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Thoughts on in Infiniti G37/G35


Zetsaz

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My beater of a daily finally went up in glorious flames (figuratively of course) to the point where repairing it would cost more than it would sell for. (Not technically if I fixed things myself, but my time is valuable....)

 

Brother has suggested I buy a G37 as a new daily. When he had his first accounting he bought a G35 as a daily. At the time it cost as much as the G37 does now and he was making about the same as I am now.

I could probably drop like $5k or maybe a bit more on a down payment and the loan would end up being less than I've had to pay monthly just to keep my current car roadworthy.

 

That being said, anyone have any experience with these two cars? Pros/cons? 

 

 

Side note: Not looking to buy a 350 or 370. Just not practical enough for me to have a 2 seater in a modern daily, even though that's what I was tempted to do with the Z. 

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I seriously considered a slightly older g35 (post facelift) sedan when my car's transmission needed replacement. They look real nice and the ride is good, interior is plush and the analog clock is a nice touch. The sedans have a very muted exhaust so it doesn't sound like the FX35 or the 350z, whether you consider that a plus or a minus is up to you. Price wise they are pretty decent, but I would factor in a couple grand  saved up just in case the engine decides to go, or maybe pickup mechanical insurance coverage. Generally low maintenance, quite a few people have gotten them up to 200,000 miles.

 

Major con is loans suck. A necessary evil in life, but if the car breaks down while you are still paying money back on the loan it can really make you angry. That is more of a situational con vs a vehicle con. I guess they don't get the best gas mileage, the backseat isn't exactly comfortable (better then an accord or civic, but still cramped). I think most sedans are AWD which means that you have to buy tires in groups of 4. The intelligent AWD can be a little off catching if you aren't expecting it, as it will move power around when you loose grip suddenly turning into a FWD car if the back steps out, not a terrible thing, but if you were planning to control a minor slide and suddenly the rear end looses power and the front end grips it can be slightly jarring.

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This is all very helpful actually. My brother has a G35 and I love it, but he suggested I go with the 37. Looking at getting the coupe, RWD.

 

Loans definitely suck, and so does maintenance but that's part of why my brother suggested I get the G37. Much newer, lower mileage, not as much time for boy racers to get their hands on them and mess with them since they're still above that crowd's budget usually, or they go for subarus, which I was considering but I don't like the cheap feeling interior and having to mess with turbos on a daily. Gas mileage from what I've read is similar to what I'm getting now in the old Maxima, I'd just be paying a bit more for premium gas. 

 

Mostly I was hoping someone had any experience on reliability and maintenance or common problems.. Want to commit to something really nice already so I don't have to worry about more than oil changes/general maintenance for a while. 

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I can't speak much to the G37 as an owner, but my mom had one and loved it. It seemed lightyears above the G35 in terms of build quality to me.

 

I have a 2004 G35 Sedan, and it has about 140K miles on it. It is not aging well. The VQ35DE starts hemorraging oil all over the place around 100k, and one of the main culprits are the plastic valve covers that warp. This leads to spark plug tube seal failures and the base gasket leaking all over the exhaust manifolds. Since they made the decision to build the tube seals into the valve covers, a $3 repair just became a $300 repair (per side). You have to pull the intake plenum to get to them, so you need that gasket set as well. 

 

Aside from that problem, the interior hasn't been holding up well either. One of the leather inserts on the rear door started to separate about 30k miles ago; i just pulled it off. The steering wheel has a lot of sun deterioration on it, and some of the weather strips in the door jambs seem to be making a lot of wind noise. This car seems to eat brakes, and I've had to replace the front inner control arm bushings due to failure. Though admittedly those both may just be my wife's driving. 

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Aha, that's more of what I was hoping to hear. My oldest brother had asked if the G37 was really worth the extra money to me and I think it might be fore exactly that. Brother that does accounting and owns the G35 is the one who suggested I spring for an early G37.

