I am going to have to give up my 02 330i to my daughter when she turns 16 later this year and I have been told by my BMW mechanic not to buy a new BMW if I want to keep it past the warranty period.

So, I am going to replace it with a G35 sedan--probably a 2007 model. I have a few questions:

1-Do you have to buy the sport model to get good handling and braking characteristics? you have to have the sport package for BMW--the magazines always test with it and when they rarely test one without the differences are huge.

2-I drive about 24 thousand miles a year and expect to keep this car until it has around 150 thousand miles on it. Is there any particular model/option I should be wary of? (many of my model BMW's had auto tranny problems)

3- I notice there is a large price premium for the 2007 over the 06--is that mainly due to the noticeable cosmetic changes and the new ones looking "newer" or was there a significant upgrade to the car that makes the 07 a lot better than the 06.

thanks very much for any and all advice.

(If your answer is use the search function, my answer is that I plan to but gleaning that kind of in depth information takes a lot of time and I hope some of the answers I get will provide me with search topics.)

 

Had an 07 G35, then thought I was upgrading to an 02 BMW 745Li, then went back to a brand new 09 G37. Your dealer speaks the truth, don't count on BMWs as your daily driver after the warranty is up, unless you have a nice side bankroll to keep it on the road

The standard Journeys have pretty solid brakes and handling, the S has improved braking, limited slip differential, side bolstered and thigh supported seats, bigger wheels, better tires and paddle shifters. If you really push your car hard on a regular basis the S would be a wise choise. If you like spirited driving and just a fun responsive sport sedan the regular Journey is just fine IMO.

The major improvement in the 07s from the previous generation was the higher output VQ motor, improved interior, more refinement and freshened styling.

Not much to worry about w/ Infiniti Gs, the VQ engine is a Wards top 10, and most problems tend to show up early on to be taken care of w/ the warranty.
The new 7 spd Auto trans has a few issues (which seem to be primarily software related and are getting new updates as time goes on) trans reliability seems to be fine.

Coming from a BMW (which are awesome when everything is working), I doubt you'll have much to worry about w/ this car.
HTHs

 

1) The difference is definitely there which is mainly due to the thicker sway bars, stiffer suspension/springs, brakes etc. I recommend driving both and seeing if you really need the S package per your driving needs as the non-S is also a good handling vehicle.

2) IMO both tranny's are fine and the engine has been the top10 best for 14 or 15 years so these cars are pretty reliable and lasting with most members having touched 50k without nay serious problems except a few rare cases.

3)Cosmetic PLUS the engine has been rebult/improved with 80% new components, a person here got his car TT and posted pics comparing the 06 to the 07 engine and the parts were much stronger and willing to take more abuse, plus you get a more refined engine as the old ones tended to "run out of breath" (as many put it) near the redline.

 

The guys^ have pretty much covered things.
re the difference between '06 and '07
This difference is MUCH more than a cosmetic change.
I've owned both and found that the '07+ 2nd gen car made significant improvements over the '03-'06 1st gen cars.
Definitely get the 07 if it fits the budget.




(former BMW owner as well)

 

Came from an 01 330ci, had so many problems the day I bought it in 02. especially the sub frame issue which BMW refused to fixed since I had coilovers, but finally got it addressed after going though corporate. Sold that car immediately after buying my 07 sports

You won't be disappointed with either the Sports or non-sports models. The Sports has a harsher ride, but makes up for it in the handling department and better seats. The Journey non-sports is more of a cuiser, smoother over bumps, slightly quieter on the road. When driving both you'll notice a great difference between the 2. You should also note there’s a slight cosmetic difference form the Sports and the non-sports package (front bumper, side skirts). My G has been solids after 3 years of ownership..

 

Others have covered your questions, so I'll simply add:

1. This is my 3rd Nissan product. My '95 Maxima (VQ engine) was still running like a watch at 130k miles, my '03 Maxima is still running my sis-in-law around at 135k miles (VQ engine - she just replaced the radiator, that's about it), and no complaints with my G
2. Based on auto mag reviews, you should find the 2nd gen G to be significantly more powerful than your 330, but possibly feel less 'refined'. A test drive should tell you tho., and I personally picked the power
3. I don't find the ride in my Sport model particularly harsh. I will say that some have reported the Sport seats are too narrow for 200+ pounders. At 170 they feel great

Good luck!

 

Wow...thanks for the very informative responses.

I drove an 03 G that a friend bought when they first came out and really liked it. I am really looking forward to getting one now.

