I'm thinking about selling/trading in my 08 coupe for a sedan of something else. Possibly thinking of a BMW 335i or a MB C350 Sport. Possibly might stay in the Infiniti family with a G37 sedan. I have 2 BMWs and I know what the maintenance costs on these thing are. The e34 has been a blast to drive and I haven't had to take the 328i in for anything out of the ordinary. Have never driven a MB before though. Just looking for something a little more practical. I'm getting old (cough30cough) and climbing in and out of a coupe in a cramped garage and in parking lots can be a little annoying. I also have a little girl that I want to take in my nicer car, not just the e34.

Any thoughts? Anything else in this class that I might want to look at?

 

I'm a big Audi fan and was very close to pulling the trigger on a S4 before I got the G. The space was an issue in the A/S4 for me. I wanted a lil more space in the rear for the kids. Plus I couldn't turn down the deal that I got for my G. TON of car for not much coin.

I've had my Q7 since new and it's treated me very well. I'm not a huge BMW fan b/c of the plain jane interiors. I love that Audi is a little more understated compared to BMW and doesn't carry the BMW image.

I also like the M series. A lady I work with has a brand new QX and her husband has the M37S. I LOVE the 20s on the sport model. Again I like the M b/c it's an understated premium car.

 

My wife drives the 328i and though it's not my favorite car, it does have its merits. The straight 6 is super smooth, albeit the gas pedal can cause the car to have a delay (which is really irritating). Other than that, the car is great. Plus it's a wagon, extra bonus points haha. I do agree with the plain jane interior of the BMW.

The MBs I'm looking at also doesn't have as visually appealing interior as the G but I'm think I can overlook that. I don't know much about Audi either. Plus all the G sedans in my area are all X's, which I don't feel the need to have.

 

I LOVE my M37X .... I got a fantastic deal on it so I think dealers are willing to work with you. Not sure about a MB C series, maybe the C version of the AMG. I love the look of Audi but you have to ask yourself is it worth the headache ....no. I used to own a car that had the same mindset, looks great (for the time), wonderful interior, rides great and a pleasure to be in when it's all working. But it spent so much time is the shop, etc it was a horrible experience ... that was a Sterling. I was just talking to the guys at my shop about the Passat (son is interested) and they both made faces. The Passat is a dumbed down Audi and the Audi is without a dounbt the most expensive car to work on (other than exotics, 10k for timing belt in a Ferrari) ... and they are in the shop a LOT. They told me how they just replaced a headlight assembly that cost $1200 for an Audi and mentioned a few other horror stories.

Don't let the wonderful look/feel of an Audi suck you into the black hole.

 

lol. That's what I've heard. I was looking at audis online and they do look very nice. Sporty exterior, plush interior. You see them on the road all the time so they have to be nice right? But then I hear stories that you just told me and I wonder how they're seen everywhere. The S4s seem really nice but again, like you said, perhaps the headaches aren't worth it.

I haven't looked into the Ms. They seem to be very underrated. They certainly don't look very fancy and I actually prefer the look of the G over the M. I'll look into them more.

 

For what it's worth I just moved into a g from 2 successive audi a4 - about 15 straight years of audi. Still have the second one, letting my 18 year old daughter drive it for one year as a treat until she goesoff to college next summer. HHere's what my experience has been with both audi's ... plus I had a nice talk with my mechanic before choosing a g.

The audi will treat you like gold until about 5 or 6 years or about 60, 000 miles. I won't get into a lot of detail but I will mention after 60k ... power steering $1200; plastic decay of pvc system (tore it out rather than replace for $800): tie rod ends etc $1100; you get the general picture. So you either get rid of them by 60k or as some friends have done put about 6-8k into maintenamce and drive them until 120-150k.

In the meantime it's a wonderful car to drive, very refined and nimble.

That's my 2 cents, worth what you paid for it.

 

^ Much appreciated Sir!

MB has kind of turned me off with the way their owners talk about the car. BMW is nice but they're in a similar boat to Audi in that they require $$$ to maintain. Still torn between letting my coupe go for a sedan or looking at a different brand

Just did a quick look at the Ms and they're a little lack-luster. I think the G is better bang for the buck. Plus side of getting a G sedan is that I can move my mods over.

 

Just over 50K on my Q7 and no reliability issues. It's actually been better than my QX56. Maintenance hasn't been anything unusual for a 4WD. Current Audi's have very good reliability. The replacement parts are $$$ though. I'm not anxious to get rid of the Q7 and prefer driving it over the QX56.

If you're buying new, I wouldn't disregard Audi without further investigation.

 

I know my wife and I will look at the MB but the CLA . She's going cross shop that against a new The Q50 sedan later this month . How ever if I was shopping I'd look at a S6 . My buddy just picked one up a 08 from NC with 40k on it for 28. The v10 is NICE

 

When I was ready to part with my '09 G37, I drove a number of cars including S4, multiple 335's, and M3 and a CTS-V. In the end I bought a G37 6MT sedan. If I only cared about the drive train, I'd have ended up with the 335. No contest, especially if you chip. The S4 is fast, too. But I find the overall driving experience (including interior and sound package) of the Infiniti more appealing than either the S4 or 335. Plus the German cars can be a money pit, have run flat tires, etc.

 

Drive a M .. look at a M with the touring package. The interior blows many others away, the white ash with silver rubbed in is to die for. The outside is subjective .... I like it, looks better from the back. The 3.7 still gets you 0-60 in under 6 seconds which isn't too shabby. What I like is you can drive the car all day and zero fatigue. The forest air sounds gimmicky but it's wonderful.

If you want to see the potential of a M, looky here


Follow Da Mayors build thread
https://www.myg37.com/forums/the-m-s...ld-thread.html

 

The Q50 sedan sure looks nice. Saw one recently while in for service and it was awesome. And my wife has a 2013 FX37 which we've both been enjoying it's a G on stilts. Good luck with your search.

 

Nice! I like wagons, but have a sweet spot for fast wagons....E63 wagon would be a dream.

My wife drives a 2011 335i sedan. While the car is wickedly fast and handles like it is on rails, I will not be having another BMW in the family. Ignoring the overly rough and rigid ride and heavy steering feel (sport package) it has been to the dealership every 3 months for non routine maintenance or major repairs. A bolt backed out on the vanos solenoid and did damage to the block in January and the car was at the dealership for a month. Water pump failed at 48K miles this month. I'm planning to sell before 11/2016 when the warranty is up.

 

My other car is a MB GLK, and while it is nice you can tell it is not a top-of-the-line MB, and I think any C class would be even worse.

I had an Audi 5000 years back and it was the worst car I've ever owned, and that is saying a lot since I've owned numerous British cars! I know, I know, they've gotten much better; doesn't matter, that turd was that bad!

I agree that the G sedan is a good choice; you can't beat the Japanese for overall reliability and it won't break the bank.

That M looks pretty sweet, too...

 

Went out to run some errands, have to pass a Audi/Lincoln dealership on the way .... pulling in on flatbed tow truck was a A4 vert and another tow truck pulling in with a A6 .... I smiled as I drove past in my M.