First off, I would like to say hi to everyone here. I've been lurking around for a little bit, but hopefully next week, I'll get an 05 g35s AT sport/sunroof.

Before deciding on the G, I drove the TL and BMW 3 extensively.

My heart was intent on a 325i before I did some researching and discovered all the maintenance issues with BMWs. I loved the handling, ride, and especially the looks. Best car I've driven. I didn't care it was slow, it had that German feel that I love. O well...I didn't want to mess around with the GM-made autotransmission, $90 oil changes,stupid window regulators, electrical gremlins, and control arm issues.

Next I drove the TL. Interesting car. Awesome ride on smooth roads, but when it came to streets with just the tiniest imperfection, the car started to jiggle and bobble around quite a bit. I was a bit shocked. My friend who was in the back said it was rougher than his little IS300. And for those who say the torque steer couldnt be felt...they must not have driven the car hard at all. I wouldn't say it's "hankyourhandsoffthesteeringwheel" bad, but it was obviously noticeable to me. Nothing bad, just a tug here and there; but hey, some people don't even know what torque steer is. Handling was surprisingly good but the steering wheel was WAY too light. After driving the BMW, the Acura wheel felt too loose and overboosted. Shame. And the aesthetics...absolutely LOVE it. One of the best looking cars on the road. Interior was a little overrated, but still very good. for some reason, the interior design looked like they tried too hard to make it look "cool". a lil gaudy but i liked the blue lights.

Onto the G35. I must say I didn't like the looks at first. It looked too much like a frog. But after I turned the engine on on the 2005 g35, I was in love. The steering felt much closer to the BMW than the TL and the exhaust note was really good for a sedan. Honestly, since I don't drive extremely hard, the handling to me wasn't lighter years better than the TL but the ride was way better. Not to mention no torque steer! I've driven both the regular and sports package and I'm getting the sports package. The sports package was noticeably rougher but still not TL-rough and body lean was improved. But for only $700 more, I think it's a steal.

In total...I've logged 90 minutes each for both 325i and G35. 45 minutes in 330i and 40 minutes in the TL.

Now a question for all you veterans here, are the premium packages worth $3000? Here are my thoughts -
Bose > heard a lot of people are having problems with these. not worth it imo.
power tilt/slide glass sunroof - i'm already getting the sunroof
driver's seat and steering wheel memory - I always end up changing the seats each time I go in anyways
manually reclining rear seatbacks- rather have fold down seats
auto on/off headlights - are we so lazy that we can't turn them on ourselves?
dual zone climate control - it's not a van...so why have dual zones? unneccesary imo
HomeLink universal remote transceiver - want this
electrochromic rearview mirror - want this
power windows with one-touch auto-down/up and safety reverse - want this
power tilt/telescopic steering wheel - nah
auto entry/exit system - why?
Intelligent Key (keyless entry) - want this
rear air conditioning vents - want this

for me, I'd pay $3000 for only the homelink, windows, rearview mirror, intelligent key, and rear vents. Don't think so. Does anybody have any regrets getting or not getting the Premium packages?

ok whew. probly not a lot of ppl will bother reading all of this, but any comments would be cool. Can't wait to be a regular here. If anybody needs a comparison between these 3 cars, I'd be glad to help.

 

I have a "non premium" sedan. You will get the one touch windows w/safety at least on the fronts. Comes with a smart key for keyless entry. I have a sunroof, sport, leather and aero. An electronic mirror would be nice. I don't move the seat and in a cabin that small dual control heat/air sounds a little silly. Save the $3000 and get Nav or some nice wheels and other mods.

Mark

 

I have a 2004 G35 Sedan with Premium package. I enjoy the dual zone climate control as my wife is always cold and I am sweating. Living in So. Florida, torential rain can be a problem certain times of the year so the homelink works well. Also, being able to set it to open up a relatives gated community is a plus. My family does enjoy the rear seat option of tilting back. The sunroof is great. The memory seat feature is a poor relation to other vehicles as the key fob does not set the memory. Many auto MFRS have two different fobs that will automatically adjust the seat when you click the unlock button on the fob. Infiniti has a button on the side of the seat which you must push prior to entering the car. High discharge headlights are nice. The Bose system is pretty good. The base does cause some rattles in the door panel area but nothing you can't live with unless you plan on upping the wattage etc. I don't have the sport model. The car handles just fine , 2004 has 260 HP (less than the 2005) can use regular (although I use mid and sometime high test) and runs like a bat out of hell!!!! I drove the TL and found it pleasant but unexciting. I have 10250 miles on the G and the car was worth every dime. The dealer made it less financially painful to get into the G and out of of my near Lemon 2003 I35. I am not happy with Infiniti Corporate over problems with the I35 I purchased just before the G35 and they were most unhelpful. I am still trying to get corporate to do something nice for me. However, to date, they resemble that David Spade commercial where he can only say no. Good luck with your G35.

