Hi Ed , Welcome to the board, haven't seen you much when I'm lurkin on tmec lately. You know I loved my Maximas, but wow the G is just plain fun. Good comparisons between the two except for the price difference, there was no way I could find a killer deal like that with that kind of price difference between an 05 Max and 05 G.
Wayne (Frankie)

 

Occasionally I miss my 2003 Maxima for its larger back seat when I have clients. But that is about it. I don't miss the turning radius or the torque steer. I only had my 2003 Maxima for 2 1/2 years. It replaced my 89 Maxima that I drove for 14 years! The 03 just wasn't the same. It had power, but the 89 handled better and looked better IMO. As soon as I drove the G, I knew I was in trouble. The AWD doesn't hurt either. Looking back, the Maxima is definitely a great car for the money. No doubt about that. However, the more I drive my G, the less I look back.

 

Agreed. I never looked seriously at an '05 Maxima though for a few reasons:

1) I got spoiled by my local Infiniti dealer's (Sewell) service. I'm a regular guy but they treat me like I'm a prince every time I go see them -- even in my wife's sub-$20K G20. After 15 years of iffy Nissan service at all kinds of dealers all over the state, I got tired of it.
2) RWD. Tired of torque steer.
3) Warranty. Four versus three on the comprehensive side, six versus five on the powertrain.
4) Interior. The '03/'04 Gs were IMHO a step down from the Maxima during those years, but Infiniti did a nice job of redesigning it for the 2005 model. It's now a clear set up, as it should be. More than anything that's what got me into the G35.

I'd never look sideways at a Maxima though. I've always liked them and still do, very much.

 

Maximas depreciate a lot more than the G. Ed your car is worth half of what you paid in less than 2 years. Plus that bodykit you have on it does not look good at all. Also the G35 has a 4 year warranty and much better service. Also where can a brand new 6spd G be picked up for $40K Canadian?

 

That body kit lasted 2 months and cracked and died.. Since then it was removed.

As for the G35 6speed sedan the price was $42K loaded without Navi.

like i said, i regret my maxima purchase and agreed, the max depreciates like crazy, plus i have high mileage. I never inteded on selling it anytime soon so it will be a keeper and later become a winter beater ....

 

I'm going to have to go with this response. I ran a Maxima 6 speed from 2nd gear(5AT) & well honestly he stayed up with me for about 1 second, after that the G just started pulling, ran up to about 100 mph I was allready about 2 1/2 cars in front and still pulling, I noticed he just gave up after that.

 

OH BS! The 03/04 G35 interior a step down frmm maxima. CMON man, they still look the same. Yes, they changed the center stack material to look like the padded dash. I'd rather add the wood kit and add class to the car. Oh, the radio/temp button is now a dial. ..good idea. But, everything else is the freakin same. My 04 interior looks so luxurious, my friends and co workers ooo and ahhh every time they sit in it. Every model year makes improvements and some feel they are better, others not. You are entitled to your opinion as long as it agrees with mine(just kidding). The 03 and 04 success tells a different story. The car is a hit regardless of the plastic center stack material etc.

 

^^totally agree^^

 

The dials are 10x better then the stupid buttons. The controls on the steering wheel light up. The navigation is now motorized. The center console is no longer painted, its much more refined.

My girlfriend got into the 04 loaner I had and said "eww". My uncle got into my car after having ridden in my cousins 04 coupe and said wow, they really made the Sedan nicer inside (he did not know the 04/05 differences).

I personally steered away from purchasing a G because I thought the interior plastic looked too much like my Nissan Altima and said 40k for this, forget it. In 2005 when I was looking for an STi, I visited Infiniti before purchasing the STi and was suprised to see the nicer interior and hp #.

 

Brutal, not only is this a MAXIMA vs G35 debate, but also a 2k2/2k3 G35 vs 2k4/2k5 G35 debate!! hahahahha

 

Well I wasn't trying to put the 03/04 down. It's just that the plastic center console doesn't clean well and when it gets some water drops on it that dry, you get ugly water lines and the plastic also scratches very easy and becomes dull. The issue with the loaner I had and the issue with my friend and cousins coupes.

 

I do like the 03-04 interior. However, with the 05s, Infiniti stepped it up. They added all real aluminum, a leather shifter boot (on the 5AT), and the radio controls on the wheel are illuminated. Seats are identical and so are the door panels, etc. Once I compared the 04 to the 05 interior, I had to get an 05.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean offense to '03/'04 owners. Interior design is a subjective thing; what one person finds nifty another may dislike.

All I mean to say is that before Infiniti redesigned the interior for '05, the G35 was not a purchase option for me. My wife and I drove a pre-'05 G35 as a loaner for a day and were underwhelmed by the plasticky bits, particularly the "titanium" center console. We both decided to pass on the car then, as we liked the '04 Maxima interior better and that car was selling for at least $6K less in real-world cost. The G35 was off our radar completely until we went to drive a leftover '04 FX35 last December and the salesman sat us down in an '05 G35 5AT. We were floored by the improvement in interior design and quality of materials.

That's just us. As long as you like your car, that's all that matters. What some guy on the Internet thinks about it doesn't mean a hill of beans.

 

Thanks for your response. I don't have the titanium center console as I did not opt for the sports suspension package. While the black plastic center console could be scratched easily(i have not had a problem) It can also be improved with the wood kit to add a classy look. I have decided not to sell my G even though gass is climbing. Mine can use 87 octane (per the manual) if prices get really out of hand. And if I purchased a car like my wifes passat diesel, I probably would only save about 70 -100 per month on fuel, not enough to say goodbye to my G. Not yet anyway.

 

I paid 42k out the door with navigation, spoiler, extended warranty for 100k miles and 4.4% to finance. The sticker on the car was 36, I paid 34.