OK, I really want a G35X. I am trying to find a dealer willing to deal on an 05, but with their current stock of 04s, they don't seem interested in dealing. There is a local dealer who is offereing $750 under invoice on any new 04 in stock. That is in addition to the Infiniti 1.9/2.9% financing deal. I do like th e updated interior of the 05, and particularly the new smart key. THe 05 also has a painted lower half. So, my question is this...how do you guys like your 04 Xs? I think my only hangup is the shifter. I'm going to go drive one this week and hope to bring one home. Great forum BTW!

 

i will take the 05 ..since they painted the lower half , the car looks more classy now.
and 05 holds the value better since its facelifted.

 

I was looking at a used 04 and now I'm thinking of a new 04 cause the deals you can get. You can have the lowers painted and it will look similar to the 05 (several people have samples on this website of painted lowers).

 

I am very happy with my 04. They worked out most of the bugs from the new model (first year jitters) and the car is great. True 05 has some improvements and may or may not be faster. If extreme speed and high revs is why you are buying the car, buy the 05. If you must know, I think I prefer the style of the 04 hood . As some people said, If I wanted a coupe , I would have purchased one. And yes, they did improve the material on the center stck although I don't mind my black stack. (You can always add the wood trim, that is what I plan to do as my door handles have them) But, you still basically have the same car save for some cosmetic changes. The 18" wheel option adds a nice look, the rear light change, minor detail. etc. If you are an enthusiast, drive em both and decide. The 04 runs on regular, better on midgrade but does not need high test. The 05, with 38 more horse will be using high test only. Not only will you pay more for the 05, it will cost more to run. What ever you decide, you will enjoy your G35. Good luck and welcome to our forum.

 

I was sitting in my friends 04 Coupe (hadnt been in it for a few months), and I realized why I had a bad first impression, the painted interior center console (from the nav to the arm rest) reminded me of my Nissan Altima and I couldn't believe the car costed 40k and it looked like it had interior from my 20k Altima. The interior is much more refined on the 05, so compare a few things and see whats worth more.

2004
1 year old, even if its new
Great deals on the 04, few thousand dollars savings at least
260hp

2005
Color Matching body panels
Refined interior
Even more problems have been worked out
Re-sale value is stronger
280hp
(298hp engine on the 6mt feels much more powerful then the 260 from pasts experiences)
Upgraded looks, I think the front looks better, but I dislike the tail lights

In the end its just a car and the same car at that, good luck, you can't go wrong either way.

 

"The 04 runs on regular, better on midgrade but does not need high test."

I know this has long been a debated issue but...

I called the service department at several dealers and all of them told me that 89 octance was fine in the car, but to fill up with 91 octane every couple of tanks. All said stay clear of 87 octane.

Honestly, I've run 2 tanks of both 89 and 91 at this point and believe my car actually runs better on the 89 octane (my mileage was beeter on 89).

May all be in my head....not sure, but the car does not miss a beat on 89.

 

Ask different dealerships around and compare the difference between a 04 and 05. If you can find a good deal for 05, then it might be worthwhile to move up. I can tell you honestly that the 05 has A LOT of small improvements over the 04 inside and out. Very impressive.

 

I got a new 04 G35C, fully loaded with everything but navi for 34k. thats without tax and all that stuff. still, it was like over 2k off of what the price shouldve been. the guy who sold me the car was a new employee, and a cool cat. got lucky. also they were tryin to make room for the 05's so they were given out deals for 04's anyway. it was kind of hard to find a DG with black interior. supposedly, that is the most wanted combo.

 

I have an 04.5x, premium w/out nav - love the car except for the gas mileage. Like Sukairain says, there are a lot of minor improvements in the '05 which I would like to have (tails, instrument cluster, key) but I got a good lease deal ($395/mo for 42 mos, 10k/year, $0 down, $550 dealer fee). I guess it comes down to how much are you willing to pay for the improvements. Good luck and welcome!

 

I was in your same predicament, and ended up waiting for the '05. Definately worth it!

 

After having driven 05 loaner for 2 days I can say that all those little improvements make it a different car. If I was buying new car right now, I would definately spend more and get 05. However owning 04 I don't think 05 is worth the plunge I'd take on trading.

I also g-teched the loaner. Could only do 0-60 acceleration test. Came out to be ~6.5 sec with VDC on. My 04 Auto does 0-60 in ~6.2sec with z-tube and y-pipe.

 

USE 89 AND IT RUNS FINE ( 2004 THAT IS)

 

I recently picked up my new G35X 04 premium pack. 1 month ago. The dealer was getting 1G back so i knew i could get an awesome deal. Sticker was around 36k and i picked mine up for invoice. Awesome deal for that car.....I was kinda put off buy the 2 tone appearance with the bottom painted black, which swayed me to pick up a black on black G. I cannot say for the 05 but the power of the 04 defintely does the job. I have burned a list of cars using the autostick, and now that it has snowed heavily up hear in the Northeast......I am thinking of the buy back on my lease even though it is 3 years from now. Honestly, do you really think that $80 a payment is worth the 05. I could understand maybe if you are buying because it might have a higher residual, but the if you are leasing it just does not make sense. You would probably have to wait 6 more months to get anywhere near the deal on the 04.
Basically....go with the 04...you will not regret it.

 

I will be buying and not leasing. I expect to put a 21K down payment on the car. I think it may just come down to the final price. If the 05 winds up being $1500 more than an 04, then I will get an 05 for sure. Either way, I am sure I will not be disappointed. Thanks for the input.

 

Get the 2005 because I think the interior is way worth it! The dash does not look cheap like the previous years.