Hey Guys, I am new to the forum and would like some help. My wife and I are looking to sell our house and buy another. After we close, I have been promised by my wife to allow me to purchase the car of my dreams and I dream of a G35 MT with the sports package. With a dream like that I have questions:

1. Has anyone used an internet websites for online purchase of their car? I have found websites like FleetRates and Cars.com where they promise to get you the car you want cheaper through mass e-mailing the internet departments of Infiniti dealerships with your desires. Who's good a who's a bad one and are any of them worth the time and effort?
2. When does Infiniti plan on changing the G35? I know companies like Honda work on a five year cycle and since I may not be actually buying for a year, should I suck it up for a little while longer to get the new body style?
3. My heart leans towards the MT but the AT seems to come with a few things that make me waffle. I dig the IntelligentKey and rear vents only available in the AT. Why did you go with the one you did (tranny wise) and how do you feel about now as an owner?
4. How do the group purchases work and are they worth it? What has been your experience with them?

Thanks ever so much for your time and help.

 

I'm also in the market for my dream car - 6mt. In case you didn't know, the 6mt comes with the sport package standard. I want the 6mt because I want the performance and control.

The word is that Infiniti will change the design in 07. The 06's shouldn't be that different from the 05's since the 05 has lots of changes.

 

Where are you located? We've got some members on the board that work at the dealerships.

-ted

 

Jacksonville, Florida

 

Shopped the car from 03 thru 05. Originally (and very nearly bought) an 03 coupe with the manual. Didn't like the price and was heading to sea duty (Navy) so decided to wait.

Looked again in 04. Decided against the coupe but wasn't crazy about the look of the 04 sedan. Waited some more.

Saw the revised 05 sedan and lost my mind. Bought one. Switched from 6MT to 5AT because I wasn't crazy about how the 6MT felt and felt lazy about shifting in traffic. Bought a 5AT.

Love the car, love the choices, no regrets. The only things I don't like about the car are the auto-headlights (have to switch through them to get to the 'on' position - I thought that should be reversed) and it's very hard not to speed when you hear that growl coming from the rear.

Either way you go, you'll love the car.

I shopped on the Internet, arranged all aspects of the deal over the Internet, then drove to the dealer and took delivery. It was a very smooth process.

I lived in Jacksonville for about 7.5 years. Stationed at Cecil Field and NAS Mayport. Great city. I'm a veteran of many 'River Runs...'

Take care!

 

In May I was under the same dilemma. I wanted a 6 speed G35 Sedan(All manual transmission G35 Sedans come with the sport package). I hated the look of the 04’s and I loved the 05’s so I only considered an 05. I drove the manual transmission and then the automatic back to back. However, I did not try the automatic in manual mode. I completely forgot that it had that. I really didn’t like how abrupt the clutch engagement was on the manual transmission but I also am not too fond of slushboxes. I looked at some of the posts on these boards and realized that I could get a pretty good deal on these cars. If you pay anything more than $500 over invoice on an 05 sedan you are being ripped off. Heck now I bet you could easily get one for invoice with the 06’s coming in the next couple of months. Anyway I realized that I could not get the rear air vents and the ultra cool keyless system with the manual. Since I have a 22 month old son who rides in my car a lot I really needed those two features. I went back and test drove both cars again. This time I drove the automatic in the manual mode. I was still a little disappointed in the manual transmission but this time I really enjoyed the automatic. That was enough for me. I had the numbers all worked out ahead of time. The dealer offered me like $500 off the sticker and I said I know everyone is paying invoice for these cars. Then he came back with a reasonable offer about $500 over invoice that I accepted. If you go through the internet companies they are going to get you aleast $1000 over invoice which is a rip off. Just go into the dealer prepared and well informed. Also if you have a toddler I would strongly suggest the automatic. The few extra features that it has are absolutely necessary with small children. The 06 model will have some nice features like Bluetooth. However, I don’t think they will discount those for quite some time. I would rather save the extra $2500 but that is just me. Anyway drive both the auto and the manual transmission cars and let us know which one you go home with!

 

On carsdirect.com, the sedan is selling for something like $300 over invoice, which means that the dealer through which carsdirect is going is basically selling the car AT invoice or below, since they have to pay carsdirect I think $550 on top of the selling price.

Contact your friendly neighborhood dealer's internet/fleet sales department and use the carsdirect price as a starting point for negotiations. You should make out fine with very little hassle.

 

I agree with what mpgxsvcd said.

I just got a quote for slightly under invoice on an '05 G35X and am finally taking the plunge this weekend . Find a dealer with a big inventory and pick one from their lot. You can also get 1.99% for 36 months if you buy before August. Always shop at month end.

 

thanks everybody I appreciate the advice. My paranoid wife is afraid that putting a 30K+ car on our credit will raise eyebrows when we try to get another house. Therefore I will have to wait a little while but, in the end I know it will be worth it. It seems with the G and now the M kicking German butt, Infiniti is moving up in the respectability arena. I can't wait for a Car and Driver showdown between the G, the 330 Beemer and the new IS. What a job. Thanks again everybody.

 

I too, am here due to the Navy. Got stationed here in '94 as a Corpsman Surgical Tech, and did two tours at the hospital here. I then got out to finish up college and recently graduated from University of North Florida with a Bachelor's in nursing. Hence the reward for me- a 'G'. My wife believes the reward is a bigger house we can fill with babies. I love her so we will get the house first. She's just happy that I am thinking sedan instead of coupe, though.

 

If you're buying the car you're "allowed" to have...then I don't see any problems. Buy what your heart tells you is right. I don't need to tell you why I bought an auto trans (and it wasn't because that's the only trans available for G35X). How do I feel about it now? Well, I'm not posting about transmission (clutch) issues.

Purchase from someone you trust. Not because they are local, cheapest, or some other criteria. Does the dealer seem helpful, responsive, and courteous?

The G35 is not likely to change before the 07 model year, and I'd expect changes then to be modest, like the 05 changes. Some 05 buyers’ will tell you that the differences between their cars and the 04's are substantial. Maybe to them they are. But when the 07 model rolls into town they'll be saying, "not such a big difference" with their cars. If you're expecting a 6mt G35X or a G40, don't hold your breath. The next big change will be cosmetic.


Group car buys? Do you really want to tie your car purchase to the someone else's purchase? I guess I don't get how that can work.

 

Go with your heart and get a 6mt, not only do you get 18 more HP over the AT, it's way more fun to drive.

I know its hard to give up the Intellikey, rear vents and the auto assist exit for an MT car but it's well worth it. Clutches have never been an issue. If they were you would see a post about them every few days like the brake issue.