I can't believe I'm writing this....I'm thinking about trading in my 2004 Coupe for a 2005 Sedan. I have the need for a more practical car with a larger trunk and the ability to seat four adults in good comfort. I like the G so that's why I'm keeping things in the family.

Anyone out there had this same experience? What are your driving impressions between the two cars?

 

I didn't trade from a coupe to a sedan, but when I was
buying.....
I def wanted a coupe & I still get that feeling when I see a nice one.
That said, I love my sedan & would make the same decision again.

With a few simple mods you don't give up much performance & handling.
The main thing is you loose a little style & gain a decent back seat & trunk.
It's great when you can get your foursome in the car when headed out to the course,
my clients love it.

 

Enzo,

I literally just completed the process of going from my 04 6mt coupe to an 05 6mt sedan. I picked up the new car last weekend. I struggled with the same dilemma for quite a while befor pulling the trigger.

I had the coupe for 13 months before getting rid of it on swaplease.com. I am sure, like you, I loved the coupe. Truly a terrific car. I simply wasn't driving it enough. I have a 1 yr old son and found it a pain in the a** with a car seat etc. I bit the bullet and got the sedan.

After a week of driving the new sedan, I will admit that I prefer driving the coupe. At the end of the day the coupe simply handles and holds the road much better. With that said, I feel I made the right decision. The sedan is a great car. It pulls very smoothly, the engine feels more refined thanks to the tweaking they did this year. Clutch and shifting are easily 50% smoother. Interior IMO, is much improved. I drove the car 250 mi last weekend, most of them with my wife and son in tow. I hated driving the wifes MDX on the weekends (the thing is a tank). All said and done, I made the right decision.

Good luck.

 

I almost bought the coupe in 2003 - first model year. Drove to San Antonio three different times, 3 hours 1 way, to drive it. Back then I waved off because I wasn't willing to bite the big bullet on insurance costs in Nueces county.

Watched the models evolve through 2003, then the freshening that got rid of the doggie door, then the 04s and so on. When I started reading about the 05s I knew I had to go back and look again.

6 trips to San Antonio and many test drives in each car later, I bought the sedan. I really enjoyed the coupe - felt 'sportier' for lack of a better word driving it - but knew in my head (my heart said 'who cares?') that it wasn't the right car. My lifestyle and the coupe would clash and I knew that would leave it sitting in the garage when it should be on the road.

3 months of ownership later, I don't regret the decision. I haven't owned the coupe, but I think sometimes as I'm loading stuff in the trunk that I wouldn't have been able to take the coupe on weekenders with all my stuff. When friends join my wife and I for a night out, we can take the G and they can climb easily into and out of the back seat - not happening in the coupe. Ladies my age don't appreciate being crammed in the backseat - especially when we're driving to San Antonio for a Spurs game or a concert. We'd be rolling the diesel.

Those were the kind of things that drove my decision and I know that for us and our lifestyle we made the right choice.

I don't think you give up that much in the way of performance, and handling is subjective to the driver so that would be your call. For me, no regrets.

Doesn't mean I won't buy a coupe (of some sort) to go alongside the sedan in a couple of years. As soon as my truck mods are done we may be looking for a three car garage.

 

enzo, only 'cos you're a member here am I willing to do this... but...

If you fly me to honolulu, I'll drive your car around for a week and give you my HONEST opinion about whether you should make the change or not. I'll be completely honest. I'll also need somewhere to sleep while I'm there. And some spending money.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

 

wow, your life story sounds like mine...well maybe excluding the part about having a 1-yo kid. hehe.

i have a 2004 G35 coupe with only 5000 miles. i owned it for about 13 months too. i hardly drive the car, but when i do i love it.

tell me, what do you think of the 2005 sedan's handling and power compared to the coupe. you talked about a little, but could you ellaborate? if anything, i guess i could check out the sedan at the dealership.

thanks!