My daughter doesn't turn 16 until November so I would say the 07s should be easy to find in my price range by then--should be some coming off of leases and with the new model year coming out people will start trading them in.

I had a Subaru WRX before I bought the BMW and both had very supportive and active online communities....I am really pleased to see this one is just as good.

thanks again and I'll probably post more when I get serious about my search late next summer.

 

Glad that you found us here Rollo, good luck with the search.

 

Hi Rollo - I don't know what climate you live in but you may want to consider the G35x as well.

Road and Track Magazine tested the G35S vs the G35X. (07+)
Rear Drive vs. All-Wheel Drive: That Is the Question

For fun, we brought a rear-drive Infiniti G35 to our autocross and compared it with its all-wheel-drive G35x brother, in both wet and dry conditions with VDC yaw control switched off. We assumed the rear-driver would be quicker in the dry, given its ability to hang out its tail and help the driver tighten his line. But in the wet, we were confident the all-wheel-driver would have a tremendous advantage, hooking up better out of turns. Here's what we learned:

Well, we were wrong on one front, right on the other. Based on group average times on the dry autocross, the awd G35x proved itself faster, surprising us with its rear-biased manners and lapping nearly a second (0.9 sec.) quicker than the rear-drive G35. In the wet the G35x fared even better, 1.3 sec. quicker than the rear-drive G35.

Credit goes to the electronically controlled awd system, which maintains a rear-drive bias while endowing the car with improved stability. Don't get us wrong, the G35x still liked to hang its tail out, but the driver didn't need to be quite so careful with the throttle to keep the car's back end in check. In the rear-drive G35, the driver had to be far less aggressive with the throttle (and quicker with corrections) to post respectable times. Wet or dry, the awd G35x was far easier to drive quickly.

Here is a short but very good article about the 2007 G35 sedans.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2006/1...35-sedan-2.htm

 

One other thing to consider~If you have more than one driver driving the car on a regular basis be sure to have the other driver check the seat comfort before signing the deal. I'm on my 2nd G and I would have had two S Gs by now if it were only up to me, my wife hates the sport seats and we just couldn't pull the trigger because of it, I love both Gs and you can't go wrong w/ either (or the X too). Glad you find this forum to be a good one & welcome

 

Your daughter is lucky to have a father like you, giving her a Bimmer for her 1st ride nevertheless.... Good Luck on your new purchase

 

wow, no idea it fared that well to the RWD G.

 

You guys are so nice...all these replies and not a single person directing me to search first...

I am leaning toward the S to some extent because of the seats. I love the seats in my sport pkg BMW and the S seats look similarly supportive. However, I would consider an X if I see an exceptional one for an exceptional price (I read that article excerpted above as part of my earlier research). My recollection of that 03 (non-sport) G I drove was that the handling was superb--of course I was driving a Lincoln LS at the time so my "handling" expectations were probably lower.

My daughter is lucky--and has no idea how lucky. My 330i will have around 145000 miles on it when I give it to her--but those are mostly highway miles and I maintain it meticulously. The thing is, I can't buy her anything nearly as safe for the money I could get if I sold the BMW.

The 330 has AMAZING brakes, traction control, stability control, front and side air bags, and is a 4000 pound car. AND, I know how it has been maintained for the past 100k miles. That being said, she will never be able to appreciate how awesome that car is and that makes me a little sad. I also hope to keep my G until my 9 year old son is 16 so he can have it.

thanks again for the most excellent, informative and friendly conversation.

R

 

The springs and the sway bars are the SAME on journey and sport models. The sport has stiffer rear shocks, a different steering ratio, and staggered wheel/tire sizes (wider in back gives a slightly different feel around curves and a little more grip during heavy acceleration). The journey is not cushy by any means.

If you're driving 24K miles/year you'd save $$ in tire replacement costs with the journey (17" tires are cheap, and same size front and back means you can rotate and prolong life). On sport you can only rotate side-to-side (dismount/remount on directional tires) and the higher performance tires will usually wear out faster. Sport package could double your tire replacement cost over time.

BMW sport seats are MUCH more comfortable than G sport seats, so try before you buy (even if it means sitting in the car in a parking lot for an hour). The journey seats are nothing special, but they get the job done.

 

Dealer mechanic? Or independent? Any wisdom from the mechanic on the 15K+ oil change interval?

I thought BMW transmissions were better than average (sourced from GM, I think). Not true?

I wanted a 3-series but decided it was too small -- and afraid of run-flat tire headaches and cost.