[bostonmerlin]

been lurking around the board for a few weeks now.. been on the fence between the 330ci and the g35c. The clincher was looks. I just couldnt see myself in a 'sedan'. regardless if the 330ci is a coupe.. it looks like a sedan with two less doors. I wanted the 'BMW' name.. i wanted that status symbol in my garage but when it came down to it.. name alone wasnt enough.. my fiance owned a 528i and now an audi a6. i love them both.. great great machines. however.. the g35 is such a 'ballsy' machine i couldnt resist.

i was able to get my order in from a dealership here in boston, ma. Test drove on wed and put my deposit down thursday morning as they were ordering their april allocations.. i'm in!!

i've agonized over the 330ci and the g35c.. then i thought my self crazy over black vs willow. I "personaly" do not like the titanium finish in the car.. there is just too much "in my opinion".. after sitting in a willow automatic for a while i determined that the titanium finish merged quite nicely with the light color interior.. however.. because i live in the NE... the winters can get fairly nasty.. so snow, mud, ice, salt etc.. were all concerns.. especialy if i had to keep that light colored interior clean!!

On the other hand.. i love dark colors and have always had battleship gray enteriors.. first in my honda crx si then my jeep wrangler.. absolutely love it!! the black interior of the g35c draws so much focus to the titanium finish its hard for me to get over.. ; however, in the end i decided on a fully loaded, aero, prem, nav black ext with black graphite interior. it wasnt an easy call.. and i'm still thinking about it.. but like most of you who've had to wait months to get their cars in.. i have to call "mercy" and just get the decision making over with and move on with my life until my ride gets in!!!

I believe that everyone who is looking to purchase a specific car should read a forum such as this one. The good is that you'll get a decent understanding of what the general concensus is regarding the good, bad and the ugly of that vehicle... unfortunately.. as i've experienced.. you have to also take these forums with a grain of salt. i've read so many "the sky is falling" posts where if i focused on them.. i'd never buy the car... from paint falling off during every turn, to the hugely debated "WHERE IS THE ARMREST" threads.. back-n-forth over why did they do this.. and why did they do that!!

For those of you who are reading this post.. its merly a 'brain dump' of my thoughts after reading these forums. I believe this is a sweet car and should definatley satisfy my desire to feel young as i move into my mid 30's. Life is all about having fun.. and as some of you have already experienced.. this "beast" will provide lots and lots of fun for years to come!!!

I have one question i'd like to throw out to the group. since i'm focusing so much on this titanium thing "i know some of you love that aspec of the car".. but i'm wondering if i can buy the black plastic overlay used on the 'non-areo' coupes to replace the center console 'where the radio, and nav sit'? could i buy that from infiniti parts and simply replace what i dont like?

peace
bm

 

[Gardiner]

Welcome to posting, I say you made a good choice. I did not enjoy my BMW 323, had it towed 4 times to the dealer with overheating problems. I don't know about the overlays in black, I have seen them in wood.

2003.5 Blue Sedan

 

[Rashan]

Bostonmerlin, we must be god-brothers. I was struggling over the same exact issues. At first my heart was set on the 330 coupe. But one day my girl friend and I were coming back from the City and we saw a white G on the NJ Turnpike. From that day forward my heart was set on the G. The G I ordered is identical to yours (blk-on-blk loaded including 18” tires, Navi. Premi, Aero etc, etc) I want this car for the same reasons you do. I just turned 30 this past January and I figured that this is my last whoa-ra before I have to turn my G in for a minivan or station wagon with wood on the side (oh for the Love of goodness).

I love Boston so if you see the cops chasing a black G exactly like yours on the Mass Turnpike, thatll be me ;-).

Ra!


Once you go BLACK...you never go BACK! Coming soon to the Jersey Turnpike: Black Obsidian/ Graphite Leather, 18",Premi, Navi, Aero, Auto

2Black2Strong

 

[avp12]

hey....are you taking delivery at Herb Chambers? I picked up the exact car at H.C in Nov 02.....i'll by looking for ya!

03 G35C Blk/blk fully loaded Prem Navi w/aero

 

[gwhzz]

I thought I was reading my own thoughts here about the 330 vs G35 issue. Just picked up my Black/Black G35 6MT, navi, lo jack, clear armor which i highly suggest. So glad i chose the G35....i'm not one into jap cars either. I was born/raised with german cars which i love. But the G35 although being japanese is indeed a true sports car. I get tons and tons of people gawking and looking at every intersection, parking lot, gas station, etc.
My only concern is the longevity of this car. I really hope the G35 doesn't become another Fiero, RX7, or Dodge Stealth, cars which now look terrible and just can't even attract bird droppings..other than that, i'm pushing 30 too and so this is my last 'chance' per say to have a sports car before the kids, the wife, etc!!..good luck and hang in there those who are still waiting...it's well worth the wait!!