 

hmmm sure... only if you are a HOT blonde with a gorgeous body, single with no kids, and willing to do anything!

and i'll even give you a place to stay.

 

You shouldn't feel guilty about anything. The 6MT sedan is right on par with the 6MT coupe. The sedan is actually lighter. The only reason the coupe handles better is that it has wider tires.

Looks are subjective. I like the the sedan look much better than the coupe. I believe the only reason the coupe looks better to some is the nicer wheels. I have never been a real fan of the coupe for a number of reasons. The single door makes the middle of the car look too stretched. The unusually large rear bumper reminds me of a middle aged woman with a huge a$$.

Chose a car for your needs. if you need four door, buy a sedan and don't look back

 

Wow...Having owned both Shodog I completely disagree, but as you said looks are subjective. The Coupe also handles better because of a lower center of gravity, more aggressive shocks and shorter springs. It is designed to handle better.

Enzo, Overall I am happy with the way the sedan performs. Keep in mind the engine, gearing, clutch, and transmission are the exact same as an 05 coupe. So if you traded your 04 coupe for an 05 coupe you would notice many of the same differences I stated earlier. Lighter clutch, smoother engine feel etc. The difference is simply the handling. There is definitely a bit more body lean and the sedan just doesn't feel as planted. Mind you this is no Honda Accord. It does handle very well. If you need 4 doors go for it, you won't be sorry. I drove the TL, Audi, and Bmw and came back to the g35sedan evertime. You should definitely test drive it.

Will you be getting the sedan in 6mt? I would recommend it, but if not make sure to get the sport suspension!

 

Yes I'm going to stick with a 6-sp with the sport suspension. Thanks!

 

I think you're going to be very happy with your decision. In my impression, the coupe, while certainly a sexier looking car, is not any faster in a straight, line, and only handles better at the extreme limits. Of course, on a track you'd rather have the coupe, but in daily driving, and up through 9/10ths, you'll definitely still know you're driving a G.

In my purchase decision, the performance advantage of the coupe wasn't nearly strong enough to make up for the lack of trunk, backseat, room, etc (not to mention price!) But that's just me, a definite sports sedan guy when it comes to the daily driver ...

 

I HAVE A 2004 G35COUPE AND MY WIFE DRIVES A 2004 G35X.
SOMETIMES MY WIFE GETS CONFUSED IF SHE'S IN A COUPE OR THE SEDAN.
WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT THE INTERIOR OF THESE VEHICLES ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL MINUS THE NICE ROOM IN THE BACK SEAT AND A NICE SIZED TRUNK.
PERFORMACE WISE ..STRAIGHT WAY IS ALMOST THE SAME UNLESS YOU ARE BEATING THE CAR, AND HANDLING ON THE SEDAN IS NOT BAD AT ALL.
AND IF YOUR GETTING A 6MT WITH THE SPORT PACKAGE YOU SOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE....
IF YOU COULD LIVE WITH TWO MORE DOORS I SAY YOU SHOULD GO FOR IT!!

 

ALL CAPS means your yelling. Take a pill and calm down. I'd like to get rid of my sedan for a coupe. Actually I'd like to do a trade but if I were to bite the bullet and trade-in losing my shirt in the process I'd probably go for an S2000.

My story is the opposite. I bought the sedan with an auto because we have two kids and my wife needed to drive the car. Year later we buy a Honda Odyssey... sucks I hate automatics and I don't need 4 doors. In the last 13months I can count on one hand the number of times more than 2 people were in my car.

 

I went from a G-Sedan which I was happy with (even unmodified) to a Coupe which I loved, but as you say has certain drawbacks. Now I'm back into a Sedan (an M) which suits me much more.

The G cars are different rides but are very similar in performance. I'd give the performance edge (small as it is) to the Coupe. The practical edge, which is more important to some of us, goes to the Sedan.
Esthetically, I find both the Coupe and Sedan equally beautiful, so for me it came down to a matter of purpose and need.

My $.02
C.