2005 INFINITI G35 COUPE

This car is not only HOT but it's amazing fun to drive wouldn't trade it for the world!

Nice mix of power and luxury.
Feels well built.
Reliable.
Unique vehicle.
Classic looks
Vehicle can take a beating.
Fun to drive.

Clutch problem ...80k and my clutch is slipping , purchased it at 60k , my god i dont bleieve what i read ont this site , i would never bought this car if i knew !!!

I have owned Porsche cars for most of my adult life. After amassing 250,000 on my 1988 944S and investing an embarrassing amount of money into its maintenance, I decided it was time for a new car. I had owned another 1983 944 which burned to the ground when California introduced MTBE into our gasoline. MTBE does not play well with cars built before 1986, but I digress...

One of the reasons I loved 944s was due to their handling, an almost perfect 50/50 balance of weight. For me handling is much more important than horsepower. A monkey can mash down a throttle, but to drive well in anything but a straight line takes both skill and an effective tool. The Infiniti G35 coupe fit that bill completely. Although feedback through the wheel is not as tactile as a 944, it is quite good. Under steer is just enough to allow for throttle steering at the limit. The brakes are powerful, although just a tad too power assisted, but that may be due to me driving the same car for 22 years.

Acceleration is remarkable for this car, almost deceptive in nature. Because the engine is so smooth and revs quickly and quietly, I find myself shifting too far after the torque curve has passed. And as far as all the electronic and comfort features, I don't feel I can comment on those since I just came into the 21st century for those items. As a point of reference, this is my first car that has a remote, enough said. But I will state that I simply enjoy all of the features of this vehicle.

I have a personal policy that I will never again purchase a new vehicle, more specifically cars. I will only purchase new motorcycles though as I've also raced all of my life. I find that the value of a sound used vehicle presents the best value for my dollar. Considering the G35 6MT coupe retailed for about $35,000 when new and I purchased mine for $19,000 used illustrates my point. For me, I was thrilled to find a car in great condition at this price.

Some have spoken here about tire issues and I have not had my car long enough to comment. I will say that I had both front and rear ends aligned as soon as I purchased the car. The tires have about 70% tread on them, so it was worth the nominal cost. I am also a fanatic about tire pressure as having raced motorcycles I know that a single pound can make a huge difference. My rule is to check my car tire pressure with each fill up.

Driving the car is such a pleasure. Although taut, the car rides smoothly considering its handling abilities. Braking is strong and I have not had any fade in repeated high speed stops. The fit and finish is quite good and I appreciate the quality Infiniti put into the vehicle. And I also believe the lines of the car are timeless, which was very important to me, since I will most likely keep this car another 22 years.

I will keep this vehicle completely stock and when I need the rush of racing, I'll take my track bike to the track. But I'm sure I'll peel my leathers off and sneak this car out on the track at some point after we shut down, turn on the air conditioning and smile the whole way around.

First off let me say how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car. The looks are astounding and the exhaust note at certain RPM's gives an exhilarating feeling while accelerating! It is a sure head turner and a favorite with the ladies ;) 

I loved the 6 disc, MP3, Bose System. Crisp, clear sound that sounded great at high volumes. I appreciated the overhead sunglasses compartment and the cup holders in the doors as well. The bucket seats gave that 'cockpit experience' with a nice touch of having the orange stitched steering wheel to top it off. The car handled well at top speeds and you hardly felt no roll or weight transfer at all. I've topped it out at 160 mph since the 6MT did not seem to have a rev limiter or governor. 

I have owned a Datsun 120Y (old school), a Nissan Pulsar, an Altima and a Maxima among other vehicles. The first thing I noticed when I drove the car was the stiffness of the suspension. I got the sport tuned, 6MT version and I was actually surprised that the quality of ride was not better. Well, I guess that goes with having a sport suspension. The clutch was also very stiff but that was to be expected with the sport tuned version as well. The instrument cluster panel was your typical Nissan panel and is virtually the same in all their cars; having that dull, boring 'orange lighting'. 

After reading all the other reviews I have come to realize that the uneven wear of the tires is a common problem that Infiniti has failed to acknowledge and address. After 10K miles I started hearing the dreaded heavy 'rolling sound'. Took it to the dealership who informed me that it was caused by the uneven wear of the tires. They said the car had no camber adjustment in the front which caused the tires to wear unevenly. They cut away very badly on the insides of the front and wore mostly in the center in the rear. They admitted that the car was 'hard on tires' but that was normal. I went through 3 sets of tires in 3 years. I installed a camber kit for the front which ended up costing about $600 for the kit and installation. 

One thing the car lacked was memory seats and mirrors. It's always hard re-adjusting your seats and mirrors after someone else drives your car and changes it. This would have been a nice feature. The heated leather seats were well appreciated during the winter but the leather itself seem to 'wrinkle' after time. 

At about 25K miles the clutch surprisingly started slipping. Took it to the dealership who mentioned that it was not covered under warranty and would cost about $2K in parts & labor to repair. I was shocked and upset especially after they hinted that the clutch was possibly abused. I have been driving manual cars since the age of 13 when my dad taught me and this is the first car that I have ever come across that went through a clutch so quickly. To make a long story short, after battling it out with 2 different dealerships they agreed to partially cover it. They covered the clutch but I had to buy the flywheel and pay for labor. Needless to say I still was not happy about having to fork out $1,300. Warranty on the parts and labor was 1 year. 

11 months and a new set of tires later the clutch starts making a loud squeaking sound at idle; when not depressed. I take it in and they tell me that the clutch is low and will need replacing soon. I was in disbelief! Not even 9k miles and not even a full year and they tell me that I need another clutch. Now keep in mind that they tell you that if you use an aftermarket clutch that you will void your existing warranty and that they will only honor genuine OEM parts.  

I wasn't going to spend $2,600 for 2 clutches in 1 year so I left the Infiniti dealership and drove straight to the BMW dealership. Their cars are expensive but their warranty covers brakes, clutches, even windshield wipers. Ended up trading the 6MT for a twin turbo 335i coupe. 300 hp and 300 ft lb torque. They have a stage 2 chip upgrade that costs $1,999 that takes the car up to 384 hp and 421 ft lb torque. That is very good considering that a stage 2 twin turbo kit for the 6mt costs about $6,500 and another $2,000 to install. 

I miss certain things about the 6MT but I don't miss the problems and the 'wasting money' aspect of it.