I want an 04 coupe for my first car. I'm 25 from the nyc area. Good or bad idea?

 

Go for it. They're affordable, and maintenance costs are low.

 

They are cheap. But really any car that is 12 years old will have problems. Great idea for a fun car, bad idea for reliable daily driver.

 

Depends where you live. If you get snow in your area, then no.

 

Maintenance costs are low? Are you driving the Honda G35? They're actually pretty high relative to what they cost now. You could almost total one just by smashing the front headlights.

$1-2k clutch? $100 headlight bulb? 800-$1300 for tires that won't last long. 20mpg on premium, etc. Its really not low maintenance.

 

Yeah.. i agree. This car is pretty far from low maintenance costs.

 

I'm guessing he meant that the G35 is pretty reliable compared to its German competitors or other sports cars in its class.

 

I drive my car 80 total miles each weekday in LA traffic. I'd say that I drive the car pretty hard.. he likes to stretch his legs every once in a while. Since adding 80k miles on the car over the course of 4 years, the only repair I've had to do is replace the alternator which was $120. Maintenance such as belts and oil changes aren't that much more expensive than my Miata. The tires are what kills you, but it also depends on how you drive.

 

Hehehe..miata

 

you guys are getting screwed if you paying that much for all that ****.
$1000 for a single mass lightweight flywheel and crazy clamping force racing clutch.
but for a factory clutch you are looking around 150$ and another 50$ to have your flywheel resurfaced if its dual mass gayness isnt broken.

and i get tires off tire easy for 70$ a piece shipped.

diode dynamics offers a whole headlight upgraded pair for 30$ shipped.

premium, ok you have me there. but if you can afford to buy a "sports car" you can splurge an extra 15-20 cents a gallon on premium.

lol these cars arent rocket science. they are very cheap to own, and maintain.

 

I'd ask, "what took you so long" but I guess living in N.Y. you had other modes transportation available? I had my first car and drivers permit when I was 15 and paid for everything including insurance. Growing up in SoCal we didn't/don't have the transportation you right cost folks do. Good Luck, Infiniti G35s aren't cheap to maintain but it's such a fun ride...Gary

 

Don't confuse yourself, being a car guy, with being a new owner. If he's never owned a car do you think he's gonna know how to replace a clutch?

The cost of tires is not simply "the cost of tires". Mounting, balancing, alignment, valve stems, etc. Again, with no experience, he's not gonna know the hoops to jump thru.

Regardless of aftermarket headlight setups, if my bulb goes out and I need one now (I live in an unincorporated area which means CHiPs) and I don't want a ticket, the replacement bulb is $100 from autozone.

So, yeah, with time and experience it can be easier, but show me one car owner who knew everything right off the bat.

 

Doubtful you would get a headlight ticket in the time it takes to order a bulb online.

When you turn the foglights on in this car, it looks pretty much like a headlight from oncoming traffic, since it is inside the headlamp housing, and I doubt a CHP would know by looking at it you have a headlight out and not a fog light.

Then again, if you have "special" headlight assemblies or poor/dim foglights or a G35 enthusiast CHP, then they just might.

Just saying the fog and headlights look the same from oncoming traffic for most people.

I swapped my bulbs out for new Sylvania Xtremes, which are awesome, so anybody thats "Gotta have" a headlight bulb in the hampton roads area can have one of my OEM ones.

I'd say this car has been pretty reliable. I'd trust it to drive anywhere, and that's saying a lot with a ten year old car.

Then again, all the brakes, rotors, tires, belts, wipers, filters, and fluids are less than a year old. Even the oil has about 90 miles on it.

A busted headlight assembly for this car is stupid high though, I mean 800 for a pair of used projectors is not uncommon. And 20 mpg on premium is not that great. It does like to eat tires, but good deals can be found and you should be able to get a descent set mounted and balanced for around 600.

Good or bad idea? I think it's a good idea. I think this car is a perfect balance of performance, luxury, reliability, styling, practicality, and economy for a single person or couple. It's not the best of anything, but it offers a good balance for a RWD coupe, and that's why I bought one.

 

150$ for a clutch? lol and you cannot resurface the factory flywheel (ive read many times its not recommended). this car is not low maintenance. gas alone, be prepared for minimum $200 a month if you drive a lot, which most likely you will being only 25. tires can be "cheap" if you shop around and get deals, but in the end itll still cost you around $700 (at the very least) for 4 tires mounted and balanced. if you have the 18'' wheels then you can get a set for maybe $400 mounted and balanced (that's being very optimistic).

the other thing about this car is that I noticed you get a lot of people confusing you for someone that walks around with money coming out of your pockets, which leads to stupidly high estimates on job fixes.

before you buy this car, make sure its working in GREAT condition. otherwise pass. this is not a car for someone that does not know about cars and is looking for a budget luxury car. youre going to have to work on it by yourself in order to save a lot of money.

now....if you have money to blow like that, just buy a lambo

 

OP, what are you looking for in a car? Reliable daily driver or fun car? Do you have back up means of transportaiton (ie public)? What price range do you have?