Hey all, I've been looking at a few different larger sedans. G35x being one of them along with the Caddy CTS and STS, Chrysler 300c, or maybe even a Subaru. Thought I would ask you guys about reliability? I've mainly been looking at 03-04 G35x's, which tend to be between 80,000-120,000 miles.
Also, according to Wiki, the 3.5L got about a 20hp increase in 2005. Same hardware and different tuning or? Also, what is the aftermarket like on these cars?
And finally, how is fuel economy?

Thanks!

 

id like to know this too i just got one with 85kish

 

I've owned my G35x since it was new off the showroom floor in 2004. I'll give you my experience with the car from a maint perspective.

1. I'm at 65,000 miles, Synthetic oil changes every 5k. She due for a coolant/tranny/rear diff flush
2. When the car was new I took advantage of the extended warranty on the brakes and the car needed it. I think I got 4 sets of brakes and pads out of the dealer at no cost. This is a known issue with all 03/04 so not just specific to the X. Once the warranty was up I switched to slotted rotors , Hawk pads, and stainless lines on all 4 wheels for under $400. no more brake issues since.
3. The gear in the front drivers power seat got chewed up after a quarter got stuck in the rail. $75 later I bought a used motor and 4 spare gears. Problem fixed with help of this board
4. I tore a CV boot and kept putting off replacing it. when the clicking started I knew my procrastination was gonna cost me. Dealer wanted $1100 to replace it, 80% of that was the price of a new shaft. Once again I went with lightly used parts and scored both sides for $300 and replaced myself in 2 hours.
5. My interior door panel leather started peeling. Some high strength spray adhesive and a plastic credit card fixed that.
6. On super cold mornings my CD player will skip until the car gets warmed up. Any Ideas?


As for the horsepower Q you were right 03/04 had 260hp while 05/06 had 280. I've got the Jim wolf intake and a thermal copper manifold gasket. Those two cost me less than $400 and put me right up there with the 05 increase. Once my exhaust rusts out I'll replace with something that has a larger diameter but not all noisy. Maybe Stillen stage 2. Plenty folks have ridden in my car and complimented the power the V6 puts down, esp with the traction of AWD and the growl from the intake.

For gas I use 89 octane. With mixed city & highway driving I get 22mpg or 320-340 miles per full tank.
City driving is where the AWD kills your wallet. City driving only and with a heavy foot off every light I sometimes see 15-16mpg...it hurts so good.

Aftermarket support for X's is the same as other V35 sedans. Big diff is limited suspension options and wheels shouldn't be staggered so sizes get limited.

 

Thanks for the reply!
That's a lot of brake work in a short time. I can do brakes and CV joints/shafts myself though, so that shouldn't be a big deal.
I have also heard that power didn't really change 04-05, it was just under rated in 03-04?

22 mixed is good enough for me. I get about 21 highway and 12-14mpg with my truck (4.0L Ranger). But the roads in my town area really steep, so you're either hard on the gas or hard on the brakes.

 

Reliability Should be good on these cars other than typical trivial maintenance. Make sure you get yourself some service records on cars you are interested in. Whether that be from the infiniti dealer through service records or previous owners stack of papers. This will help in deciding whether the car was well maintained.

As for the Mileage, I don't personally have an X but a good friend of mine does and he sees around 24 highway and mid to high teens in the city.

The power ratings being different is one of those opinion type deals. Most people believe that they were the same and I agree with that, but I don't remember there being any definitive evidence backing this up.

EDIT: Oh and the X was only made in 04+

 

^ agreed. A little better then the average run of the mill car when it comes to parts failure.

Ive only heard of 2-3 cars on this board in 3 years ive been hear that was a complete mess. There was another 4-5 cars but those were owners not knowing what they were doing. Pretty good numbers.

 

How is the interior fit/finish and ride quality?

So far from what you guys have said, this car sounds very good. I think when I am serious about buying come May (doing my research way ahead), I will def be testing a few of these. Ideally I would like the Caddy STS with the 4.6L Northstar and AWD, but those tend to be above my price range ($10,000). I like those since they tend to be driven by Grampas and they are nice and gentle on the cars, haha.

