Z06, It's hard to argue about the strength of the Japanese auto industry for reliability and features. But, if your a potential for a company layoff in the short term, you have a desire to use your liquid cash for a house and your current commuter car is your second rig, enjoyable and running fine then consider holding off on a new car purchase until one or more of those situations change. Hopefully, optimism in holding your job comes in line first. Don't think of it as cold feet as holding a defensive position until you financial condition stablizes.

There's no equity advantage with a new car. I'd opt for the house first when the right on comes around (easier to get a larger loan without a lease on the record), enjoy not having a lease payment weighing on you now and keep your eye on the '04 G. They're only going to get better !! Good luck.

Seattle 'Eastside' area
'R' Order - IP/Graphite 6MT Coupe; Prem., Nav. & XM [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

 

Z06ified,

although my opinion may not be the popular choice, I'd say forget about getting the G, at least until your contour croaks, and save your money for your house or something else. I would either get rid of both cars and go for the G -- which is kind of like a compromise -- or forgo the G completely and keep what you have. I don't recall what the contour looks like, so I can't compare it against the G in terms of practicality, but I don't find the coupe to be particularly practical.

Also, you already have a great, high-performance car, so it's not like the coupe is going to wow you in that area, I think. Perhaps when your contour craps out, you can consider it again, but for right now, it's kind of money down the drain. Of course, you're the best judge of your financial situation. You should know what's best for you, eh?

G35c 6MT/BS/G/Prem/Aero/Nav

 

Nice color ReDRoK8! Red was my second choice.

Big props to those who went with the 6 speed. The Brembos inside the 18's look awesome.

To reply to Z06ified:

You’ll probably laugh, but I’ve never owned an American car! The interior in ever American car I’ve been in, from Corvette to Escalade, looks and feels cheep.

About your car with 135K: Sell it! Sell it fast! Sell it cheap! Sell it now before you’re stuck with it until it’s totaled.

I didn’t need a G35 either. How may guy buy a car that they “need”. If you want a car that you need, then look into mini-vans or trucks.

About the job issue: If I was in your shoes, I would wait until the storm ends, and then check out the market. Something better might come by then.

As for the 3 series and reliability issues: I sold a M3 to get a G. I would see about 20 3 series’ each day, all wanting to race. And it’s not a chick magnet, it’s a gold-digger magnet. My family has owned 3 Germany cars and I must say "I hate German cars" and Hondas too. The G is my 4th Nissan built car and I love them all. See the blue car to the right of my G, it's my dad's Benz S500. 60,000 miles and it's had more problems than all my Nissan’s put together. Excluding a 300ZX post 80,000 miles (It's all down hill after that and plus I took the car apart about a dozen times). No car will be problem free and no car will be without it's critics. So don't think your gonna buy the perfect car and it will stay perfect forever and I'll ever have to fix anything. As for my G35, there is no other car under $80K that I would rather own. I think a lot of other G35 owners would agree. The only reason we post our problems on the forum is so other owners can give their input and we can solve the problems as a group.




52623-DCP_0307 (Small).JPG

 

Hey Man! you live in California! So do I ( zip code 928??). If you ever see a Black on Black 6 speed with Aero,Nav, Clear corners and Skyline embelms, Give me a tumbs up. OK

 

Wussap Cali!. Zen if your talkin area code mine's 562, if your talkin zip code it's 90803. If your talkin about the G you and anyone else always get a thumbs up from me. I always give a little wave to my Bros. og the G-Type. I'll look out for you man. The only thing distinguishing my L.R. from the few others around is the fact that it's debadged. Keep and eye out man it'll be the red blurr comin at ya! Peace. [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

-Jason
Laser Red '03 6MT

 

I'm another one who has had his Coupe for 6 months and 4,000 miles.. with none of the problems people are having except the window streak.. which doesn't even happen all the time. Would I have liked to have a 330? sure. would I have liked to pay 10 grand more? HELL NO.

 

Z06ified,

You've never owned a Japanese car before? How the hell did you make it through the 80's?



G35 6MT/DG/Fully Loaded

 

I was one who had cold feet till I drove mine when I took it for a test drive. Cost feet are gone EXCEPT when I gotta pay my car payment =(. I just get a fuzzy feeling in my stomach hopeing I have enough money to pay my payment....

I've had my car for almost a month now and man I LOVE IT.... I was cruising on Sunset in Hollywood in LA and man try 6 COMPLIMENTS FROM OTHER MOTORISTS who were cruising who all had more expensive cars then me. 2 Black guys in a 2003 AMG'd out v12 Mercedes S600 on DuBz (They were rapper's and we all stopped at Denny's at 2am) lol They asked a buncha questions and thought my car cost like 70 THOUSAND DOLLARS LOL. Sheesh that's like the 4th person who'd think I drive a car that's 60+ thousand dollars...lol

My car (I got the 5AT) and it handles LIKE A DREAM. and im a very big dude and man... The power is there when I need it... The ladies are always in the side jocking my ride =) and other guys are complimenting it hehehe... They even love the stock 18's it's endless... No problems what so ever with my baby. I was just like u till I got my car... Only time cold feet season comes is when my car payment comes...

