for when buying a used g35 ex. timing chain, platinum tipped spark plugs, batterylife w/ electrolyte level, transmission flush, other service issues i may want to look for when scouting to make sure they got done or anything appreciate the help

 

Check for oil consumption issues. i have an 05 and fortunately i havent had that issue.

 

Agreed 05+ is the way to go. As far as the oil consumption issu goes....that is primarily geared toward the 05+ 6mt cars(revup engine) the model split was in 05, so you get the updated interior and engine(6mt model only, once again the revup) but you get the older headlights and bumper. Either way you go they are all a solidly performing chassis with a lot of tuning potential. Do some research bro, there is only so much you can get when you ask a broad general question like that.

 

Definitely get an 05+ better interior, and the 6mt gets the revup engine.

 

dont buy one......

ive had nothing but problems with mine since I bought it 6 months ago...

biggest problem is the oil consumption

 

no problems yet with my 07 g35 6mt.

 

+1 on oil consumption. read the sticky before buying! I bought an 05 that had once suffered with the oil consumption issue but fortunately, the previous owner had it taken care of through Infiniti. p.s., I hear pop-up (stock) navigation blows. it looks cool, no doubt, but apparently is not nearly as functional as some aftermarket navs... just an fyi. after I read this myself, I wasn't so set on finding a G with the stock nav.

 

I've got my 03 G35 6MT for sale if interested. Absolutely nothing wrong with it mechanically wise. It has an upgraded batter (optima redtop), pop up nav and aftermarket nav. I'm in silver spring, let me know if you are interested.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...999916444.html

 

VW's are great, but FWD is not. You'll like the G.

 

^ Better*. I would def read the sticky about the difference between the models years. I would personally recommend the 06+ because of the interior, headlights, taillights among others.

 

i think better interior, headlights, tailights does not out weigh the headache of having a oc g35 lol.

 

I agree, but the OC issues are mainly with the 03-05 revup(mt). I was just advising that the reason I went with an 06 AT over an 05 MT was purely for those reasons and less miles on the 06 AT.

 

^^i believe u are incorrect with those facts sir

 

I've got an '03 6MT coupe, with 113K on it. The oil consumption is fine - about a quart in 6,000 miles. Other minor annoyances exist, as with any used car, but overall it's a sexy looking little rocket ship that's a joy to drive every day and that people love.

 

I got a 2006 6MT Coupe for about $17k. It has 75k miles on it. Had it a few months now. No real problems. The interiors on these 1st gen cars just suck, but are not deal breakers. Cheap materials. Lots of rattles and squeaks. My 07 G35X (2nd gen sedan) is light years ahead in interior quality. Just be aware. But, the car is still loads of fun to drive and they look great. Also be aware that the coupes (especially the 6MT) ride rough and interior noise is high compared to a typical sedan or even the G35 sedan. But to a large extent, that's just the price of performance.

I'd also recommend an 05+ or higher. Save a few extra grand and you should be able to get there.

Or, save your money for something more important than a car. That's just the 'dad' in me speaking, but seriously........