hey guys i ran into this forum and need your help. i currently have a 1998 bmw 740iL as much as i love that car its a money pit and im kinda sick of having a new thing go wrong everyday so im gonna leave it and get a 03 g35 sedan used..how reliable are they? is maintenance expensive? what are common problems with them and should i stay away from 03 because like bmws i know people say stay away from certain years because of a lot of problems.....any help is greatly appreciated. thanks

 

the VQ engine is rated and acclaimed as one of the most reliable v6 engine available, for 6+ years running (Wards award?).

well, check this thread out: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sedan-v35-2003-06/112622-03-04-sedan-any-common-probs.html

good luck

 

the g35 has a lot of rattles so if you are used to a quiet car this is going to bug you. While driving you can hear a lot of road noise. The brakes squeak and the cost that i got quoted for the 60k maintenance is 514 in houston. Hope this helps.

 

yea i read about the road nice i was planning on dynamatting a lot of the car for my system im sure it will reduce some noise..but how bad is it the 740 drives like a tank and you cant really here much road noise i think i want to go to the dealership and test drive one and see...maintenance i will never take to the stealer i just want to know like parts wise how much are parts are they highly overpriced like my bmw needs new catalic converters and they cost 1600 each from the stealer...

 

No japanese car will ever have close to the maintenance costs of any German car. Like you said, they are endless money pits. If you dynamat most of the car you wont here much road noise, and if you have a system... just turn it up and you wont hear any. I'd go for an 03.5, you'll get HID's instead of the standard halogen lights that came ion the early 03's, and no doggy door trunk. Overall, the G is a very reliable car, very easy to maintain and not costly to do it. New high flow cats for the G range from 400-600 for the pair, that'll give you an idea of how much less it is than a BMW.
-GP-

 

oem parts will be oem parts, and as such they will always be expensive. thankfully tho there are aftermarket parts a plenty around the engine. the only sacrafice is a louder exhaust.

 

i have an 03 and i have xenons

 

Do you have a doggy door? I said get an 03.5 as the 03's didnt come with xenon's, the 03.5's did.
-GP-

 

I have grown attached to my doggy door. it is one with me, and I am one with it...

 

whats the doggy door someone got a pic...also what kind of lights are on the maximas my cousin has a 06 maxima and the lights are soo blue and i like that and can be seen from far far away...

 

The doggy door is the 03's with a big handle in the middle of the trunk. The lights are xenon's but they're not like the maxima's. The maxima has Xenon projectors, and i do agree that the maxima's lights look sooo good. The 03.5 and up g sedans have a reflector style xenon headlight.
-GP-

 

I would say you might be better off to go for the '05 or later. The brakes on the 03/04 years give people problems if they don't switch to aftermarket and there are some changes with the TCM's over time as well. I would certainly go for a 04.5 or later due to minor changes in the control systems, etc.

Good luck and hope you find something you are happy with.

 

Xenon's were optional on the 2003's. According to my window sticker, it was a $500 option. Most 2003s do have xenons except for the base models with the cloth interior.

 

i dont think i can afford 05 thing is my dads a car dealer so i get my cars from the dealers auctions and stuff and ive been looking at the past sales from auctions and the 03's are goin from like 13-17k depending on miles highest miles are around 80k for 13 grand so its not bad but i doubt i will get higher than 03 unless price is good.. but crap i dont want that doggy door i wanted to debadge the entire trunk. haha

 

yes i have a doggy door and yes i have xenons