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

You've never owned a Japanese car before? How the hell did you make it through the 80's?


<hr></blockquote>

Simple - I was too young to drive for most of the 80's! Actually, I got my license and bought my first car in '88. It was an '83 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe - I still miss that car and the loud turbine whistle of its Garrett T-3 turbo. It was a sweet ride for a first car.

Anyway, it was 1980's Japanese cars that I hated the most. To me, they were all cheap looking, boxy, and SLOW with little 4 bangers with no torque. They even smelled cheap to me. V-6s in a Japanese car at the time were a rarity. V-8s were unheard of. I really didn't understand (and still don't) what the appeal was to 1980's Japanese cars, other than I guess assembly quality and durability?

Anyway, I guess what I like about the G35C is that it is in many ways un-Japanese like. Especially the styling - it looks more American styled than conservative Japanese. Also, the engine with its strong low end torque is more American than Japanese. Until recently, you couldn't find any Japanese engines with decent low end torque.

I suppose what's happened since the '80s is Japanese cars have become more like American cars in terms of styling and power, and American cars have become more like Japanese cars in their styling and quality.

2002 Corvette Z06, Electron Blue/Black
On order: 2003 G35C, 6MT, DG/G, Nav/Aero/Premium, ETA 7/03

 

Does every car have defects when it first comes out..? Look this is the first year this car has been i such a high production... Either you live with the flaws are you don't....

 

Thank you so much to all who contributed constructively. To the others that contributed negatively and with a smart-*** attitude, let me give you some insight on why I'm asking. My current ride is a 2K SE Max, I've replaced all rotors, crappy cd player, the windshield sucks(it's very soft and chips easily-no don't be a dumb *** by thinking that I tail behind trucks, I know better), has craters for paint chips(too many too list, front bumper needs to be reapainted, badly). I'm also currently on a maxima site and the model seems has to have gotten worse as it has aged(2K2 and 3's have had more problems than mine, too many to list). It just plain sucks dealing with dealers(Nissan N.A.) who won't acknowledge that the car has defects that no car should ever have(at least no $27-30K car), it also sucks to have to spend $$$$$ on replacement parts on a car with low mileage that a manufacturer should have gotten right in the first place. Anyway, I plan to test both cars before making a commitment, however the G35 will have to be a 2K4, hopefully it will have some improvements, although bear a higher price. Again, thank you all for those that responded constructively.

 

I was in college in '83, and I used to love the T-Bird Turbo Coupe!!! Wanted one, but couldn't afford it at the time, being a full-time student.

Three years later, bought my first new car, a Honda Prelude. Between then and now, out of 9 cars owned, I've had 5 Japanese makes (many built here in the States), and never a problem with any of them.

<font color=blue>2003 G35 Coupe 6MT - diamond graphite / graphite leather - premium - nav</font color=blue>

 

If I had been reading the G35 boards while waiting for mine to be delivered, I'd be getting cold feet too. Not because of the repairs, but because of the complaints about gas mileage and brake and tire wear.

But.... I've have my coupe for 3 mos/3750 mi. I'm VERY glad I didn't back out. No problems whatsoever; gas mileage has averaged 23.8 over the last 2500 mi.; the tires look great; and the brakes show no noticable wear. Even if the tires and brakes don't last a long time, the experience of driving the car is worth it. At least for me.

I bought my first car (a Mustang) in 1967. I bought my first foreign car (a Max SE) in 1993. I haven't bought an American car since then. My father is a retired mechanic, and he bought his first car in the 1930s. He's ALWAYS been a Ford man, but he bought his first foreign car (an Avalon) in 1999 at my mother's insistence. He just replaced it with another Japanese car, and he raves about it.

 

Thanks InfiniG, that's the type of input that makes one focus on the better aspect of buying a driving machine. Saw a friend of mine today that just bought a new MB C320, fuly loaded, his philosophy was, "LIFE IS SHORT, BUY WHAT YOU WANT, IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT, DRIVE IT LIKE HELL, ENJOY". In other words, people that buy cars in this price range, esp. coupes, buy them out of want, not need. He suggested looking at 19's to complement the look.

 

No cold feet here. I have a 88 T-bird Turbo Coupe, Mint condition. It had a bad rap for poor electrical system that turned out to be true. I did research and even told Ford how
to fix it. Since then car has been a true performer and solid
in terms of reliability. I have to agree with most of the guys on this post that every car has some kinds of problems. So you have to consider the very positive writeups by all of the
professional magazines, a very favorable JD Powers rating, and all of the enthusiasts on this site. I have on order a DG/5
AMT/Nav/Premium. If I was looking for a perfect car, I'd have to build it myself. But one does not exist. So I have full confidence in buying a beautiful car that has the same general
problems as other sports cars. People said don't see the Hulk, it stinks. I saw it and loved it. It's your choice, but no matter what car you buy, there will be bugs. Yes people do tend to harp on the few things that are wrong rather than what is good. If your car had a $2.00 repairable scratch that would be the first and only thing you would notice. Who knows maybe some BMW enthusiasts have infiltrated this site and are spreading some of the rumors. If I am going to get cold feet, it's going to take more than that.,