Kudos to Infiniti for building a true sports car good enough to finally oust the BMW 3 series from its long held status as darling of the automotive press. I currently lease a 328i that is due to be returned to the dealer at the end of this week. At 45k miles, the 328 is as solid as the day I bought it, and it actually runs smoother than it did when I first got it. My only complaint with the car was that I did not find the drive to be truly exciting. To this day I still cannot figure out what the press has been seeing that I do not. Competent and reasonably fast yes, but soul stirring, definitely no. Then I saw the G35 6-speed and thought, “Now there’s something that looks really fun to drive.” With 280hp on tap and head snapping torque to match, I figured I found my next car. The only thing that kept me from ordering one ahead of time was the fact that the car is so hot you can’t get them for less than MSRP in the NJ area. As luck would have it, while I bided my time, I came across a used BMW that I’ve wanted for some time. I might have even passed it up, but the deal was just too good, and I’m a sucker for a great deal, especially when it comes to cars. Maybe next time. In the meantime, I’ll just have to be content w/listening to that sonorous exhaust note whenever a G35 passes by. Cheers, and I hope you like your new cars as much as I think you do.

 

i traded in a '98 328is w/several mods for my g35c... the 328is was an incredible road car. there are plenty of cars a little quicker, a little nicer interior then a bmw... but until i drove that BMW, i never felt what a "drivers" car was. BMW has defined what a road sports car IS for 10+ years. the 3 series was a terrific automobile. newer 3 series have moved away from that and are more of a luxury car w/sport capabilites. this is understandble, that market segment has a lot of competition and BMW has had to respond w/some "improvements" that detract from performance but increase comfort.

anyway, have fun w/your new BMW. a great BMW forum by the way, is www.roadfly.org they have a forum for each model.

 

Good post man, BMWs are great cars and you can't go wrong with them. I decided against one for the exact problem you had with your 328i. I drove a 330Ci and it was nice, refined, compliant ride but it just didn't do anything for me excitement-wise. The G, on the other hand made me giddy as a schoolgirl when I drove it.

After a few months of G ownership and 4000+ miles on the odo, I recently drove my friend's 330i with the new Performance Package and it's amazing how much more I enjoy driving my G. It clearly leans a little further toward the "sport" side of Sport-Luxury Coupe. Maybe not as refined and quiet but a lot more visceral and a true feeling of power as you row through the gears.

All said and done though, both are great cars, just depends on where your priorities lie. Congrats on your new purchase.

 

Thanks for the remarks on the G's bro. For what it's worth , lot of us think the Bimmers are AOK too. In a lot of instances they are the 'measuring stick' the industry and consumers tend to go by. Some on our site even own both... Best of both worlds.. hahaha.
So you were that close to 'G Heaven' ? Like you say "maybe next time" you'll sample a little suchi.[img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Just out of curiosity..... what BMW did you get the deal on?
Thanks for posting. Stay in touch, we'd be glad to hear from you any time........ Peace.......

<font color=green>GSM</font color=green>

 

I love bmw's. I use to own a 328is 97', then got my E55, and then the G35.
I wanted to sell my E55 cause I wanted to save money to buy a house. I was going to get another BMW, but I told myself the next BMW I get would have to be the M3 or M5. I priced the M3 and it came out to be 56 out the door. I resisted and got the G35 with no regrets, except for the performance. The G35 out performs the Bmw 328 by a little, but no way compares to the E55.

Enjoy your car.

Best website for Bmw's is:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/
Best site for Mercedes is:
http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/

G35C 6MT / E55

 

Well I was a "BWM GUY" until I test drove this car... My previous car was a 1995 M3. I was going after the 330ci (a 2003 model). I loved the little feature's (and more features) that the 330 provided. Lot's of toy's... but when I saw someone in this car I had to follow them until I found out what kinda car it was. I test drove it and talk about power I loved it. When I test drove it the dealer guy was like "Floor this baby" so I punched it, fell in love with it, and now I drive it on a daily basis. I'm going to give my little brother my 1995 M3 when he get's his license. Other then that I drive my new baby and love every minute im in it.

I noticed a lot of previous BMW owner's too got this car...LOL

Guess I'm part of the "club" as well... Sorry Bimmer, for those 3 to 5 years it was fun... but now it's time to move on. :-)

 

Gsedanman, I picked up a 2002 M3 in silver. Had all the options I wanted and only 3,800 miles. It was one of those deals where I ran the #'s about 50 times and still couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've always wanted one, but my wife has one in the oven, and I couldn't justify the price of a new one. The G35 was in the right price range, seats 4 people and would be sitting in my garage next week if I hadn't gotten this deal.

