Hello all! I'm new here and figured I'd ask a little bit about used G37's. I'm looking to get a car by the end of summer and am focused heavily on a used GTI or R32. Looking at other coupes however, I was shocked to see how much the G's depreciated, some going for roughly the same prices as the VW's. I figured well hell, if I could shoot for a used G that's close in price, why not?! Though they are very different cars, I'm coming from a 2000 Acura RL and want something smaller and cheaper to run/maintain. My parents had a 350Z a few years ago and that was perhaps the most reliable car ever, oil change, tires, alignment and that was it. My family now owns VAG products and they've also been great to us.

I like the VW's for the small size, and fuel economy, the G's for the nice interior, standard features and the RWD. Plus it's a bit more "grown up" if you will. Just want something smaller and more fun since it's just me, and my dog mostly with the occasional friend/passenger. What do you guys think?

Tips: As I venture into finding a used G37, anything I should know or look out for? Maintenance/service concerns, specific items to inspect/questions to ask, pricing, (something with 75k miles or less) etc...

Longterm experience: How have your cars held up over the years/miles? Again the Z was great and I don't know anyone that's had issues with Nissan products but figured I'd ask.

True cost to own: What's it cost when it's time for general maintenance/repairs? Coming from Acura, even one 14 years old, I hope the costs will be lower because the service is just insane. Maybe not VW low but then again, is there a chance the car can just go to a Nissan dealer for service?

Misc: If there's anything else anyone would like to add, or if you have experience with both cars, please feel free to comment.

 

I don't think the G is smaller of cheaper to maintain. Gas mileage really sucks. Tires burn off quickly. Maintenance costs are gonna be a little higher at a dealer just because it's a psuedo luxury car. That said. You should get at least 100k worry free miles out of any late model car. You can have service done at Nissan just not warranty work. The G is heavy and slow. I'd go for the VW.

 

Wow, thanks. I must say though, doesn't sound like you like your G very much. Have you had a GTI?

 

If you want something that is cheap to mod and maintain then get the GTI. You can have a lot of fun modding it for under $3k. Plus it's a very practical car. However most people might mistake you for a high schooler.

If you want something classy with a better interior comforts get the G. Mods are not cheap for our car. Used parts are easier to find now that the model is 5+ years old. Tires are $$$ and need to be replaced every 2-3 years (24k -36k miles) for S model coupes. The car is very fun to drive, but is very heavy compared to a Z. Sway bars are an easy fix for that though.

Overall if you need practicality get the GTI, if you want to smile every time you see your car get the G

 

I've owned a mkiv (2003) gti VR6 6-speed and traded that in for my 2011 infiniti g37s coupe.

IMO 2 different animals. the gti was easy to throw around, had a practical trunk and could comfortably seat adults in the back. it also rattled a lot, gave me lots of annoying maintenance issues (frequent changing of coilpacks to the point where i kept spares in the trunk). Also while it had 200hp, it was totally usable and you felt fast driving it (even if you werent going fast).

My G37s coupe, very mature car with nice features. joke of a trunk and has a nice strong acceleration. maybe a tad boring at times due to it being an auto but still i enjoy it. although i miss my gti, i cannot say i regret trading it in. learned so much from that car. so far im at year 4 of ownership of my g37 and still enjoying it but for a slightly different and more mature purpose.

Just my personal experience with both cars

 

Quote of the year!

 

For some reason Jack seems to have issues. He should have got a 335. Anyway the 2 cars are totally different. It all depends on what you want. I loved my G but I would never get a GTi. That’s me and being 50 might have something to do with that. It’s not that the GTI isn’t a great car, they are good for what they are. Good on gas, FWD which can be a plus but in my world is a big down fall. They are a boy racer car from what I have seen but when I test drove one I was impressed with its handling. It has enough giddy up to be fun and is cheap to mod. The G is not good with gas but if you have a light foot they are not bad. My wife got over 20 in the city while I was getting around 16. The G is comfortable, much more so than a GTI. A G has the appearance that you are an adult. One that cares about what he drives. They don't take well to mods unless you really open up your bank account. They drive wonderful and are great for road trips. .

Anyway there are good and bad points to each car and I know I only skimmed over the top. It really comes down to what you want out of a car, test drive, then test drive again and make your own decision

 

Nice to see my little thread caused someone to create quote of the year! And thanks everyone for all the replies. Some of you mentioned mods and the G being more "mature". Though I'm only 23, I want something sporty and appreciate the fact I could get that from the G while still being able to "grow into" it. As far as mods, I'm a simple guy, if I got the GTI, I'd only do a stage 1 tune bc it's a fairly cheap hp+. Not interested in, nor do I have a mod budget for either car. Seems like too much time and money that I'd never see again but hey, that's just my humble opinion. To me, both will be fast because my car is just so old tech! I could barely keep up with a base Mazda 3 around town this weekend and I've supposed to have the V6!

Though I'm used to bad mpg, literally anything is better, my car is heavy, has a big engine, and a really small tank so that's a sacrifice I would make with the G. Maintenance and tires is another concern. Can anyone provide numbers as to how much such expenses may run?

 

Depends on how much use/mileage.
Front / rear brakes $200 per axle if done by dealer.
Private shop around $150
Trans fluid if auto($250) I paid to have done at dealership.
Tires if oem & want to use the same.
X model sedan ($125 & up per tire)
If get a side by side compare.
Dealerships are expensive in general, so it's a Toss up.
If your getting the g from the dealer, they should have changed all fluids.
They will have a better idea of the day to day.
A lot of cars here are leased, vs purchased.
If you lease, you tend to ignore things more than if you own outright.

