Something no one has mentioned is the nice little feature called the smart-key.. I love mine, whenever I get into my GF's car I always forget I have to actually put the key in the ignition. Not a big selling point, but another notch in the 05-06's belt.

 

what were the bugs you guys were referring too in the difference between an 03/04 - 05/06. new to the forum and i thought i would just ask.

btw I have an 04 G5x

 

I wish I had a X! I dont care about running staggered set up, I would rather set the car up for Auto-crossing, and get a nice set of CE28's. I wouldnt want the car slammed to the ground because I would be driving the hell out of it, But thats my honest opionion!

 

I really like the smart key feature.

I found a grey '04 w 60k for $9000. thats 4-5k less than the best priced 05-06 I found. (did find a blue '06 w 35k for 14k at a ford dealer)

Just gotta contemplate if there is 5K worth of improvements on the 05. Thats a lot of mod money!

 

blue 06
+1

 

Thats a pretty good price actually for that 06, with only 35k.. I paid $19k for my 05 sedan back in 08 with 40k miles.. I think that the two sedans you listed above are a pretty accurate reflection of the used G market, I did a quick search and everything is right in that range. But you're point about $4-5k in mod money is a good one. Tough call

 

If its that cheap, then there is something wrong with it!

 

the cheaper 04 is a private sale.
the 06 should be under warranty for a short time yet right?

 

^ Depends on when the in-service date was.


My 4 yr/60k miles limited warranty on my 2006 just ended earlier this month. Powertrain warranty is 6 ys/70k miles.

 

the power train would be my biggest concern.
I have read great things about the G's reliability, so I am comfortable getting one.

A big reason I am down to the G and Legacy GT now.

 

The radio/ac board shorting out is a common issue on 03/04....mostly 03.

Corner dash pad on 03/04 tends to pull up slightly

All I can think of at the moment.


BTW....I love the ikey feature on my 06. Favorite part of the car. Never having to take the key out of your pocket is an awesome feature. Plus when I go jogging, I just clip the key on my chain around my neck and tuck it in my shirt. That way I don't have to carry my keys if I go running.


Oh and the Bluetooth on the 06 sucks....not worth it IMHO



To be honest, and this will sound snobbish, but when I bought my g35, I wanted a first gen, and I wanted the newest model, with the least amount of miles, and every option available. My budget was 30k, and I could have gotten an 2nd gene but I liked the 05/06 better fpr some reason. I just loved the center console and aluminum trim. The only option I don't have is the chrome wheel option, but to be honest....I like my 7 spokes.

 

get an Obsidian black 03-04. The bumper with a lip doesnt look bad at all on the obsidian black cuz the lines in the bumper aren't really noticeable, paint the side sills, get a rear lip, 05-06 tail lights and paint your interior pieces black or gunmetal. That's $200 for a front lip give or take painted and installed, 200 for painted sides, $340 for rear lip + painted and installed, 05-06 tail lights for like $370 and paint your interior for like 50 bucks. That's just barely over 1000 bucks and will look better than a stock 05 06 sedan. The hood on the 03-04 looks better/sleeker than the 05-06 hood

 

if i get the pre 05, it will likely be the grey 04, if it checks out.
nice color, real nice price.

would prolly shop for a new front bumper, and have the skirts painted to match at the same time.
interior would get a metra kit w DD radio and the metra and console would get cover in the Di-Noc CF material to clean it up.

that said...
8500 - car
400 - bumper
600 - paint
400 - radio and kit
100- Di-Noc

10,000 and looking good. Comparing to the '06 it still leaves 3-4k to do 350 suspension, wheels/tires, pipes, spacer, Z tube, and tune. Heck, i already have 2 sets of 18s sitting in the garage, but dont know if they are wide enough or if the offsets are low enough (18x8's one has +35 other is +40).

 

I picked up an '03 G35 6MT sedan, with every option (reclining rear seats, sport package, premium pkg, etc), w/ 98K a few months ago.
Previous owner already ditched the stock stereo and put in a Pioneer DVD/bluetooth/MP3/NAV/ridiculous-mcgyver thing in it's place that does everything, so that's not an issue.

Looks are subjective....weight is not. '03-'04's (as mentioned) are lighter, have more aftermarket support/options, and can easily be upgraded to the power of the REV set-up. Fit/finish, int/ext, yeah maybe a bit nicer in the '05-'06+ but not a lot IMO. My boss at work bought an '06 G35X about a month before I bought mine, and my car is faster and has better options (albeit about 70K more miles than his...haha).

I'm not sure about the ECU tuning issue w/ early '03's....if the G gurus have more info. on that, I'd love to know how to tell this.

I picked my car up for just a shade above $11K, with everything in excellent shape, current maintenance up-to-date, and good tires/brakes, etc.

I think the G is just such an overall impressive car that offers A LOT of ride for the coin.

My last 2 cars before the G was a new '07 Honda Civic SI sedan 6MT, and '06 MINI Cooper S convertible 6MT. Both great cars, in very different ways, but neither is close to the total package of the G.

Although, I wish I had my work car back.....'97 Civic w/ 291K that got 36mpg's all day long.......haha.

Good luck in your search.

Get a 6MT.....WAYYYYY more fun to drive.


bryman

 

Here is a video with features on 05+ Gs.