edited

 

i have a 05 sedan and love every second in it...the infinitis are great cars but i definitely wouldn't buy a car that was a rental...Ive experienced the joy of a rental/loaner and definitely wouldn't buy one that i had let alone that someone else had...and usually those cars run off regular gas (87 octane) not 91+ that really should be used...try to find another G sedan but they will cost more then $10,000

 

91 octane is recomended for the sedan but not required. It will not hurt the motor in any way.

Yes people are hard on rentals, but IMO if it checks out with a qualified mechanic and you dont notice any weird qwerks I would go for it. $10k with 52k miles is a pretty decent deal. I paid 14k for my 05 with 65k miles 5 months ago.


I wont be hard or "yell" at you because I was in the same boat when I bought my car (sorta) I was out of work with no income, and I got T-boned by an oil tanker (I believe the 8" lift on my truck saved me from being squashed, as the tanker shoved me sideways instead of rolling over me, all I recall is seeing the grill, my mirror explode and then spining around)

Back on topic, I had to purchase a new vehicle so weighing the cost vs safety factor I came up with a list of cars
1) 03-05 Accord coupe (dont care for the sedan) because of safety rating
2)Lexus IS300 (quickly scratched as soon as I drove one)
3) Audi A4 (02+) 1.8T
4)Acura TL
5) Acura TSX

I stumbled across an 04 G35 coupe that fell in my price range so I started to research them...


I ended up with my G35 sedan because it was the best vehicle (safety, performance, comfort, and style) in my price range.
Once I drove the car, I was done for..Hands down the best car in that price range...It was the last minute stop on the way home after car shopping all day. It is my favorite car thus far.

Read up a bit and you will learn a lot..Hyundai Sonota's and and Toyota Camry's dont compare in a lot of aspects.

Even the IS300 which I thought was in a simular class would be comparable.. it's not....(after driving a few, it's an over priced camry)

Have you driven the G35?

 

Nope. I havent driven one before but will go for a testdrive this Sat.

What I am concerned about is its maintenance cost as I will be putting around 10-15k miles a year and am planning on keeping the car for next 2 yrs (No I wont keep it for next 10 yrs or so hehe).
No doubt Infiniti makes great cars, but I am just worried about its age. I totally understand that things break as they age and G35 is not an exception to that.

I am thinking I can afford to pay a thousand+-/yr only for maintenace but dont want to end up paying like 2-3 thousands for this and that every year.

I have a friend who just bought an old Lexus (2002 IS) and he spent like 2 thousand for some repair, and its been like 3 months since he bought the car. This is exactly what I am worried about.

BTW, the previous owner said that he changed engine belt and brake pads on the front and back. Am I good(Worry free for a year or so) provided that an Infiniti mechanic says the car is OK?

Cant wait to drive this car!!

 

I believe the IS300 has a timing Belt (rubber belt that needs replacing 90K miles or so) The G35 has a timing chain so you are good there. If he replaced the belts (alternator, AC, etc) then you are good, thats a few hundred to have done. Brakes are typical, so you're good there. The only maintenance you need to worry about are the fluids..

 

lol the is300 is an overpriced camry? perhaps you mean es300? the is300 is rwd and nothing like a camry.

10k is a good deal considering the the mileage, i would take it over the sonata. is300 seems nicer but it really gets its *** kicked on paper so I would have a hard time recomending it as its a good bit less powerful and gets worse mpg, although 2jz-ge's will run forever where as VQ35s seem to have oil consumption issues.

if you dont care about rwd and power you may want to check out an acura tsx, much nicer interior and better mpg but fwd and slow..doubt u can find one for 10k though

the 07 camry would be the sensable choice though if you are worried about repairs and mpg

 

No I meant a camry..Paper thin doors, tons of loud road noise, poor handling, uncomfortable interior..I guess I should have compared it to an 89 civic 4door (if it was rwd). Now that I think about it, the camry feels a lot safer.. (my mother ownes a camry)

I recall reading the reviews when THE IS300 came out and I really wanted one, after driving one...I was sad...I would honestly take a 5th gen civic over a Lex IS300 hands down..

Im not impressed with the car if you cant tell..

 

now you are just being obsurd

idk sounds like a bunch of bs..my bros hacked to crap 1992 sc300 with 185k on it was better then what you are describing

 

Thanks all for your great input!

I am going for test drive this saturday and will come back here and post review on my first "hands on" experience on G35.

Cant wait!

 

It's not obsurd or BS, it's just my oppinion. I honestly didnt feel very safe in that car. I am sure that it's a pretty safe car, but I felt like there was no buffer between myself and any vehicle that would T-bone me. I felt a lot safer driving my 94 civic coupe, back in the day....originally I thought it was a car I wanted, but found out otherwise. I dont know if it matters, but the IS300 was an 04 I believe..
Im not saying anything is wrong with your bro's SC300, im sure it's a great car, I just dont care for the cost vs value vs safe driving experience I had with the IS300..it not in the same class as a G35 (IMO).

 

Enjoy the drive, I know that I do every time that I drive my G. Report back afterwards and post up any questions/concerns. I look forward to your review.

 

i guess ill have to drive one..but old civics feel pretty unsafe to me...maybe u were driving one with a hidden accident history or something

 

It wasnt the way it drove, but just the overall feel of the car. I am a car junkie so I will drive any and every car offered to me. I would drive another IS300, but never own one. I would recomend driving one to get a feel for yourself, I regarded them highly till I drove one.

Then again maybe it's me..who knows

I dont want to jack this guys thread so I will leave it at that..

 

my friend jus got a 2009 is300..interior is nice but the engines weak..my G stomps all over that car...maintenance isnt to costly if you can do things on you own...i do my own brakes, oil changes, differential and tranny, radiator, power steering, etc fluids...i do enjoy working on my car though so its not really work for me...more like fun

 

no such word, no such car, respectively.

is350 stomps all over the G, is250 is slow