 

I purchased an '06 G35x a little over two years ago. At the time it had around 27,000 miles, and I just passed 77,000 miles the other day.

Here are a few thoughts, based on what you're asking:
- For maintenance, knock on wood, I haven't had a single problem. Not one. They made the brakes better in either '05 or '06 and onward, and over the 50k miles I've driven the car, I've replaced the front brakes twice (second time a few months ago) and the rear brakes once (same time as front brakes). I change all fluids according to manufacturers recommendation; I change oil, usually myself, every 5000-7500 miles, and use Mobil 1 5W-30 and a Mobil 1 oil filter. Some complain of the car eating oil, but I've never had that problem.
- I hate checking the oil in my car, because the dipstick sucks to work with. You get used to it, but I've found the only reliable way to check oil levels is to do so when the engine is cold.
- Fuel mileage is abysmal. Highway driving, I get about 21mpg, consistently driving at about 80mph. That's the same with my summer and winter tires; winter tires might be a bit better for mileage. I typically use 93 octane, and it's usually $70 or more to fill the (giant) tank.
- Working on my buddies WRX, I'd recommend against Subaru. They're popular where I live, but the engines are fickle and they're not manufactured well. Not compared to Infiniti and Cadillac, anyway.
- Don't by a Chrysler.

Good luck!

 

The fit and finish is pretty good. The 05-06 is better than the 03-04 but the interiors are still mostly plastic so the develop squeaks/rattles etc. Honestly though, every car will. Overall they are very nice cars inside and out. Look at a few and decide if you like it or not. And the interior over Cadillac I think is leaps and bounds. The older cadillac interiors look super cheap.

I've only heard bad things about that northstar motor. I would love a cadillac some days but I definitely wouldn't touch one with that motor.

 

You've heard bad things about the Northstar? I've heard many people say they are bulletproof. I think that's mainly the newer ones though. The older Caddys before the CTS and STS had lower quality interiors and the Northstars did have some issues that were fixed in the early 2000s I think. I'm a GM Employee so I get brownie points by buying a Caddy, haha. Might get my doors welded shut buying an Infiniti, LOL.

I probably won't be buying a Chrysler, too many electronics and interior quality issues.

21 highway isn't too great. But I can deal with that. I get 18-19 when I make trips going 80. Even my dad's 4cyl Subaru only gets about 23mpg going those speeds.

 

Of that list, especially for reliability the G takes the cake hands down.

I just shopped around for a car and decided on a 2003 G.... Not much to compare in a Manual with RWD, other than Benz and BMW that are too expensive to justify IMO, and don't have the power of the G in the comparable class and price range.

Also, I'm 95% sure that there is no Power difference, I test drove 05,06, 03, 04 all within the same weekend and noticed NO difference in power, all 6MT and all 2wheel drive.

The 05/06 is much better looking, and has a much nicer finished interior, it also has better looking gauges, much more classy.

All in all I bought an 03 because the price was right, and I confirmed for myself that the hp rating was hogwash. The only real downside is a lack of "self-tuning" from the 03/04, whereas the 05/06 tunes according to changes in intake and exhaust, load, etc (a VERY nice feature, especially for people doing Mods).

P.S., I also think the 2003/2004 have shown a bit better reliability, but the 2005/2006 have slightly better average MPG ratings due to the technological advancements in the REVup engine.

 

Yeah, I would agree from what I've heard it sounds like the g35x is most reliable. How are parts though? Caddys parts are dirt cheap since the engines and things are shared with a ton of other cars. I know the G35 shares engines with a few Nissans, but foreign cars are more expensive usually anyway.

I might do simple bolt ons (exhaust, intakes, maybe even a manifold if the price is right) so I'll keep my eyes out for an 05 come May.

 

most parts can be shared with a 350z. Helps cut down cost a lot. The only things you might get killed on would he AWD specfic items. If you need a front axle, it could be costly. Just to name one off the top of my head.