12/15/04 UPDATE: Infiniti Corporate Executive Committee member Mr. Louis Valenzuela was nice enough to return my call. However, they have reviewed the facts and feel that the decision they made was correct, even though the dealer still states my car was defective. Go Figure and think about this before buying your next Infiniti. I can not support a company that will not support me. No more nissan or Infiniti for me no matter how good my G is.

 

yea... at first I thought the premium package was a must-have but after I looked closer at it, I knew it wasn't for me. One thing, is the new key fob strictly for the "intelligent key" system? If so, does anybody have a picture of the keyfob that comes with a nonpremium sedan?

Also, my lowest offer was $1500 off MSRP. Good deal? Is $1700 too much to ask for?

 

Get the premium pkg. It is good for resale value. Dual zone is nice--my wife and I do not agree on temp. setting. Homelink is great--can open garage from 2 blocks over, auto on/off lights are great in my darkish parking garage--its "auto" safety b/c it increases my visibility. If that makes me lazy oh..well. And....what do you have against frogs. The 911 looks like a frog, and that rocks. And, no I am not saying I drive a 911 inspired car, but they both have verticalish headlamps vs. rectangular ones like the TL. The TL looks a bit downmarket from far away. It only looks upmarket up close.

By the way you can get a premium pkg with and with out intelligent key.

 

texan
although it wasn't as appealing as the TL, the look certainly grows on you. I'm now quite fond of the g35 styling. As for resale...I have kept every car for 10+ years so low resale doesn't really equate to anything when the car has 180,000 mi.

What I'm interested is if the new keyfob is available to non-premium cars as well. I really like that design.

EDIT: Texan, I'm guessing u live in texas...where? Proud texan right here too.

 

Houston. What about yourself? Not sure on the key fob question. Yeah, the look does grow on you--even if you liked it alot initially--like me.

 

DFW. Anyother texans here?

 

i am a texan.. Live in galveston.. Go to school in dallas To answer the man's question..

I have a 2005 prem B package sedan.. the only thing that bugs me about the car are the blind spots.. and the Bose system i dont think is really worth it the worst part to me is just the mp3 player.. You would think they would put a nice one in there.. I hate how it doesnt scroll the Song tracks... You have to push the Display button for to move cuz it only displays 10 letters at a time....

But the key is quite unique.. I still havent gotten used to the intelligent key.. lol

 

What position do you play? Oh, you ment your from Texas

Since this is a random question thread...Why do people say they are taking a dump when they are leave one? Hehehe (Sorry...too much coffee this morning)

 

whats the best price people have gotten? is 1500 off the best deal?

 

3K equates to about $48 a month more on your car payment. You'll kick yourself in the end for not buying the premium package

 

dunno...$48 more a month is a lot for things that I can happily live without.

For people who have bought in Texas (specifically DFW), where did u buy, how was your experience, and how is the service there? Thanks

 

Well i bought mine in Houston but if you are in Dallas Check out Grubbs infiniti ... I would say they will give you a damn good price.. If not the best in texas? Unless you wanna play other dealers of eachother and get the best price that way... We went to Cleark Lake infiniti and they would not budge off their price of anything so we went to Southwest Infiniti. The servicehas been pretty good nothing wrong so far.. But yes check out Grubbs infiniti in Dallas

 

yup, I live 6 miles from Grubbs Infiniti (which is in Hurst, not Dallas fyi). My sales guy has been pretty good but he refuses to budge from MSRP. Well, after 2 quick calls to 2 other dealers, I got 1500 off. Just wanna hear feedback on the other local dealers (Sewell, Crest). Btw, Mr. Grubbs is selling his 2 month old 360 modena w/1200 mi for $250,000. It's on their showroom floor right now...beautiful..