Even if the 740 is costing $1500/year in maintenance that would still be significantly cheaper than the payments on either a maxima or G35

Unless it is so unreliable that you can't plan anything, the 740 is still a better car than a lot of people have at your age.

 

You may be putting a little too much into the location it is built.

Admit it, if the G35 was being built in the US, many of the little issues that has plagued a lot of people with the G35 would be being blamed on that. The rattles. The Fuel Line recall. The rattles

 

G...no questions asked...

 

I think you'll be far happier with the G35. Many people will say if you want room, get the Maxima. Visually, the 6th gen Maxima appears larger than the G35, but the interior mearsurements tell a different story. All interior diminsions are within a few tenths of an inch and interior volume is within 2 cubic feet. Same goes for the trunk. The Maxima only holds a .5 cu. ft advantage.

I'd suggest steering clear of the 6th gen Maximas because of their reliability issues. They aren't significant issues, but there are many annoyances.

I use to own a fairly modded 96 Maxima 5MT with lot of engine and suspension work. I absolutely loved that car, but there is a huge difference between RWD and FWD. Even around town. FWD feels tippy, loose, and darty around turns. RWD feels very planted and actually pulls itself through the turn. FWD wants to drift outwards and requires constant correction.

 

my dads a car dealer so i will be getting my car from the manheim auction and usually it will be paid for upfront so no payments...

 

Dave B, I have to disagree with you about the interior volume. My parents have an '05 Maxima and I have an '05 G35 and I can actually sit in the backseat of the Maxima with tons of room (and I am 6'5"). I tried sitting in the backseat of my G35 and found it extremely tight.

I traded in my '98 Maxima for the G35x last year because I loved the look of the G35, as well as the AWD if needed. I thought the new Maximas were too large looking, and as long as I can fit behind the wheel, and my golf clubs can fit in the truck, who cares if people find it tight in the back seat!

 

Maxima is WWD. Wrong wheel drive.

 

I think you are putting a little too much into the location being in the US. I specifically said Tennessee because that specific plant was producing crappy quality cars for awhile. The cars being produced there had SIGNIFICANTLY more quality issues relative to the other plants that Nissan owned. In fact, 200 engineers were sent to the plant to address these issues. The 2004 Maxima was no exception. I surmise that the G35 would have had a lot more quality issues if the Tennessee plant did produce it.

 

Well I drive about 24K miles per year....mostly for work, have a family (1 kid now....2 kids come next week) AND I have a fast & sexy car!!!!

My 2 choices when I was car shopping were the Maxima & the G.....and my wife is who convinced me to get the G (BTW - I never owned a RWD car, so I was a bit hesitant). She basically said "if you get the Maxima, you'll be bored in a year or two....if you get the G, you probably will still love your car". Let me just say, she knew best on this one (for once ). I love my car & don't ever want to get rid of it.

That said, go w/ the G...especially if you're 17 !!!

 

You're right, the specs are a bit tighter than I thought. I was thinking Altima, not Maxima. Here are the specs, many are very close, but the 04+ Maxima does have 3" more rear leg room.

2004 Maxima

F R
Head 39.7 37.1
Leg 43.6 36.5
Hip 53.5 54.8
Shoulder 57.9 56.5
Trunk 15.5

2003 G35 sedan

F R
Head 40.1 37.9
Leg 43.6 33.6
Hip 52.2 54.1
Shoulder 56.4 55.5
Trunk 14.8

 

I don't know about the 4-6th gen maximas but my 3 gen kills my G in interior and trunk room.

Trunk in maxima could hold 4 golf club bags plus a cart.

G would struggle to hold 3 golf club bags period.

Rear seat. with the baby seat in the middle, people could easily sit on either side with the maxima. With the G, it's still possible but people are now scruntched from the seat and the door.

 

I used to have a 2003 Maxima SE 4-speed and now I have a 2006 G35x. I'd have to say, I love the 2000-2003 Maxima more than the current one in terms of styling and quality. Yes, those were built in Japan.

The easy answer to your question is, if you want a roomy, fast and low maintenance car with lots of gadgets, then get the Maxima.

If you want an Infiniti just because you want an Infiniti and you want sportier and tighter handling, or if you really like the looks, get the G35.

There was nothing I had to do on the Maxima in terms of maintenance having driven it over almost 100,000 km. I've only turned the rotors once and replaced the brake pads once ... plus the regular oil changes and tire rotations. The only thing that went wrong was the SES light kept coming on ... maybe because I sometimes used Octane 87 gas? Anyway, it was really low and cheap maintenance. It also uses 10% less gas than the G. The Maxima also has more gadgets than a same year G35 - e.g. heated steering wheel, rear parking sonars, auto-dimming power folding outside mirrors, etc.

As for the G35, the handling is a lot tighter with no torque steer. This is not to say the Maxima can't carve a corner well, it's just not as refined. However, the Maxima is a much quieter car because of the exhaust tuning. But the G35 is RWD (if you don't go for the X) so it is bad in the snow compared to the Maxima. The G35 is a bit faster than the Maxima (maybe 0.5 sec faster in a 0-60 mph run). The G35's brakes are also much stronger than the Maxima but I know the brakes need a lot more maintenance than the Maxima in terms of wear.

All in all, if you just want a fast, reliable, roomy sporty sedan with a lot of gadgets, than I'd go with the Max. But if you're really keen on the handling, refinement and performance for a sports sedan, I'd go with the G.

 

hmm maxima sounds like what im looking for but then the g has the handling and performance.....shiet this is tough

 

I've had 2 maximas and loved them both, now I own a G. The handling in the G is much much better. RWD really is another element the Maxima just can't touch. Maitenence should be similar. As for modding, they both have a bunch of different mods readily available for reasonable prices comparativley. The syling of the G is sexier hands-down. I liked the size of the Maxima, but really didn't need it.

 

Go drive both and see which one works best for you.