 

the g isn't that slow.... the vw will be awesome off the line, but you will like the g when your on the highway and the vvel kicks in.

 

I currently drive a B5 A4 1.8T and am G shopping. Partially because I've got 156k miles and it's about time to move on, would like to go RWD and a hi-revving NA motor for a change, and honestly I'm tired of the whole German car "ownership experience."

My epiphany was earlier this year when I was under the hood replacing another plastic part for the nth time.

What I've gathered on these forums about maintenance and repair stuff is that the G is an order of magnitude less hassle than what I have seen and read about Audi. After wrenching on mine for more than a decade I'm fairly confident I will be in my garage less with a G. Yes there is the slave cyl issue with 6MT cars, but nothing like coil packs, sludge, crappy braided vacuum lines, MAF sensors, plastic coolant flange, ABS module, engine mounts .....

For some background, my A4 is lightly modded: Stage 1 APR chip, 18" BBS wheels, Stoptech BBK (just removed to sell on ebay) and some other minor stuff.

All the maintenance crap aside, you will love the Stage 1 GTi for the turbo midrange (I'm assuming your talking the turbo). My A4 is a blast for midrange fun, punch it on the highway at 70 and off you go. I've gotten very used to the chassis behavior of "trail brake it to get the back to step out and then hammer the gas the pull you through the curve." Even at 14 years old it still has that classic feel of suppleness when you need it but ready to charge an on-ramp.

I've test driven about a dozen cars to arrive at my conclusion that a G coupe is my next car. Infiniti did their homework and made the chassis and driving feel seem like an evolution of my Audi, which is exactly what I wanted (without actually buying another Audi). My A4 is silver on black interior, and when I got in a G37 of the same color scheme it felt very much at home. Sort of like a RWD Audi if there were such a thing. And given that I really wanted a 300ZX TT back in the day, there is a bit of nostalgia knowing that it has some underpinnings of the 370Z.

I just need to take it easy after I buy one and take the time to re-wire my head for RWD...

My $0.02...

 

FriedLumpia, thanks a lot for your input there. Though I really like the G, after reading some of the comments, perhaps it might be best to stay away from the G at the moment. Not because it's not a nice car, it is, and I'd love to have one but as a grad student, maybe it's just a bit too much car at the moment. I take it the G35 coupe is the same scenario? The exterior looks ok but jeez, the interior reminds me of my buddy's 01' Maxima! Also, the backseat headroom, I'm 5'10'' and though I won't be back there much, most of the people I know are roughly my height. Do I have to worry about head touching the roofline in the G35/37?

 

I usually don't say this but.. this is possibly the stupidest post I have seen in a while. "The G is heavy and slow"???? What world do you live in that a 200hp GTI is faster?? That car clocks 60 in 7.1 seconds while the G does it in 5.2... quarter mile times get even more embarrassing.

This forum is turning into a G bashing hall, this car doesn't require much more than tires, oil changes and brake pads! Its handling capability is much more higher than average (if you don't think so, learn how to balance the weight of the car properly before corner entry) and offers luxury and built quality that can't even compare to a VW.

Not saying the VW is a bad car, I actually think its a great car but please don't compare cars in different classes like this.

To all the people that hate on the G, do us all a favor and please get off of this forum...

If you want my opinion, go with the G because it will be a much more serious performance and luxury car!

 

08 S coupe. The only thing I've spent any money on this car for is brake pads, oil changes , alinment and tires in 75K miles. Those are all normal expenses IMO. Its been 100% reliable and I never get bored driving it.

 

There are some reviews on youtube I think that point out the headroom (lack thereof) in the back of the coupe. IMHO the car is more like the 300ZX of yesteryear in the 2+2 version. A back seat just to say there is a back seat.

We are a family of four, and sometimes I figure the kids will be back there - but I wouldn't think of asking a co-working to stuff themselves back there. For me, it's going to just be a third car for my commute and fun, and for my wife to drive when I'm watching the kids

If you think you'll be hauling around some buds often then you may need to go the sedan route. But in retrospect, I wish I had done the coupe thing earlier in life. Life takes hold quick and next thing you know you have a minivan. Enjoy having a coupe when you can (again just one guys opinion).

Additionally, it's going to depend on which car speaks to you more. The two have very different feels. I like the VW/Audi take design execution for what it is, and I also like the RWD balance of the Infiniti. My Audi and our Subaru have similar personalities (fat midrange) but not too terribly inspiring for higher revs. They are what they are, lots of usable power where you need it. But the 3.5L Nissan/Infiniti V6 reminds me of my sportbike days where I just wanted to rev the thing out each shift. No turbo, so you've got to row the gears to get what you want, but again it's what I've decided to switch to.

If budget has you constrained, the G35 is no slouch of a car. I drove a sport G35 6MT back to back with a G37 and while there is a difference, the first gen G is still lots of fun and has a similar feel. I personally think the stock exhaust note is better on the G35 (I plan to drop in an axle back on the G37 so no issue for me anyway). Prices are very, very reasonable on the G35 coupes out there that I've seen. Just be careful you don't get an oil burner. I did some research on that and can send you my notes (gathered from G35Driver.com).

I agree I don't understand about the G bashing. Maintenance is very reasonable (especially for a DIYer), it's a great mod platform, seems well supported by the aftermarket, is essentially a 370Z in a suit, and for build quality I'm with you - I'll take a G any day over a VW of the same model year. Audi or BMW - that can be more of a comparison.

EDIT: IIRC the G35 has a bit more interior room than the G37, so that might help your decision. I noticed more headroom in the G35, but I still fit at 6'3"