Hey guys, I'm a college student and have owned nothing but American V8s since I got my license, two Hemi Rams, and a Trans Am. Now I'm looking to sell my current truck and get an '04 G35 that I have my eyes on. I know they are great cars, and I have heard and experienced nothing but great things from Nissan engineering.

I was curious what the particularly good things are about the G35. Can they be modded to keep a hefty amount of speed but still get decent mileage? I'm very do-it-yourself minded and will mod the hell out of my G as I have the money, so whatever I can do to up the speed and fuel economy simultaneously is a must.

Also, what are the bad things to look out for in a G? Thanks for your answers in advance

 

Also, I would like to get some opinions on pricing. I live in Texas, and from what I can see, the market for vehicles here is pretty cheap compared to other states. The G35 I'm looking at is a 2004 with 98,xxx miles. The guy is asking $13,500. I'd really like to pay more around $12,500. Anyone think this is fair?

The car is completely stock performance wise, and just has a nice new set of 19" wheels and tires.

 

These cars will never make big power without going turbo or supercharged. Basic bolt ons will see some little gains, but not big power.

If you increase the speed/power your fuel economy will decrease. You can't have both. Bigger power takes more fuel.

Depends on the condition of the interior, exterior, any issues, any service history. I'm going to be selling my 04 G coupe soon with 63k miles under full warranty for another year, but not for as cheap as the one you are looking at.

 

Hey there. IMO, the best thing about our G's is it's looks. Theres quite a few mods that can make the car a little quicker, but most of them arent exactly cheap. A lot of the mods can be DIY too. But if you want real power gains, you'll need to go FI. Honestly, our cars don't get great gas mileage even in stock form, so it's best to not even think about it lol.

Some bad things would be window motors going out, axle clicking, and oil consumption in some G's with the revup motor. All in all, it's a great looking, quick car that can be modded to look even sexier (or worse, depending on your taste).

 

I love my G35 coupe... I love driving it, its a smooth ride, good power for stock, but its just not my Mustang. There is no replacement for an American v8 muscle. 557whp out of a procharged stroker. But the G is a nice daily driver that is fun and smooth to drive.

 

13.5k for 90k+miles is too much.

 

Well, when I say power upgrades, I don't mean turning it into a drag car, just something a little more snappy when I'm feeling stupid on the highway. But, I do have every intention of doing a Turbonetics T-60 kit, as once I finish school I'm gonna be getting a pretty little bonus check.

And I know that, without a turbo kit, it's not gonna be like a muscle car, I don't expect that, I'm just looking for a good daily driver that is fast enough to have some fun in, my previous Trans Am WS6 was 446whp naturally aspirated. But I found that it was way too much power for a DD, so something in the 280-320 horsepower would be ideal.

Also, the guy has been trying to sell the car for a couple months apparently, and has been going down $500 every two months or so. What do you think would be a reasonable price? The car has no accident history, no mechanical issues, and is pretty darn nice looking.

 

Pros:
1. It looks nice
2. The ride is nice, not pumpy with sport package 19s
3. It's fast enough to have the fun.
4. The handling is precise enough.
5. It's safe, ABS, VDC 8 air bags etc... Brakes are pretty good (Even my 06 non-Brembos)
6. The interior is really good to live with everyday.

Cons:
1. Crossing fingers not to have oil consumption.
2. Replacing 4 19s cost about $1k for OEM bridgestones...
3. Drinks premium gas and mpg is not that good.
4. Door motor... and small things cost a lot to fix at dealers... Replacing an actuator + labor costed me $400 at dealership...

Other than that, I bought the car simply because I didn't want a 335i's reliabilility, and couldn't afford an Audi S5 or 911 at the time.

 

Lol, well I'm switching from a Ram with 8" lift and 37" tires, which were close to $2k, so $1k for tires is not bad

I'm definitely gonna have to weight the pros and cons of this vehicle, I really appreciate the good info, especially on the things to look out for. I suppose it's really gonna boil down to how cheap I can get the car for.

 

just get the car you wont regret it...btw starting in 05 there is a revised interior that you should compare on your own and there are a few things that changed in 06 that you may also want to take a look at so you wont tell yourself down the road that you wish you would of bought another model year of the car....just saying...happy buying

 

I appreciate the input on years, and have actually taken note on some of the specific differences, but I'm okay with the simplicity of the '04 versus newer years. I'm not on a strict budget, but I don't WANT to spend much more than $14k on the car after all the fees are added in, because I wanna go a little crazy on the interior, get a whole new stereo with full screen and dvd, yank out the seats and get some Sparcos, etc.

In case anyone cares to look at the car and share your two cents on what it might be worth -

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

Have you actually driven a G? You say 280-320 hp, well your already there bone stock! Honesty if your looking for daily driving, the g is fast enough and then some. I have never been in a situation in this car daily driving while i felt I needed more power (to pass, pull out, etc.)


If you are looking for more speed and don't mind loosing the extra space, maybe consider a 350z. Like the others said, don't count on any big boosts without going Forced Induction. Nissan is already squeezing most the power outta the VQ if your staying N/A.

 

From what I've read the '04 is rated at 280 horsepower, so yeah that would be perfect, and I plan on doing an exhaust for several reasons, weight reduction, sound, and the little bit of power boost. And I would like a Z, but I do frequently need the back seats. Also, I'm 6'7, so being able to slip my seat back, even if I render the 4th seat useless, will make the ride much more comfortable.

 

Stock G's dyno anywhere from 210-230 whp on a dynojet. You'll need every bolt-on if you want to be around 280 whp.

 

I can see why you want to replace the seats, they're pretty flogged. The Brembos are a plus. Have you driven this car? It won't have the torque of a V8 but it's not bad. And +1 on the mileage...it's not great and there's pretty much squat you can do about it.