Hello again all.

It's been a while since I posted but I have been following the board. I've been drooling over the G for months now and I am getting close. I need to buy in late Feb/early March. I'm looking for an 03 or 03.5 with 20k-40k miles on it and have a couple of questions before I pick one up.

I know there were some changes between the 03 and 03.5. I think I could get an 03.5 for the same money but with higher miles or fewer features.

What would you do? Buy an 03 with premium and winter and maybe even Nav? or an 03.5 with more miles or without premium or winter or Bose?

I guess the question is were the changes worth decontenting my ride a little for or are an additional 10k miles worth the move to an 03.5 over the 03?

Thanks for your help all,

Claire

 

Personally I think the 03.5 looks much cleaner without the doggie door trunk and INFINITI spread across the back. There are some other minor upgrades in 03.5, plus I would imagine some bugs were worked out by then.

 

As far as I know, the 03 came with 16" wheels. I think the bugs have been worked out and covered under warranty. I would problably take the earlier car with less miles and more features. I like the premium package such as dual zone A/C/Heat, homelink, full size spare,heated mirrors/seats, reclining rear seats, sunroof and bose system....oh yea, memory seats without a fob .(that sucks and was corrected in the 05's) . Check out the differences and decide. These engines should go several hundred thousand miles with good maintenance so 10 or 20 K may not make a big difference in the scheme of things. I think they also have 4 year and 50 or 60K warranty.

 

Thanks guys.

How much of a premium would you expect to pay for an 03.5 versus an 03? $500? $1000?

I know some of the 03's are pretty old (early 02).

 

Heck with that....buy an 04

 

I would buy an 04 but I have a pretty tight budget. I am looking for $22-23k. Then maybe trying to get it certified or buying a warranty.

 

Pull up Autotrader.com......I saw a ton of 04 Sedans with between 15-25k miles on them for anywhere between $23-26,000

This search was based on 300 mile radius of St. Louis,MO where I live.

 

Why would 04 be worth $1500 or $2000 over a similar 03? Sure it is newer and has a higher resale value. Was there much improvement between the model years?

Thanks again for your advice.

 

only base model 03 came with 16"

 

04s came more "bug free" but if your buying an 03, those issues should have been addressed by the dealer under warranty. Other than the trunk, I don't know that there was any vast improvements over the two model years.

I think you would more likely get a better deal on an 03 just for the simple fact that its an ealier model. As far as mileage is concerned, 04s might have less miles on them.

Unless its beyond 60K, the G should come with some warranty left on it. Make sure you ask about the warranty and be very picky during your warranty time to make sure any issues that come up are addressed during that period

Good luck!

 

Go pre-owned, don't those have like a 100,000 mile warranty on them? This way you can still get a loaner car if you get a junky one

 

Thanks for the info everyone.

G35papa, were some of those bugs addressed in the 03.5? What are they if you know so I can make sure they are addressed one way or another before the warranty expires?

Also, what are the rules for getting a used model certified and warrantied to 100k? I have a friend who has been seeing some G's at auction from off lease who could get me a very good deal on an 03 or an 03.5. He is very capable of judging it's condition at the auction so I am not too worried about that. I just want the most car I can get for my money.

I'm guessing spending $1400 or $1500 to certify a $22k auction car to 100k miles would be money very well spent.

Thanks again,

Claire

 

A private buy with just the bal of MFR warranty will probably be cheaper than a certified pre owned from the dealer. However, extra warranty may be worth the price from the dealer. I am not a believer in purchasing extended warranty but a relative of mine is. His warranty cost him 2000.00 but 2 years later, the car needed two repairs each costing 2000.00 so a total of 4 grand. All he paid was a deductable of 50.00 for each time at the shop. His car was not a G so rest easy...it was an AUDI....or should I say OWdee as in OUCH!

 

I know the pain of Audi repairs. I have one going into the shop on the 2nd for $2100.

Can't I get a private buy car certified?

 

Heated seats are part of the winter package. I didn't realize that heater mirrors were even an option. How do you turn the mirror heaters on?