 

[bostonmerlin]

thanks for the remarks..

looks like i'm not the only one concerned with quality. I've asked friends (and continue) asking friends of mine what they think regarding infinit vs bmw.. including all the posts i could find on this and other g35c forums. As mentioned before.. i've driven my fiances 528i and now her audi quite a bit. I'm coming from a 97 jeep wrangler. I looked for a vehicle that would give me most of bmw qualities w/ a sportier look! Her 528 had problems of its own.. just because it has a bmw badge on the hood doesnt mean it'll last forever. Things would break, it would scratch easiliy, it had to go in the shop more than a few times each year (hell, the paint would fall off during every corner he he) just like any other car might have to; however, this machine was solid. and for those of you who've been in a beamer.. you know what i'm talking about.. from a close-as-you-can-get perfect interior "in my opinion", to that way the doors slam shut. This machine is sweet. The price is not so sweet and getting it fixed is not so sweet. I wished that the g35c had the bmw's interior... but the point is.. i used the bmw brand as a basis for my next car.

I'm coming from a jeep wrangler that bouces all over the place but works like a champ in the Boston snow (4x4). I know the g35c coupes suspension will be fairly stiff and i'll feel more than a few pot holes and bumps on the road (but hell, i'm coming from a jeep!!!) and i know its not going to drive like my jeep in the snow (plan to get a set of winter tires in the fall). Its not going to have the same BMW workmanship (fine, my next car will be a 5 series) but i plan to have a whole lot of fun driving through the windy back roads of new england each morning on my way to work in Boston.

I see so many bmws on the road.. if i were to purchase the 330ci it wouldnt stand out in the crowd like i want my car to. I dont want a kids car (i.e. 350z). Its a fine looking ride.. but its still "looks" like a kids car ("in my opinion").. have to throw that in there!. I'm sure you know what i mean when i say "kids car"... all jacked up with every conceivable option.. like a mustang would have meant to me back in high school. So i passed on the Z but the g35 has just enough refinement to keep me looking like a pro in a beautiful sports car!!

What does the name infiniti mean to you? When you hear it.. do you think quality, class, refinement? in the past (Before my g35 purchase) that name made me think quality (but not mercedes, bmw porche) quality.. more like "lexus" quality. Still a damn nice car brand but not the same (or as expensive) as the others. I've always come from "expensive much be better".. and if anything.. more expensive meant there would be few people on the road with that car! so it must be a better vehicle!! At least thats what i thought and still think to some degree.. but as i mentioned.. when there is an overload of those vehicles on the road (Bmw, mercedes) my lust for that car deminishes thus the g35c when compared to a bmw levels out. I cant imagine anyone trying to stand out in LA with a sea of exotic cars everyone you look!!

After reading the forums for a few weeks, purchasing all the car mags i could find where the g35c was talked about, talking to friends and hearing (on this board) that april allocation ordering was coming up last thursday.. i made the call out for a test drive. I found that the doors were solid, the car was not as loud as the bmw z4 i test drive a few months back (and once again.. i'm driving a jeep so were not comparing apples to apples here) and the the black interior with all that titanium wasnt as bad as i had once thought (still want to replace it with a dark color so it'll blend in with the dash).

All in all i'm very happy with my decision.. its not a bmw and in a way i'm glad. Bmw does not make a car "in my opinion" that looks and drives like this machine. I loved the bmw z4 3.0 i drove a while back but w/out something for a back seat to put my 'future little ones in' it was out of the question. I dont think my fiance is happy i'm not getting a bmw.. she loves the look of the g35 but is concerened with quality. I guess we'll only know five years from now how the quality (and the infiniti name) holds up!!!

Anyways.. feels good to 'brain dump' again after all the reading and researching i've done. enjoy the posts!
bm

 

[chimp]

Good choice ! The G is by far the better looking car and is a blast to drive.

 

[VQ]

Welcome to the board Merlin. I agree with you that the use of titanium finish is a little excessive in the G, and would be a little less of an issue if it was brushed aluminum, or perhaps another true metallic finish. The titanium looks somewhat pinkish in certain light.

I'm sure we'll see aftermarket, as well as possibly OEM, kits for the interior pieces.

Again, welcome aboard, and thanks for the great write-ups!


2003 G35 Coupe (on order)
6-speed
Diamond Graphite / Graphite

 

[veneficuss]

Have you looked at the engine specs between the G35 and the BMW 330? If you have, then there should be no question in your mind about which is the superior performance machine. Shallow people car shop just for the name, car guys look under the hood

I just got my G35 black on black and i think the titanium looks amazing with the black leather. The willow leather looks awful by comparison, i mean tan with silver? yuck!

The first car i wanted was a BMW 330, mostly because i live on LI and everyone seems to have a BMW, Lexus or a Mercedes around here. After looking at the system specs, the G35 blew away the other cars. Also, Infiniti is #2 in reliabily for this range of cars (lexus is #1).

Basically I am saying is that even though u struggled a bit, u made the perfect cjhoice. Getting the yuppie BMW 330 would have cost you over $5,000 more and you would have lost 60 Horepower in the deal. Way to go!

 

[G-Man]

My 2 cents... Don't be fooled into thinking that more expensive means more reliable. BMW has been called the ultimate driving machine... I'm not here to dispute that, but my 1997 540iA was an unreliable, over expensive headache. Sure, the heads turned to see my V8 uber-car, but she left me stranded twice, stranded a friend once, and cost more dollars and headaches in repairs, service department stresses, and lost driving time. Japan has always had the reliability advantage over the Germans (especially makes like Lexus and Infiniti), and now that they have comparable performance in a more affordable package, it's a no brainer. No one can predict the future, but my experience tells me that you can relax on your concerns of reliable longevity.

2003.5 G35 Sedan 6MT