BluAnimal

Hey everybody, I'm hoping to find myself in a G37 this winter. I'm coming from a 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5SL. I initially checked several different cars out and realized I wanted something similar and familiar to my current car, but still sporty and sexy. The G37 was always one of my favorite cars and I always crossed it off the list because I figured with their typical price tag (<$45,000) I wouldn't find one in my price range. After finding several in my area for a good price I decided to save up this year and hopefully buy mine this Christmas.

As far as my search goes, I'm hoping to keep it under $22,000 OTD (including tax and licensing). I'm torn between the coupe and the convertible and I'm 95% sure I want to go with the AWD trim but I had a couple of questions I wanted to ask before I pulled the trigger:

1. I'm definitely interested in the convertible trim as well as the coupe. I'm at the point where I want the convertible over the coupe, however I don't want to flex my budget to get into a convertible and I feel I would be extremely happy with either. I find myself driving with my windows and sunroof down 95% of the time and the fact that it's a self-retractable hard top is a huge win in my book. I have heard the horror stories of the top becoming stuck, whether it was on its own or from user error (I.e. Luggage in the trunk when attempting to lower the roof). How reliable is the the convertible? I'm not the type to be forgetful and I will very, very rarely be using the trunk so I don't see myself messing it up on accident, however I am concerned with the chances of the top messing up on its own as well as the potential for a leaky roof. I live in the Midwest and the winters can be brutal here. I definitely don't want to put my roof down on a nice day in November only for it to be stuck down and followed up with a blizzard. My current car is also starting to have issues with a leaky sunroof that is depositing the rainwater into the a-pillar over the driver's seat so I'm a little wary about the convertible.

2. I'm fairly convinced on the AWD trim for a few reasons. The first is I think it would make the car a little more practical in the winters and it gives me peace of mind. At the end of the day it all comes down to having the proper tires for the situation, but the AWD is a nice bonus. The second reason is I am having a difficult time finding a G37S trim that hasn't been thrashed on by a 16-24 year old, and keep finding G37X coupes coming off of leases or being owned by middle aged women. My biggest question regarding the AWD is how does the AWD system work? Does it only apply power to all wheels when it feels slipping in the rear or snow mode is activated? Or is it similar to something like a WRX where all wheels are powered at all times? If so, what is the power distribution between the rear and front?

3. The last question is just a very general, broad question. I'll be having any potential cars inspected by my own personal mechanic before purchase. Are there any particular areas to watch out for, or common problems? I'm looking in the 2011-2013 range in the X coupe trim, probably around 60,000-100,000 miles. Are maintenance costs going to be significantly higher than my current car (2009 Altima sedan) or will they be reasonable given the branding of Infiniti? Which car brands or models are similar in maintenance costs?

Thanks a ton for reading, hopefully I will be able to pull the trigger in a few months!

Kris9884

iTrader: (3)

So where are the questions?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Questions must be in small print, lol.
Welcome to the site.
If you can locate a 2012 or newer that would be a plus, the pre2012s have a timing gasket that's inferior, and if it fails can cost upwards of $2k to repair. Also, if you can find an S model that includes a lot of nice upgrades to performance & appearance.

2011-G

Jumping from a 2.5 to 3.7 will be a nice upgrade

Get the S model and you can enjoy the paddle shifters, better suspension components and ofcourse the nice brake kit

1: I can not comment on that because I never owned a conv G
2: Its RWD till it feels a slip in the rear and then engages all 4 but it can be all 4 if you have the snow mode on
3: Just a tad bit more expensive than Altima but still the same deal. You can work on it in your garage

Although, if you're looking to build this car, there aren’t that many aftermarket parts available for X and will be a little more expensive in a long run. But, yes, it is more practical

BluAnimal

My bad, I will edit the first post!