My 328 was a 2000 model. I think it didn't suit me b/c my car previous to it was a 3rd Gen Mazda RX-7. I would have kept that car if it wasn't so unreliable. Reminded me of what it must be like to have a supermodel girlfriend. Gorgeous and fast, but expensive and unreliable. The M3 seems to combine the practicality and luxury of the 328 with the performance of the RX-7. Other than the M3, the G35 seemed to be one of the few cars that fit the bill of family car practicality with sports car performance (and great looks too).

G35 could still be in the future. Wife has a 98 Civic and we have an 01 Ram (the family truckster). If I can convince her that the Civic is ready to be traded in, who knows? G35 for her and M3 for me. We could have a lot of fun.

 

Ohhhhhhhh nice !! Enjoy the M3 you will not be dissapointed. How much are your car payments going to be if you don't mind me asking ? lol

I test drove a new M3 but no way I was going to be able to afford one...

Only thing I was upset about is that over here every OTHER car is a BMW and a Mercedies.. (I'm in Southern Cali)

I swear I've been seeing more BMW's then Civic's on the street's lately... Strange...

 

As my "name" suggests, I'm a BMW owner about to trade in on a G35C (DG/G 6MT/Premium/Aero/Nav/SAT - this week!!). I've had my BMW 325is for 5 years and loved it. It's a great car. I also recently test drove a 2003 330ci after test driving two G35 6MTs (one of them twice) and a 5AT. IMHO the 330ci is a great car too, but soooo much more boring than the G35C, and the G runs rings around it performance-wise, especially in handling and braking.

I had been pretty much figuring I'd get a 330ci in a year or so until I saw the G35C at the NYC Auto show in April. It totally rocked my world and before I knew what hit me I had a deposit on one at a dealer in New Jersey. Bear in mind, I'm 51 years old...it takes a *lot* to rock my world...

In the 6 weeks since, I've had plenty of time to carefully consider my choice and the result is that I AM TOTALLY STOKED ABOUT GETTING THIS CAR!!! WOOHOO!!!

Someone in this thread said they were "giddy as a schoolgirl" with excitement about getting their G35C. It's almost embarassing to admit how true that is...

 

I have owned two BMW's, a 525 and a 540. In reading the posts on this topic I would just like to tell the other BMW owners that I think they will be happy with the G35c. In my opinion, the G35 is substantially more powerful than any of the BMW's with sixes (except the M3). I feel the G35 power is on par with my BMW 540, which is a V8.
The G35 rides stiffer, noisier, and is tinnier than BMW's, but is more fun to drive. The G is a sport car 100% of the time, whereas BMW's are luxury cars that behave like sports cars when pushed.
So for my 2 cents, I would take the G35 over any 3 series or 5 series BMW's with sixes and I think the G35 would run rings around them (but the 540, M3, or M5 are another story - and 2-3 times the price of a G!).

 

Eddie, I took over someone else's lease, but the guy paid me $3,500 to take over the lease, I didn't pay any sales tax on the deal (just $69 for registration), and the buy out at the back end of the lease is only $25k. It's actually costing me less to own this car than the 328 I had.

gsg hit it square. The 328 feels sport when pushed, but otherwise not an exciting ride for me. I lean too heavily in the sporting section. However, it is really cool to drive the M3 and 328 back to back. They have the same basic controls, so you go back and forth being completely familiar with the cars, but they are two totally different animals.

I think BMW is going to have to go back to the drawing board to contend with the G35 coupe. Seems that this car did really raise the bar for this market segment. I'm rather neutral about the sedan, but the coupe has everything going for it.

 

Can you say *Car of the Year* also ;-)

 

I've been a long time BMW lover ..... I've owned a '96 318, and a '00 323i .... needless to say I've owned and loved the baby-BMW's ...! I just love the feeling of being in my bimmers .... except when it came time to take it in for repairs .... major headaches.

I guess like all of you I've been converted to the g35coupe ... due to arrive sometime this month (I HOPE!!). It really does say something about how special the G has become. I'd love to go back to BMW someday .... just as long as they fire Chris Bangle and hire someone that will bring the class back to BMW!

 

sweet deal man.... good for you.

I WILL HAVE A M3 ONE DAY .. I love the burnt orange interior on the calypso blue. .... awesome.

I will.... UNLESS ..they come out with a 4wd or awd Gcoupe turbo GTR baby

which I think will very comparable in price and performance to the M3
or maybe a porsche ... but what about winter ?? .. so the GTR sounds that much more reasonable to me.
my 2 cents (CAD)
laterrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

f2chow wrote:

"I'd love to go back to BMW someday .... just as long as they fire Chris Bangle and hire someone that will bring the class back to BMW! "

The most recent Car&Driver (in a road test of the 12 cyl BMW 760iL) says there are rumors afoot of a restyle of the 7 series front and rear. Couldn't happen too soon if you ask me...