I went and looked at the Audi's and the BMW's today. In Wisconsin it is illegal for dealerships to be open, so I could only look. I just can't bring myself to liking the looks of the 3 Series BMW. I like the looks of the Audi A3, but I worry about dependability. The G is still at the top of what is becoming a short list. I did like the looks of the Mercedes, but, yikes, the price!

 

I was in the same situation about a month ago...was not able to decide between a preowned 2002 330i with 10K miles or a new G35(approx same price ~33K). But after driving both the cars back 2 back the decision was easy to make. Got the BMW. G35 was not even close in refinement. BMW just felt more classier.

 

"more classier"??? Okee dokey then....

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

I picked up my g35 sedan sports suspension 2 days ago. I traded in a 328i 1997. i looked at new 330i, lexus is300, passat 4 motion, 325i. picked the g35 because it was the best car all around. It really is the BEST car all around. However, not the BEST in every category. I, don't see the Acura falling into this cars category unless I am missing something. My buddy has the Acura S package. Nice car, but isn't it front wheel drive. I am also anti-all wheel drive since you get a heavier car and lose on handling and power from those rear wheel drive cars.

Pros:
-Power, torque, guts. Tops every car I listed above.
-handling. bmw,lexus and infiniti tie here in my opinion. Each has its own personality. You have to judge for yourself. I still say bmw has this category
-feel- the overall feel on this car tops them all.

Cons-
-small side view mirrors and visibility out of back window
-titanium plastic center inside looks decent, but will probably scratch easy.
-nervous about having a car with xenon lights. they get stolen all the time.

BMW is just way too expensive for what you get. They also cost a ton to keep up. I know, I had one. However, if I was rich and money was no issue, i'm riding the M3.

 

valtandc,

Thanks for your thoughts. I am impressed by how many people did their homework; it is saving me a ton of time. I still haven't driven a BMW, but from what I hear from people who have, they are superior in handling and interior quality. But you are exactly right, the price is not worth it. Plus, I think the G is a much nicer looking vehicle. You make a good point about the weight of AWD, but in Wisconsin even with snow tires a rear-wheel drive car is too impractical. I drive 30 minutes both ways to work and can't afford to get stuck. I'm hoping the AWD option doesn't make the price unafforable for me. The Infiniti website has exerpts from a MOTOR TREND episode which compared the G with a Cadillac and a 3 Series BMW. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, the Infiniti won every category! Thanks for your pros and cons! They were quite helpful. I'm heading to the BMW dealership today to take one for a spin, but I think my mind is already made up!

 

I'm glad you're doing your homework, fotodad! When I found out I was getting a new car (graduation gift from college), I started researching right away. To tell you how long I looked at cars, the G wasn't even on the market when I started looking. Let's just say I'm thorough. This car, overall, blew away every other car I drove... I recall leaving the Lexus dealership having driven the ES and IS300s (and having been .thoroughly unimpressed). I got back in my SHO and thought "Sheesh, am I ever going to find a car more fun to drive than this thing?". As soon as I told my passenger this, the Infiniti sign came over the horizon. Talk about omens.
G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint
Indianapolis, IN

 

First of all, I really love this car. I would have loved to get the sedan with a manual transmission, but since my wife drives it a lot, I had to get the automatic. It's still a lot of fun to drive, though.

My 3 favorite things:
1. Power
2. Handling
3. Unique styling

3 Least favorite things:

1. Poor gas mileage. Highway mileage is OK, but in city driving, it really eats up the gas. Not very economical.
2. Visibility. I find that the various pillers are always right in my sighline, and the rear view mirror seems to hang too low for me. These are not big issues, however.
3. Brushed aluminum interior seems a little cheap. It seems to scratch easily.

The only other negatives would be that the front wheels need to be cleaned a lot because of the large amount of brake dust. That's just the price we pay for the amazing stopping power of this car, though. I also don't like the foot-pedal parking brake that comes with the auto tranny. I would really prefer a handbrake. The controls for the seat adjustments are a little awkwardly placed, and it's easy to miss the one you want and adjust the wrong thing.

These items are really just nits, however. From a value standpoint, you just really get a lot for your money. I love the way the car handles, and I really like the firm ride. I opted for the sport suspension, which some people may find a little too firm. I like the way it neutralizes the relatively high driving position so that the car doesn't lean or sway too much. All things considered, I think it's the best car in it's class.

 

Pros:
1. Value
2. Power and handling
3. Room for the whole family

Cons:
1. Gas mileage (averaging only 15mpg after 6K miles)
2. Seat cushion uncomfortable because of controls
3. Not enough power steering boost at low speeds

HTBomb's Magical Hot Wheels

 

pros:
price to performance ratio (ran a 14.4 stock at 1700 ft and I am not a good driver)
agile
low end torque

cons:
215mm width tires on a performance sedan??????
lack of telescoping steering wheel
brakes are very crappy for dust and wear. plan on changing them every 15-20k miles

Better Life thru Chemistry

 

Pros:
1. Power
2. Size/Room (you get a GS/5 series size at an IS/3 series $)
3. Styling

Cons:
1. Gas Mileage
2. Terrible Service (only dealership around for ~170 miles and they act like it in sales and service.)
3. I'm willing to bet $$$ that I have the G with the most problems out there. You name it, I got it, which wouldn't be so bad if #2 was different and they could actually fix half of them.

 

Figure I'll throw my opinions into the mix...

Cons:
1. It would be nice to have a telescoping steering wheel like the 2004 Nissan Maxima.
2. Don't care for the brakes.
3. Seem to be a lot of maintenance issues that quite simply shouldn't exist with this near-luxury marque.

Pros:
1. Of course, Performance to Dollar value.
2. Number of available and future modifications.
3. Women love it...

"All the Power in the World resides in the Eyes..."

 

SnMDesignStudio,

Your #3 con is the one that worries me the most about buying this car:

"3. Seem to be a lot of maintenance issues that quite simply shouldn't exist with this near-luxury marque."

I understand NO car is going to be problem free, but it seems that when an auto buyer throws down $30K or more on a high end automobile he/she should not have to worry AS MUCH about repair/rattle/teething issues. If I were buying a Chevy or Ford or even Camry or Accord I would understand why people are discouraged by the problems that are often listed in this forum. But this is Infiniti, Nissan's high-end, best of the bunch, top of the line, not some thrown-together-in-an-hour automobile. I worry about Infiniti's quality control. On the other hand, some have made an excellent point: Only those with problems voice them. Those who are pleased and satisfied with their Gs say little.

 

Very valid concern... one thing you might want to consider is that the '03 is the first run. You'll get an '04-- probably with many of the "rattles" etc. fixed. TSBs were issued for most of the things we gripe about, so I have no doubt they will be taken care of on the next model. BUT... you'll get a whole different set of little gripes [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint
Indianapolis, IN

 

Excellent point made by GeoBau- the first run of any automobile is a risk, and when next year's models come out there can be other issues that come up when the previous issues are addressed...Don't let my complaint bother you too much- I still absolutely love my G and think it's the best in its class...My gripe wasn't made to discourage anyone- I think BMW has no excuse for its speedo issues, just like I think Jaguar's maintenance issues are inexcusable...I'm not saying that Infiniti has dropped the ball and ignored Quality Control, I just think a luxury marque should be as trouble-free as possible...But you can't achieve perfection- you just have to get close, and the G is definitely very close...

"All the Power in the World resides in the Eyes..."

 

For what its worth, in Sept I will have had my G for a year. No problems. Had it back to the dealer once for a recall.