Hi all. I've gone through 2 vehicles this year. And I have about $5000 after 1 of them was totaled. I found a silver 150k mi G35x 2004 and got the seller down to $2350. I need a car ASAP to get to my jobs, one of which involves driving. I hope to keep the car for 2-3 years otherwise I would get a true beater. But can I maintain this vehicle affordably to last? And how long?
It looks minty fresh. I was happy with the maintenance on my 06 mustang V6 from 65 to 125k miles minus the timing chain guide breaking. And I'm in a slightly better financial position to maintain a car especially when I can get more hours at my second job due to being able to drive. 25 y/o male Connecticut. Not too chilly this year yet.

 

Do you work on vehicles yourself? Or do you take them in to a shop? If your a shop guy I say go for the Honda honestly. Not saying the g isn't a good deal but at 150k I would imagine quite a bit of suspension parts would need to be replaced and prices can add up quickly if a shop is doing the work.

 

I've replaced my own fuel pump, cam sensor, bypass hose, and front bumper. I'm intellectually curious but not adept by any means. Thank you for replying!

 

I say got for it! Great cars with a timeless design
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Will it last me 2-3 years more??? Without say more than $2000 in maintenance???

 

If it is mechanically sound, that's a pretty good price. I bought my 2004 with 132k miles on it and 3 1/2 years later I'm at 184k miles and have had very few repairs. Its been more reliable than my Accord.

 

What repairs did you make?

 

Here's my 04x. I've had it for 3 years and been happy with it. You can actually turn it into fully rwd by pulling the awd fuse in the driver side fuse box. It becomes more fun to drive around corners and saves you fuel. It has been reliable except for broken exhaust from bottoming out (i hit a raised manhole cover) and a bad front wheel bearing due to 28mm wider track (25mm spacer+3mm), cuasing extra stress on the wheel bearing. I quickly fixed both and fixed the exhuast with a custom setup. Here's how mine looks.





Performance mods
Off brand cai (near lower grill/ by the driver side splash guard)
1/2 plenum spacer
2.5" non res test pipes
Vhr racing ypipe
2.5" muffler delete
2.75" slant exhaust tip

Appearance
Blacked out front grill
Blacked out side markers
50 percent tint in the front
5 percent limo tint in the rear windows

Lighting
8000k HID xenon headlights
Full led interior (dome lights, doors etc)
Led License plate
Led reverse lights
Stock led brake lights and turn signal

Full Led sedan lowered on cut oem springs (free mod but harsh stiff on bad roads but at home at the twisties and corners, body roll, nose dive and sqaut are near nonexistent.) 25mm + 3mm wheel spacers all around. Tires are square 225/50zr17 Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2. The car handles like its on rails and changes lanes directions aggressively. It handles neutral with some oversteer at the limit. The power is also up noticably over stock. The car has always had good oem brakes so a set of drilled slotted rotors and some good pads will be good enough. The car shares much of its drive train, parts and chassis with the 350z and G35 coupe sport cars. Many performance parts are available to turn into a track race car, drift machine, a drag setup or even a daily. Suspension parts, turbo/supercharger kits, etc Its all available because of its Z and G coupe cousins. As for a daily, the gas can be bad it also requires premium. On the city i get about 17. I average about 20 mpg. On the highway i get up to 27-28 mpg with the awd fuse pulled (fully rwd) and due to the fact that I'm 3 inches lower than stock. The good is that you can carry 4 adult passengers and 3 suit case plus groceries. What other sport car can do all this at such a low price? Its a fun ride and doesn't rust easily unlike other brands. Mine has zero rust even though it's seen its share of snow and salt. Plus the VQ always sounds good with a simple muffler delete. Yes I recommend it.

 

Is there a way we can upload mp4 files? I want to upload a soundclip of my custom exhaust setup

 

Upload to YouTube and post the link here.

 

You're not going to want to hear this but this is what I think you should do, you don't have anywhere near enough money in your bank to be owning a luxury sports car. Get yourself an early 2000s Toyota Camry or Honda Civic that has no modifications whatsoever and just drive it. Both those vehicles have an excellent track record of very few failures whereas the G35 REQUIRES you to stick to the scheduled maintenance and you'll end up investing far more than an extra $2,000 into the vehicle.

 

Thank you. I doubt the seller has maintenance records because he flips car. If anything, he masks issues with cheap cars for resale. I'm eyeing a 2001 Corolla with 86k miles for $2k.

 

But there's this 83k mile dealership one for $4k. 2004 G35X Silver with the spoiler. It looks like a Skyline. HNNGGG. I might remain a member of this forum after all.
I don't patronize mechanics who charge $300 for a ball joint replacement. I make sure prices are right before the work is done. And I see myself as someone who can learn how to do his own work.

 

Overall, I think these older G's are great cars. Are they as cheap to maintain and own as a fwd compact? Absolutely not, but what is? My current G is an 04.5 with 161k, and I had an 05 with 254k when I sold it after putting 8k miles on it in a year.
If the power train is well maintained, then the main concern is the suspension and interior. The suspension is not cheap to maintain, but when it works, these cars handle like a dream. Any used car you buy will have quirks and issues, both my G's have and had them, but nothing that would stop me from buying another one in a heartbeat. These cars are durable, and when treated well can last 300k miles. I had a 99 Accord with 215k on it (65k was put on it by me), and man I liked the car, but they are just boring at the end of the day. No matter what you do to it, a corolla, or civic, it will not handle or be as fast a stock G35.

My opinion is you have the car inspected by a reputable shop/mechanic. If they give you a green light, then I personally would go for it. At least here on the west coast, G35's with less then 150k miles are getting few and far between. G35X's are extremely rare out here on top of that.

 

One just came up 148k miles. Cracked front bumper. Rear bumper dent pullable IMO. Comes with front right wheel bearing in box, possible service soon. $1800 obo. We're down to $1500. Having my mechanic look at it tonight. Ebay prepainted, salvaged bumpers with shipping under $250.