BTW anybody know of non contact bike carrier for the g35? found one guy in CT that has a set up with unobscure permanently mounted rods underneath that act as a hitch for the rack system.. supporting straps connected inside the trunk. Need to find a safe and stable way to cart the bike around or am I doomed to use my beater.

 

I respectfully disagree. Isn't the "sports car" category, and what cars fit into it an individual perception? Where is the hard line differentiation between sports car and luxury car? Do you have to meet certain performance specs to fit in a category.

Sports cars are typically two seaters that are designed with the track in mind. Examples of non-exotic sports cars would be a Corvette, Viper, S2000, and Porsche 911 (its has a back seat for those under 50 lbs).

Cars like the G35 and M3 fall into the GT category. They are fine performance cars but strictly speaking not sports cars.

 

Thanks for the clarification.. Heard a similar response from someone else more knowledgable than me also agreeing with you. I can see your point on the difference in categorization.. As I type this response I'm in the middle of phone negotiations with my dealer for the new 06 Im hoping to buy. I'm being real particular of options and interior, etc, but I hope to ID and make a deal for my own G35 fortwith.. Cant wait to drive this incredible GT ( did i get that right?.. wouldnt want to hop into the wrong car

 

i dont know if you are leasing, getting loan or paying off but...
2000 dollar (nav package) isnt worth much is you are getting loan or lease.
thats the only regret i have...i have 48months loan and it's been a year since i purchased a car. navigation is worth it IMO.

yeah i agree with some of these people about s2k...i liked the previous model w/ higher rpm.

gl.

 

Sorry to be a bit neurotic about this, but I am in middle of negotiations for the purchase.

How many miles would you consider to be acceptable in buying a new car off the lot? Is there a concern of how to drive during breakin period.. for the s2k this seems to be a strongly recommended routine for the first 600 miles. Should I be concerned with a 100 miles of hard test drives before she becomes mine? (Im calling the car "she" already.. I must be getting close)

 

New car? 7 miles

Anything more than 30 is a dealer demo. Get a SIGNIFICANT savings on something with more mileage or refuse to accept it. Remember, Demo Cars are BEAT ON in their early life by people who want to test drive and drive the snot out of them.

 

lowest possible.
single digit - great but if not. about 10s.

 

I agree, you want less than 10 miles on the odometer. If the car is exactly what you want and the deal is great, you can compromise but I wouldn't go much higher than 30 miles. I don't like anyone potentially abusing my car prior to ownership.

If you tell your salesman the exact color and features you want, he can search his database and get your car within a few weeks. Good luck and you really can't go wrong with the G35 ccoupe.

 

Exactly! Sports cars really have nothing to do with pure straight-line power or the price tag. It doesn't make the M3 automatically a "sports car" just because it's quicker and more expensive. A Miata is a good example of a true sports car, much more so than the G35 coupe. Traditionally, sports cars are light, 2 seaters with great front-and-back weight balance with "superb" handling - the G35 is none of those. The Porsche 911 is really bending the rule since it has 4-seats, but like FAST1 mentioned, Porsche did not design those rear-seats for them to be purposeful. Even an R171 SLK is a borderline sports car IMO, because it's heavy and has average handling and is even marketted as a luxury convertible like the SC430.

The G35 coupe is a "sporty" luxury GT that's adequately quick and handles fairly well. It does everything "fairly well", but doesn't stride in one particular area or another by sports car's standard. And once you compare a G35 coupe to a 350Z, an S2000, a Miata, even a BASE Boxster with less power output, take all of those cars to the track and drive them hard, and you'll understand why the G35 coupe isn't a true sports car.

Who doesn't wish he's able to say proudly that "hey I drive a sports car" - even some soccer moms in SUV's. We all love to own true sports cars, don't we? Some are luckier than others. But the fact that you spend more on a G35 coupe and the car is quicker and handles better than whichever car you had before doesn't automatically qualifiy the G35 coupe as a sports car.

But there's nothing wrong with the G35 coupe being a sporty luxury GT because it does it better than a lot of its direct competitors and has more bang-for-the-buck. Show me one other GT at $33K~35K that has more luxurious brand appeal, is quicker than the G35, and has a sexier exhaust note. I wasn't able to find one 5 months ago when I bought my G. Can you?

 

My challenge is that I will only pay dealer invoice.. Im guessing their Less likely to want to transfer vehicle from another dealership.. they'd want to sell something sitting on the lot. Move inventory to make room for the next truckload scheduled to come in.
So, the challenge is to find THE car, with the options, with the single digit, "Hi, Im a virgin" mileage. Thats a matter of timing and luck.. and fate (only part Im comfortable with).

