Just picked up my '05 6MT and dropped of the '04 6MT that I've been driving since September. Initial impressions are that I LOVE the new 18" wheels and rims. Very cool looking compared to last years. The new dash and clock/heater will take a little getting used to. Too early to say if I like or dislike it compared to the '05.

I would also say that the shifting on the '05 is smoother than the '04 was. I remember the '04 being a little notchy to start with. I don't feel that at all on the '05.

The only thing so far that I don't like is that I think the shifter is a bit longer on the '05. I like the short lever on the '04 a little better.

What's a good aftermarket site for something like a shorter shifter?

The '04 started feeling great around 2,500 miles and was a kick in the pants to drive. I'm babying the '05 at this point and only have 50 miles on it. Will be anxious to see what it feels like after breakin and so I can do a true comparison.

 

From the pictures that I've seen so far, the shifter is the exact same. Are you sure you're not just imagining things?

 

I wasn't aware of the longer shifter, but a longer shifter would probably make it feel less notchy because you have more leverage. Can anyone verify this shifter thing.

Grotman, what were the options/color/milage on your 04 and what did the dealer give you for trade-in. I'd love an 05, but I don't think the dealer could give me what I owe on it at this point. I've had mine for a little over a year now, you only had yours for like 3 months.

 

Grotman,
What would make you get rid of an 04 for an 05? The changes are not all that drastic save for 29HP and I am not entirely sure that it makes allot of difference. Was there something specific you did not like anout the 04? I have an 04 AT. I do,like the new wheels but they can always be purchased from upgrades or wrecks. The hood, button changes, tail lights, well, those are not enough to make me take a financial hit.

 

I'd consider an upgrade because my dealer screwed me on my lease money factor and there's nothing I can do to get a better money factor except for re-lease a new car. Unfortunately, I believed the dealer when they told me my .0338 money factor was the number set by IFS, not the one they marked up significantly.

So if I could get into a 2005 for less then $2k out of pocket, then I would come out ahead in the long run because of what I know now about money factor, and I'd have a newer car with the new 05 additions. I really haven't seriously considered it based on what I hear about people getting like $24k for 04 loaded g35 sedans. I'd need like 27-28k for it to even be an option for me.

 

i am looking to do something similar.

i have heard two numbers. one is last month's .00215, and on Edmonds, i have heard .00179.

what did you get?

 

"based on what I hear about people getting like $24k for 04 loaded g35 sedans"

Not new ones right.

This sounds about right for a low mileage used one.

 

What do you think about the 05 Arm rest, from pictures it sits much lower than the 04, do you think these could be swapped easily?

 

Yeah I meant used. I've heard everything from 24k-26k for 04 G35 sedans with under 20k miles.

 

The .00215 number is the correct one.

 

brian -- i am walking into my dealer tomorrow AM to swap my 03 for the 05 with a .00179 money factor. i picked that number up on the edmonds forums and when i told my dealer that, he dropped to that rate.

.00215 was apparently last month's (and november's also).

if i don't get that rate, i will let you all know, but $30 and change a month is $30 and change a month.

 

My trade-in situation was somewhat unique. The day I picked up my '04 was the day that Infiniti dropped the 'upping horsepower to 298 HP' press release. It hit the wire about an hour after I picked up the '04. I went back to my dealer and expressed my surprise over the announcement. They said they were equally surprised by it and had only previously heard of the estimated 7-9 HP increase prior to that.

We worked out an agreement for fixed monthly depreciation on my '04 and a pre-negotiated price on an '05 that was the equivalent of the deal I got on the '04. I wanted the extra horsepower and I wanted the 18" wheels. I'm really happy with the new rims on the wheels as well. Net is that they gave me 5% less for my '04 on trade-in than what I paid for it and I walked out of the dealer in 20 minutes with my new '05 for a great deal.

I'm happy and they have a happy customer that will tell people they treated me right.

To answer some of the questions above:
- Maybe I am imaging the shifter being longer. You know how us guys have trouble judging size accurately. ;-) It does look exactly the same cosmetically, but does seem longer though.

- Options on my 04 and 05 were exactly the same, except that I added XM to the 05. Both cars were Premium Package, Aero Package, Trunk mat. Diamond Graphite, black interior. I had about 3,400 miles on the 04 today. My net out of pocket on the transaction was $1,800 or about the cost of a set of 18" tires/wheels.

- Arm rest question - I haven't noticed any difference there. Maybe I'm too pre-occupied with the shifter. ;-)

Like I said, unique situation and I feel great about it all in the end.

 

Yeah I'd pay $1,800 for the upgrade, you're a smart man as the 05's will hold at least a $2,000 premium in resale in a couple of years as most mid-life upgrades do (see 97 vs 98 LS400, 01 vs 02 Maxima, 96 vs 97 Maxima). I think it'd cost me about $5k to do which is totally not worth it though.

 

Grotman

You've mentioned 18" wheels twice. The '056MTs now come with the new 19" forged wheels. Your '04 should have had the 18s. 18s are the same on 04s and 05s. Did you put 18s on?

What about the brake downgrade? Any feelings on that? I know that in '03 the standard brakes felt pretty grabby to me, with very little feel. The Brembos were the deal maker for me. Now that I've had them for awhile, IMO, the Brembos are one of the cars best features. If I were in the market for a new coupe, I'd search an '04 for just that reason. But, that's just me.

Lou

 

Lou - The '05 6MT comes with 18", not 19" wheels. http://www.infiniti.com/content/mode...,75121,00.html

Also I have found one thing that bugs me about the '05 vs. the '04. On the 05, they took out both the cigarrette lighter sockets that were on the left and the right of the console. I didn't notice this till last night when I went to put my radar detector in the car. Now there is a lighter in the ashtray and one in the armwrest storage, which also has a cut out so you can close the lid and run the wires out of it. That was a bit of a bummer. Since I used the two on the '04 for radar detector and cell phone and they were convenient.