Hmm

There's an 04' Coupe with a MT on the market now for $15,490. Has 66.7K miles.

Carfax looks okay, just two previous owner. Second owner only had it for 23 days.

Must be a new listing because there's only stock photos. No idea if it has that obnoxious 1st gen spoiler. But it is Diamond Graphite Metallic.

I'm just excited because of the good miles and MT.

 

I don't know how pricing is in your area, but i got my 06 5AT coupe with all the premium stuff (Wheels, Navigation, etc.) 75k miles for $15999 all dealer fees and stuff included. No accidents 2 owner as well.

 

Easy guys. You youngin' need to relax. I originally wanted and ordered a wingless brilliant silver G coupe until I saw a black obsidian coupe with spoiler parked next to it. The black pulls the wide shoulders in a bit and I actually prefer the whale tail which integrates the third brake light nicely instead of inside the rear window. I think it's also better than the newer '06 decklid halfway spoiler. My S13 coupe is wingless, but I wouldn't mind a wangan wing on it as well LOL. Each to his own I guess.

 

A lot of people would disagree (not sure why) but if you can find a good one, I'd suggest an 03-05 with a spoiler. I wasn't really a fan of it before I got my car, but now that I have it.. it's beautiful. It makes the car look way sportier, without being ricer-esque or too much. The 06-07 spoilers on the other hand, I don't like.

 

16k for a 04 6mt with 66k miles seems alot, best way to find a good price is to monitor the market every single day, alot of good deals are gone in a couple of days.

 

That's not necessarily the best reason for going '03-'05... I, for one, HATE the '03-'05 interior. It looks really cheap and the clock is hideous, but that's just me. OP do some research on the differences if you haven't already; that way you won't have any regrets down the road.

 

Yeah you're completely right. I got a great deal on my '03, it was almost brand new, so I jumped on it. The interior is a little lackluster, but hey, I can live with it.

 

I say Not a good first car.

Not because of the expense you should be able to figure out the cost to drive this car and decide if you want those expenses.

I say no because it is a powerful car and one needs to be mature enough to treat it with respect until you really learn to drive the car in all weather conditions.

Responsibility and respect is what you need before you get behind the wheel of a G.

 

05 have nice interior, but dont have the projector headlights.

 

No, the G35 is not a good beginner's car. If I could do it over again, I would have bought a Civic or some 4 cylinder first, learn how engines work and how to do all the DIY stuff myself. So much easier to learn on a vertical engine with a ton of room to work(and 1 Cylinder head vs 2) with rather than the G35's V6 which is pretty stuffed in there and requires a ton of work to swap out some parts(i.e Cams, timing cover, head removal). Also, the parts are much cheaper.

The G35 was my first car, I made some mistakes and learned the hard way and really, really busted my knuckles fixing them deep in the engine. Overall it would have been a lot cheaper to learn on a civic or something first. It would also make you appreciate the G35 that much more when you get it.

 

Personally, I always hated working on front wheel drive engines because there was usually something important mounted at the back of the engine that was blocked from access by the firewall. Whether it's the rear bank of spark-plugs on a FWD V6, or the starter, or alternator on any other FWD motor.... plus it seems like the motor is always up pretty close against the sides of the car on at least one side, making it hard to get at belts and stuff. I think the easiest to work on is a RWD or 4WD inline-4 cylinder motor like in my 2.7L 4WD Toyota Tacoma or in my old Nissan 240SX S13 because there is usually plenty of room on both sides of the motor to get at stuff and the belts are right in front. There usually isn't anything hidden and inaccessible on those types of motors. The worst is pretty much any Transverse-mounted V-engine.... I frickin hate those!

 

That's pretty true actually, I was picturing an I-4 standing straight up, RWD would definitely make more room. 240 would be a pretty good starter car IMO. The G just has no room to work, especially when you're learning for the first time. But hey, at least it's not a sideways Subaru engine

 

Theyre good cars. Dont be stupid, dont be cheap, and maintain it and itll take care of you. But stupid actions with a any car + inexperience will result in lots of fail.

 

We shouldn't assume that the OP is planning on doing his own work under the hood. I just did the RJM clutch pedal bracket today and I wish I would've just gone to a shop to save myself the trouble/stress of being in that cramped area. I think it's fine for a beginner car. We don't all have to start off with beaters. Just do your research on here and be sure you know what you're getting yourself into so that you won't be surprised by anything, or if you come across a problem later on you'll already be somewhat familiar with it or at least know what to look up.

 

Not to go off topic, but do you guys have any other ideas for a first car besides the G35?

Really, I just want something decent that not everyone and their neighbor has, such as a Civic, Corolla, or whatever.

I mean, if I could find a nice, 5 year old Volkswagen Golf TDI, I'd probably pull the trigger on it. I just can't find one in my budget ($15K).

used car shopping is so disappointing. ><