Struggling with the fact that what ever I pick when its time to pick, is the way its going to be.. colors, options..need to pick smart now for the long run. Better get it right..

I'm finding the car buying experience to be interesting. First segment is deciding which car, which bloodline you will be driving. Then, building your baby to be everything you aspire it to be. Finally, getting to know and driving your new child. Can't wait for that next step... fatherhood.

 

Unless the car comes from another dealer? If that's the case, you still don't know who was delivering/driving it?? It's a freaking crap shot. The car with 7 miles could have been the 1 the detailer was doing James Bond Stunts in while moving it or gasing it up..see my point.

Good Luck!

 

Miata? Seriously? What's so hot about a Miata vs. a g35C? Skid-pad numbers seem quite close, ~.92 vs. ~.90, straight-line speed the G35 wins, top speed the G35 wins, stopping distance G35 wins (60-0 110ft vs. 116 ft for 06 MX-5). The Miata has a slightly better weight balance at about 3% but put them on a realistic sized track with equal drivers and I put my money on the G35 turning the quicker laptimes... if your track only lets you use 1st and 2nd gear.. maybe the miata will hang tight. Who knows maybe you're talking about some hot rodded miata.

That goes for the BASE boxster, s2k, or 350Z too. I've seen enough videos on a track to know that...

The base boxster gets it's *** handed to it by the G35C.

The S2k is a smidge faster than the 350Z.

The G35C is about equal with the 350Z.. what it loses in accel due to weight it makes up for in better mid-corner handling.

I totally agree that when it comes to category, the G35C is a GT not a "Sports"... however.. it is pretty snobby to say that some of it's lesser-capable peers that meet the sports car criteria (two seats, etc) are somehow better. It's just not true.

I've been in plenty of cars faster than my G35 to know that my G35 is NOT a "fast" car. Of course.. what Is? When you make me list fast cars for you the list looks like: Vette Z06, Viper, 911... 4.5s 0-60s or thereabouts is what I think of as "fast"..

That said.. my G is fast enough for my purposes. I don't drag race... and the handling is quite good, pretty much on par with my buddy's e46 M3 that I've spent a lot of time in.

my two cents

 

After a fun sprint in a S2000, I strolled back to my blue streamliner and thought - what a fatty.

In terms of driving experience, S2000 >> G35C

In terms of luxury and practicality, G35C >>> S2000

In addition, 'IMHO'..... S2000 > 350Z.

At the <35k price range, there is not another sport car I'd rather have than the fabulouso S2000. If you disagree, try testing both cars on some decent twisties.

 

I had a 2002 S2000. I loved the car. I lowered it an inch and the car handled like a dream! Unfourtantley I totalled it last month and I pick up my G35C this Saturday. I will post up what I think about both cars back to back. I drove the hell out of my S2000. I went at it with a few 350Z's and they just couldnt keep up. The S2000 is slightly faster top end because of VTEC and that 9000 RPM redline. I also ran a 13.7 in my S2000 with just a testpipe and intake. Just my $.02

 

Okay i just bought my 2003 s2000 with only 10K miles on it this past weekend.

I still have my 05 6MT G35C. Here's my two cents for anybody who cares.

The s2000 is the better machine in general. The car is purpose built. If you want a sports car, the s2000 is your car. It begs for you to drop the gas pedal and take it to 9K rpms.

The G35 will be much more practical. Especially for your height and stature. I am 5'10", 150lbs and I can tell if i were ANY bigger the s2000 would not fit me comfortably. Right now it could not be anymore perfect for me.

The S2K is fast, it feels fast, it feels nimble. The g35 is heavy. Driving on open roads in more of a road race environment you will not realize it. But soon you will navigating through parking lots or taking right hand turns at red lights. The G35C FEELS heavy. You will feel it once it becomes your daily driver. The S2K steering response and feedback is by far superior to the G35, this was the very first thing i noticed when i drove teh S2K.

However, I live in Socal and bought the s2k from reno. I drove 12 hours through the night to come back to SoCal. Boy did i wish i was driving my G35 for that trip instead. The cabin noise is nowhere near as bad as my miata, but the space, oh the space, i wished i had more of it on that trip. The car just isnt made for long drives IMO. The g35 is a luxo cruiser. It's a grand touring machine. Its a road car. The S2K is purpose built. It's a true sports car IMO.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention the transmission? Oh god taht's heaven right there.

I love both cars, they were built with different ideas in mind. They have different purposes.