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What year G35 are we talking here. The last G35 coupe was 2007, and the last sedan was 2008. So we are talking about an almost 10 year old car with probably 100K+ miles on it. At that point, reliability all depends on the owners maintenance.
I own an 2006 G35. Have owned it since ~10K miles. It currently has 170K miles on it.
Pros:
Pretty quick for 4-door sedan, lots of low end torque to make for fun street driving
AWD is incredible in the snow
Drivetain has been ultra reliable. Never an issue with engine/trans..other than the typical oil burning issues of the Nissan 3.5L. (2 quarts burned per oil change)
Cons:
Gas mileage. I average 19, but I also use the HP of the engine a lot. if I baby it, I have seen 26-27MPG on the highway...but that's as good as it gets
There are typical quirks of the car. By the time you hit 100K, a lot of the suspension bushings show their age. Compression rods and translink bushings are typical. Window motors crap out, interior has misc squeaks and rattles, rear calipers tend to sieze up a lot due to their low placement (remans are cheap though) and the sport models tend to eat tires like crazy.
My own personal car has been very reliable for 170K miles, and I drive it hard. Other than routine fluid changes and brakes and tires and such, the only major repairs I've had to make are wheel bearings. I've changed FOUR front wheel bearings over the course of 100K miles. Fortunately, they are ~$85 and I do it myself.
It still drive like it did when new, which makes me not want to get rid of it. Hoping to take it to over 200K, and then get rid of it and get a G37x sedan and hope I can put 200K on that as well.
PS: Not a whole lot of difference between the 4-door models and the 2-door other than the obvious appearance differences. Due to the long doors on the 2-door, they tend to be slightly heavier than the 4-doors due to extra bracing needed. So if you had two similarly equipped G37's, both RWD and 6-spd with same options, the 4-door would be slightly lighter. With the same driveline, don't assume the 2-doors would be faster.
Go to the dealerships and look in the trunk of the G35 and the trunk of a GTI. If you need space to transport, the GTI is your car. I had my dog in the hatchback, it was really awesome. Also, you can fold the seats over.
I am not sure if the G35 is comfortable to ride long distances, but the GTI is pretty bumpy.
I need to buy a car. I have researched quite a bit and I have narrowed it down to either a g35 or a golf or GTI if I can find one in my budget. I have owned a Jetta before and it was a pretty good car, but other than that I've always had Jeeps so I don't know anything about any other brands of cars.
I know they are very different cars, but I'm wondering if one stands out above the others. In my research it looks like the g35 is going to be the better choice. I don't care if it's a manual or a automatic, I just want a reliable car. Anyone here have experience with both cars?
TBH the best option I find for the OP that would be fun and still suit all their needs seems like a late model Subaru WRX hatch.
OP you might be best to save a bit more (if you do not need a new car right away) till you get to the $15K-$20K Range like other have said and you can find yourself a decent well kept/maintained WRX hatch.
I could up my budget if necessary, 15k is reasonable. I have for the most part decided against the GTI, the infinity is still in the running, but I'm really loving the MS3 and c30. That WRX is definitely and option too.
I have 2 mechanics in my house, so minor repairs shouldn't be a problem. My son has a speed6 and it's been a great car for him and he and my husband have been able to do all the repairs on it themselves.
Except, Toyota/Lexus doesn't have very good offering for niche cars. Everything they sell is either high volume family grocery getters or low volume expensive lux cruisers/SUVs.
They offer no utility performance cars. Toyota doesn't have any coupe, hatch, or performance sports compact that can compete with the GTI, WRX, MS3, etc. They don't even have a factory turbo car in the lineup or even a V6 Camry coupe anymore.
Except, Toyota/Lexus doesn't have very good offering for niche cars. Everything they sell is either high volume family grocery getters or low volume expensive lux cruisers/SUVs.
They offer no utility performance cars. Toyota doesn't have any coupe, hatch, or performance sports compact that can compete with the GTI, WRX, MS3, etc. They don't even have a factory turbo car in the lineup or even a V6 Camry coupe anymore.
the FRS / BRZ with the aftermarket turbo kit comes pretty close
15k would get you a 2009-2010 G37, might not be a bad option if you can find a clean one and maintain a budget for repairs. Mazdaspeed3 would definitely doable, and for a little more you might be able to find a 2013-2014 Focus ST or 2014 Fiesta ST (although if you've decided against the GTI you probably wouldn't find these appealing either).
I'd skip the C30. Performance isn't particularly great, and repairs will be more-expensive than American/Japanese cars. I'd skip the WRX too. Even at 15k you're talking about a higher-mileage example that has likely had a hard life.
I have a 2008 Golf (actually it's a Rabbit for years 2007, 8 and 9) and while called a Rabbit it differs little from the Golf. The motor is a 2.5L 5 cyl., and it's a fantastic and completely reliable car. Those years the reliability improved every year, with 2009 being the best year.
Don't believe those who preach these cars are unreliable, they have no more issues than any other model.
Except, Toyota/Lexus doesn't have very good offering for niche cars. Everything they sell is either high volume family grocery getters or low volume expensive lux cruisers/SUVs.
They offer no utility performance cars. Toyota doesn't have any coupe, hatch, or performance sports compact that can compete with the GTI, WRX, MS3, etc. They don't even have a factory turbo car in the lineup or even a V6 Camry coupe anymore.
Well we are talking about a $10k or less used car. Which would bring a low mile 05-06 Celica GTS into the equation. Which is something I would recommend she check out. They've got bulletproof reliability and are fun to drive, fuel efficient, and have hatch utility.
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