So I wake up on Saturday morning and looked foward to going to the Bay Area G/Z meet in Mountain View. At that point I did not have my G35 but I knew I would be getting it sometime in the coming week. I found the meet and it was great to see so many enthusiastic owners which made me want my car even more.
I unfortunately, but fortunately, had to leave early for a work related meeting and then another meeting at Infiniti of Serramonte to see if I could get a good deal on a 2004 6MT sedan throught he Costco program. The salesperson was helpful but at the same time he was a little 'cold'. He could get me the car for $750 over invoice but since there was no car with the specs I wanted, it had to be ordered which would take 2-3 months.
I had already been in contact with a salesperson at Peninsula Infiniti where I went on a test drive a few weeks ago. I went on the Infiniti site to see if there were any cars with the specs I wanted and sure enough, Peninsula Infiniti had the exact car which is a 6MT sedan, diamond graphite, willow, premium, and nav. So I call Jim Howland the salesrep up and he says the car is there and he could bring it out of storage since it just came off the truck to the dealer.
So we arrange to meet at 5PM and start talking. When I arrived the car was there in all its glory but it still had the white plastic or whatever that material is when the car is being shipped. So we go inside and start talking numbers. I knew I could get the car from the other dealer for $750 over invoice and I wanted that price from Peninsula since Jim was such a great guy and more importantly, they had the car with everything I wanted there.
After negotiating, we agreed on about a $1,000 over invoice plus I get some once every six months for three years detailing. So my final price before taxes and fees was $33,500. I knew I could have done better, but they had the exact car and they parked it in front of the window we were sitting, so when he would bring the bid from the manager, I would cringe, but look out and see the car sitting there. So I decided to take bite after all if I had to wait, registration fees would triple and even now I am still about $250 ahead compared to if I bought the car in a few months.
Jim Howland at Peninsula Infiniti is an absolutely great salesperson. Ever since day one on my first test drive, he was very knowledgable, courteous, and he is a zero pressure salesperson. He always made me feel very welcome and showed me that he cared about my buying experience. I would highly recommend anyone that is going to buy a car in the Bay Area to contact him.
Anyways, after we agreed on the price, he took me to the finance department where I paid them the money and signed all the forms. Then while this was happening the service department was getting the car cleaned up and prepped for pickup. After I signed the papers, Jim showed me around the dealer so I know where to drop the car off for service, and where I can buy replacement parts if I ever need to.
Then it was off to talk over the basics of operating the car and all the typical warning and break-in schedule which is a little different than the manual. He said you can take it up to 4500 rpm with no problems and break-in lasts usually 800 miles, but you can do the 1200 miles in the manual if you wish to be extra safe. I think I will do the latter as I plan on keeping the car for a long time. Then the car was ready and was brought out up to the front of the dealer where we went and he showed me the features and basics of the car. He said we can arrange another meeting where he can show me more advanced features of the navigation system, but since I am a tech guy, I will have no problems finding those out myself.
And so by the time we were done it was about 8PM and I was very excited to get going home. I drove it home nice and easily because I want to get fully aquainted with the car before driving like I normally do. So I went home and could not wait for the next day to go drive my new baby. For me it was truely a G-Day, first the G/Z meet, then buying my G, it was heaven and continues to be so. Today I have been driving around practicing getting my shifting smoother as this is the first MT car I have owned, but it is completely awesome.
There are only three problems which are not really problems, but rather annoyances. The first is the brake dust, I knew you guys on the forums said there is a lot of brake dust, but just from my 20 miles of driving there is quite a bit, do I have to clean it every day in order for the rims to look nice? Second thing which is more concerning is a burning rubber smell from the engine compartment after I brought the car home. I immediately called up the dealer to find out what is going on and they said it is probably just some plastic in the engine bay and if the smell does not go away in a day or so, call them. Luckily there are no smells today. Finally, the car's engine fan is very loud if you are standing outside when you turn the car on, luckily inside it is quite so that is not a problem. I have noticed the engine seems to produce quite a bit more heat than my Acura TL, is this normal or should I be looking out for anything?
I am still adapting to the car so I cannot really talk about the driving dynamics other than the the steering is firmer and provides more road feel compared to my TL. In a few days I will begin to drive it a bit more and will be able to comment more about the dynamics, especially once the break-in is complete. The engine sound is so amazing, it is such an aggressive purr, at least that is the way I describe it.
I have a few pictures here, they are not very good and I will be taking more pictures when I get some time and find a good place to take them. If the pictures don't work, please post and I will figure something out. Sorry for such a long post, but I am just so enthused right now as I am sure many of you owners recall from your early days of the car!
**Pictures**
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289059869
End of September Delivery of a 2004 DG 6MT Sedan
A Complete G-Day, and I Picked Up My G35! **Pics**
