If I were looking at a CTS/G35 comparison I think I'd throw the Pontiac G8 into the equation. It'll blow doors on the CTS and can be had w/ quite a bit of options for around 32k. I'd still get the G without much hesitation, but "best bang for the buck" might go to the G8, although at the end of the day you'd still be driving a GM (made in Australia).
The CTS exterior just has too much cheap-looking bling for my taste, and that huge bug-catcher just looks silly IMO, but many people must like it, it seems to be selling pretty decent. The CTS interior is quite nice though, I recently tested a new G37coupe, CTS, G8, and if a coupe were what I wanted I'd jump on the G37~I'll probably trade in our 07 G for a new G37 sedan in a couple years. The CTS just felt too clumsy compared to the G, the G8 was a very fun ride and had some serious launching power and I'd imagine it would start breaking away from the G after hitting 90mph. The interior of the G8 was definately a notch below the G, and IMO the G & CTS were close overall in interior, I like the layout & features a bit more in the CTS, but the Infinity had a higher quality feel to it IMO.
Welcome to the site Spudracer, hopefully a G is in your future~you won't regret it!

 

Ha, I owned the G8's father, a 2005 GTO with basically the same powertrain. Loved it. I would certainly consider the G8. I really like the styling and the price is very competitive. But, the mistress of the house has two criteria that it can't satisfy.

1.) She wants something with a noticeably tighter turning cirle than her current Merc R500 at 40 ft. The Pontiac/Holden is another 40 footer while the G35X claims 36 ft.
2.) The dominatrix demands Nav in her cars. She's addicted. Unfortunately Pontiac didn't see fit to offer a factory Nav unit in the G8, so far. I don't want the security hassle of a portable unit.

Also, while the Holden interior on the Pontiac is very decent, it's not quite up to the standards of the G35.

As for the CTS looks, you and my wife were reading from the same page. She thought the front was overdone and too low. Thought it looked like an old fogey's car.

 

Thanks,

Yes but as mentioned in my last post, a big reason we're looking at cars is to get my wife something with better manueverability. I was surprised to see the TL has a 40 ft turning circle like the boat she drives now. It's a relatively compact sedan and the turning circle is about the worst in it's class.

 

Hey Spud. As a new member myself I just went through the same process. I just turned in my 06 M off lease and was looking at the G and the CTS. I really liked the look and interior of the CTS except for one glaring issue. After 5 seconds in the driver seat I could tell that the length of the base of the seat was not long enough. There is almost NO support under your legs in that car. My wife's Lexus has this problem too and I can't ever get comfortable on longer trips. I didn't even drive it after a few minutes of messing with the seats.

I took the G for a test (thinking I would go for something a bit more sporty until the 2010 M's come out) and fell in love! This thing is a blast to drive!

My wife does not like the exterior of the Caddy at all.

I noticed you are looking at the tech package. I went this way as well. After driving the M for 3 years I got very used to all of the tech toys. The G now has all of them except the ventilated seats (which I will miss greatly) and the lane departure warning (which I will NOT miss at all. I had it turned off all the time). The backup camera in the G crushes the CTS park assist. The laser cruise is great but the hidden beneift is that the laser is always on and monitors closing distance of cars in front of you during normal, non-cruise driving. If the distance closes too quickly it will pre-pressurize your brakes and give you extra stopping power. I've used this! The pre-crash seat belts are awesome too (used these too a few times!).

So when I compared everything out I decided that the G was for me and I haven't looked back or regretted it for a second. OH and did I mention that the msrp was about $10k less for the G and since I was leasing the monthly payments ended up being hundreds less. No way I was paying that much for a GM car!

Anyway - both great cars and good luck with your decision. Keep us posted!

Jay

 

Thanks Jay,

Yep, it sounds like you were out cruising car lots with my wife on Saturday. The experience is pretty much identical, including the end point. I think we'll end up getting the G that we looked at Saturday if we can just whip the slightly sleazy dealer into shape.

 

Nice man, Im trying to see if I got a good deal or not. I recently purchased a 2008 G35xS which has Navigation, Premium, and Sport package. The MSRP on the car is $41,115 with invoice at $37,550. I got it for $37,200 (plus tax, title, registration, etc) after a $1000 rebate plus .9% financing. I think I could have gotten a better deal but wanted the car right away. What do you think? BTW, did you get the car?

 

CTS is a really nice car I am sure easy to pick a chick up at the Nursing Home.

tg

 

Hey, great idea! Go with it dude! I hope it works out for you this time! Always happy to help a pal get laid. Post up your exploits at Sunny Acres this weekend so we can share in your exploits.

 

No we haven't bought the car yet. LOL, the dealer has called us twice so far and moved $4,700 on our trade. I'm a little insulted by this crap. I generally will not do business with people who are not straightforward. It's just such a waste of time. I'm perfectly willing to let these guy's make a nice profit on the sale since I'm evaluating them for a long term relationship. I want a happy well paid service staff handling my needs. If these dodos had just put a decent set of numbers on the table, the deal would have been done in 20 minutes.

Your deal sounds pretty good. Better than what I was willing to settle for. A quick mental calculation says they have less than $1,000 in margin excluding any hidden incentives from Infiniti. What was the $1,000 rebate? I can't find any reference to a program like that. Only $3K cash or 0.9% financing.

The one we looked at had MSRP of $41,780 and an invoice price of $38,055 for an implied margin of $3,725. The $36,600 I mentioned before was the final price not invoice. Apologies for the error. The difference between MSRP and selling price was $5,180. Since they used the $3,000 rebate, another $2,180 came out of their margin. The margin they kept was $1,545.

Yours has an MSRP at $41,115 and an invoice price at $37,550 for a margin of $3,665. You got it at $37,200 or $3915 less than invoice. Since $1,000 of that was rebate, the other $2,915 was margin, leaving the dealer only $750 of margin. And you have the 0.9% financing.

That sounds pretty good to me. Again, we can't know their true cost picture.

 

Hey Spud, you're going to think I'm an idiot but I just realized yesterday that the MSRP on the car was $41,330 as I forgot they charged me for Splash Guards and the Cargo Net (go figure ) The invoice for that is $37,713 so in actuality, I only paid $500 above invoice before my $1000 rebate leaving them with about $500 in margin (based on your calculations). I purchased this car on labor day weekend and at the time they had a hidden $1000 rebate for current car owners (I think it was current Infiniti owners but the dealer gave it to me anyways with the .9% financing). I totally agree with you that maintaining a good relationship with the dealership is a must and the manager seemed very courteous. I could have walked out and tried my luck to get it for $500 less (at invoice) but they had exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for your help and making me realize I got a pretty good deal!

 

@ Spud: Incentives change monthly, and additionally, whenever Infiniti feels whimsical.

Now imagine if the VQ had VTEC changeover at 5500 rpm....

 

Mike, not sure if you're a dealer or not, but have you heard of advertising fees? I had an MB stealer tell me that Edmunds invoice was wrong as it did not include the $300-400 cost for advertising fees. What's up with that?!

 

Advertising fees do exist, but unless I am completely unaware, Infiniti does not have them. I have worked with other brands in the past that have them, and it is a legitimate cost. Don't, however, let that hinder your negotiations.

(I can only speak for the Western Region, where I am located. Maybe Kenny can tell us if the East has them.)

 

Thanks Mike. Yeah, I assume at year end it's always especially fast paced. And this year they're selling that 08 inventory into an economy for the history books. The consumer is tapped out, the banks are scared to lend, and competitors are fighting for their life.

I imagine marketing guys at every manufacturer are watching daily sales figures and meeting every 6 hrs to discuss tactics.....er incentives.