...or a BMW 528i. Within one week, and maybe sooner.

This would be our fourth Infiniti G (had one 35 and two 37's before) and although I have always bought new, I recently found the following two cars, both super clean and in excellent condition, a 2011 G37 Journey w/Premium Pkg and a very basic (hardly any options) 2011 BMW 528i.

The Beemer has 24,000 miles and the Infinit has 30,000 miles so both are still under warranty as well as eligible for extended factory warranty purchase.

Although we have heard about BMW reliability issues, to tell the truth this would be our third BMW and we never had big-time problems with the other two (we bought them new), mainly little things like the pass. power seat cushion did not move up and down, the in-dash retractable cupholder would retract but not pop back out to be used, and some unraveled threading around the sewn-on leather steering wheel cover. All fixed under warranty.

One of my G37's had that ignition failure issue (or whatever it was called, not sure of the name of the TSB) where I had to limp home one night at 20 mph and have it flatbedded to the dealer the next morning. Fixed under warranty too of course.

Both the cars I'm looking at have keyless ignition (huge thing for me, where you keep the fob in pocket and don't have to take it out and stick it anywhere to start the car), power seats w/memory, power full-auto windows, AM-FM multi-CD changer, etc., all the usual stuff in higher end cars. Neither of them have Navi but then our phone apps actually work easier and better nowadays, so we don't even use the one in my wife's car anyway.

The thing is, I can get the the G37 for $4,000 less than the BMW, but then I should actually be comparing the BMW 5-Series with the Infiniti M37, although used ones are in the high $30K range plus I like the looks of the G37 (and of course the BMW 528i) much better. I can afford the monthly payment for either of them, there is only about a $60 difference between the two.

So my question is, what would you do? Do you think the Beemer is worth four grand more? I know this is an Infiniti forum (been a member for six years) but hopefully someone can give me an unbiased answer anyway. And I will try to answer any questions about either car to help clear up this decision for me.

Thanks in advance for any help!

PS. Oh yeah, if I got the BMW I realize this would also mean I'd have to join the forums of the Dark Side...

 

i dont think the non-m f10s are worth getting unless its the 535/550 which costs a bit more than the 528. if your main concern is comfort and ride quality, i would go with the 528i over the g

 

Well - like you said - the 5 compares more with the M than the G.

The 5 has some issues - the steering is a little spooky, the power is not as intense as the G - but it does have a quieter interior, balanced ride and handling, etc, etc.

If you want 'comfortable shoes' - stay w/the G. You have had a few of them. The 5 is a little bigger, probably a bit more refined, a bit smoother, etc.

It really depends on what you want from your next vehicle - but I would try the 5...

Good Luck - I don't think you can go too wrong with either choice.

 

I may not be much help since I don't own either (I'll be getting my first G37 Coupe in the next month or so) but I have driven both the new 528i and the newest model G37. I currently drive a BMW and love it. That being said, between the 528i and the G37, I'd lean towards the G, especially considering the price differential. Best I can describe it, for me at least, is that the 528i felt a little too "grown up", if that makes any sense. I felt a little bit more quality in the workmanship of the 528i but the luxury quotient on the G was on par. And there's no comparison in the power department, G wins hands down. As a previous poster said, you can't go wrong with either but I think I'd be getting the G.

phxflyboy

 

Here is my opinion. I love both the G and the 5 series, but if I was in your shoes I would base my decision on how long I plan on keeping the car. If you plan on keeping either longer than the length of the factory warranty or the extended warranty then I would go for the G, if you don't plan on keeping them past the warranty then I would switch it up and go with the 5 series.

 

At this point I would say it comes down to preference. I dont think you can go wrong with either car.
While the G is often compared to the 3 series, I feel the interior space is closer to the 5. The 3 is very cramped.

If it were me I would not consider any 328 or 528 just because the engine HP is substantially less.

 

G over 538. 535 over G.

 

Good point Nick, I see this. Although I am a bit scared of anything turbo from the germans...

 

Good metaphor about the comfortable shoes, the 528i us very basic (17" wheels for example) so the first thing would be 19's (OEM) and wider rubber. Hopefully that unspookifies the steering/handling. But yeah I will have a learning curve with the controls and electronics and stuff in the 5 since our last BMW was almost a decade ago. The Japanese cars have a much more intuitively laid out control system.

 

I get your "grown up" feeling point of view, FlyBoy. Since I retired, perhaps that is really what I am looking for after all, a smooth and quiet grown up type of car.

But then I would certainly miss the power and responsiveness of the 328hp Infiniti V-6...

 

This is a very solid fact, I do tend to agree that long term reliability is better with the Inifinitis (although again there were only a few minor things with our two BMWs before).

Besides paying to extend the factory warranty, I also have to consider the level of service I can expect where I live now (Vegas), only had Infinitis serviced here, our BMWs were in the past and in another state/dealer. They were real good there, and here in Vegas the Infiniti dealer is more of a "regular" experience, not bad or anything, but they don't make you feel like you are having your beloved premium end car serviced, just your Chevy...

 

Dang, you're right about the interior space rlo, going by past experience the 3 is ridiculously cramped inside. The G is somewhere in between the 3 and 5 in passenger space.

As to the power difference, my driving habits seem to change as I get older. Although I do enjoy low-end torque as much as anybody to get in and out of the ebb and flow of daily traffic, I rarely rev the engine any more since I'm almost never in a rush to get anywhere (hey, that's what being retired is all about!), and truth be told the VW turbo my wife had for a few months was a real joy, instant response to throttle inputs and it felt like you were driving a little supercharged engine, but it's actually a turbo cleverly tuned for full torque at like around 1200 rpm so there's no spool-up lag -- hey, that's what the new Beemer turbo four does...hmmm.

 

I would, if only BMW didn't have a reliability issue with turbos...

 

Don't know about the 528, but I've a buddy with a 530 6MT. That car is super comfortable, very luxurious and simply beautiful. Four adults can go out for dinner and drinks in style, feeling pampered there and back. However, the car has the body roll of a 4 ton Weeble, with no guts at all when you want it. In other words, it's not a driver's car.

Follow your automotive values, man, whatever they are. If it were me.... no way.

 

g over the bmw any day