 

I've read that the oil issue was "fixed" or at least greatly improved on the G37

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My wife drove an automatic G37 sedan for a while (I think an 09). All sedans are certainly not AWD, as hers was RWD. It was great car and we had no issues at all with it. She wanted more space so traded it in on  new 4Runner (which personally I don't like at all, but she does...) She only put about 15-20k on it before trading it in, but never really had any issues with it other than a minor transmission hiccup. This actually led to part of the reason she wanted to trade it in. Where we live, the closest Infinity dealer is about 5hrs away, and the Nissan dealer here didn't know what they were doing with this car. She ended up having to take it to Austin to get the trans fixed (was only a programming issue). She had a base model, but I would spring for the S, if only for the way better front seats (the S seats have the thigh extenders and were a lot firmer/ comfortable to me). 

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If G35, search for the 2006-07 models. If I remember correctly 2005 and before had random engine issues, which issues were fixed post 2005 models. I do not have any experience with the G37 model, but I do prefer that model. Very sharp. My friend has a G35 that is his daily and he beats it on occasion and never gave him an issue. Windstorm, hailstorm, and floods never affected it (He is just lucky I think). I drove it a few times and I enjoyed it very much. I also drove the 2 door version, a bit sportier but rear seat access is not as easy. Depends on what your looking for.

 

I have been searching for one also, but balancing a nice used daily or a new tacoma once the wife's SUV is paid off.

 

Good luck on your search.

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I also am looking into a g series in the x model. Interesting to hear all the reviews on here. Some of the 04/05 models here range from 5k to 12k. It's kinda odd like that and considering a 37 starts at 12k and goes up to 18k might make the 37 worth the extra. My current daily is a 95 Altima with 370,000 km on it and I think it will last past 500 but I wouldn't mind the upgrade! I know to get better economy and power out of the motor many people recommend the plenum spacer. I wonder what the real world mileage is like. My wife's 06 murano isn't so hot and only likes 91 octane.

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Go for it. A 35 is more affordable than a 37, but both have their advantages. I just sold my 07 350 to get a tow rig, but I wouldn't go below an 07. The VQ35HR is an awesome engine. All the DE owners claim they are equal but if you've ever driven both.. You'll know the difference.

 

Handling on the G platform is supposedly equal to the Z but the sedan has a little less IMO from the track day opinions I've heard of sedan owners. That being said, get what compromises your budget and desires.

The "cheaper" versions of the G I disliked such as the X but I'm mainly partial to the Z platform and its legacy so a G coupe is pushing it anyway lol

 

But.. As far as the VHR and HR engines go.. Outstanding. Can tastefully modify and still get good MPG. Wife's Bolton 350 gets like 27 highway. Also road courses all summer. Go 6 speed.. CD009 is where it's at, but the auto seems a little weird to me. Again, Z fan with spirited work commute.

All in all, can't go wrong with either. G37's can me made sweet!

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That one looks nice! I'm already approved for a loan at 3% and I've found a nice G37s not far from me. Looks like I might be making a deal in the next couple days after talking to the seller. If everything checks out I'll be sure to post some pictures!

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Older than '06 watch out on the manual transmission models. Lots of transmission revisions up until the 06 model years to the synchros for premature wear and failure.

 

Yeah, I'm probably not going for the G35. As much as I like my brother's it's getting hard to find one that isn't either high mileage or just highly modified. I'd prefer close to stock.

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I've had a G37 convertible for six years and love it. The 325 HP engine and the throaty exhaust note make it a fun ride. My experience at the local dealership has been top notch. Gas mileage isn't the best, but this is a car that begs you press hard on the "go" pedal.

Dennis

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Made a deal on a G37s 6MT. A little bit over KBB price, but it has pretty much every mod I would have wanted on it, the engine is untouched and it's low-ish miles for an '08 at 65k. Sitting on BC coilovers, has the IPL front bumper I like and an ARK exhaust that sounds a little deeper but isn't obnoxious.

 

Should hopefully get everything tomorrow, but it's a huge hassle having my cosigner in another state.

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I got a thing yesterday! Pardon the subpar pictures in less than ideal lighting. Also had hdr turned on on my phone somehow. Made the drive home to Utah from Washington for spring break yesterday mostly without a problem. Front tires are worn and need to be replaced but I already knew that before buying, and I hit a relatively large bird while driving through Idaho at about 1 in the morning that put a tiny tiny chip in my previously immaculate windshield. Other than that I'm really enjoying it. The gtr start button is a nice touch and I love the keyless entry. Coilovers are sitting a bit low for my taste, but fortunately I can adjust that.

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