Originally Posted by nissanlvr

Without going through what has already been said, here are some common issues that you should check for:

• Paint on trim around steering wheel scratches/peels off
• Edges of dash around instrument cluster (around the brightness buttons and the instrument panel lcd scroll buttons) warp and pull up
• Air conditioner blows warm at idle
• Transmission TSB software updates
• Dash material on sides of center console (by driver's right knee and front passenger's left knee) comes unglued and warps up
• Leather seat bubbles (where your butt cheeks sit, the leather on these cars stretches abnormally and leaves permanent "bubbles")
• Power door locks that squeak
• Any rattles, squeaks, or abnormal noises. Take drives over all road surfaces (highway speeds, city speeds, concrete, new asphault, old rough asphault, bumpy roads, potholes, put the vehicle on a slope to "twist" the chassis, etc.) with the radio and air conditioner off to listen for noises. One of the most common is the back deck (near subwoofer) makes a squeaking noise, which gets even worse when cold.
• Melting dashboard (park the car in the sun on a hot (95+) day... see if the dashboard gets sticky, shiny, or soft... some of the dash's in these cars are defective and will do that... eventually the condition will be permanent, even when not in hot sun)
• Gas cap plastic strings break off easily... if yours has broken have them replace it (although it'll break again)
• Rubber seal around sunroof cracks
• Any electrical glitches you've ever experienced

Although I described these issues as "common", keep in mind that they're "common among the minority", if you will. Most people won't have very many of those, so don't get too scared. The only thing you are almost guaranteed to have in this car are a few annoying squeaks/rattles/vibrations.

That's about all I can think of right now. Have a friend ride in the car with you and try to spot issues. Sometimes, things change so gradually that we become accustomed to it and, therefore, fail to notice problems early. Someone who's never ridden in your car can spot some things before you do. Also, anything you think is odd or suspicious, anything at all, complain about it to get it on record.

One thing people tend to complain about that actually isn't a problem is the loud engine clatter for about 15 seconds at cold start up that sounds like a diesel being run without oil. It's actually normal, and is a result of Nissan's VVEL system. Some oils tend to lessen the affect if it bothers you, but rest assured no damage is being done.

Mechanically, these cars are pretty darn reliable. I'd have complete confidence in your G going 200k+ miles without major incident. But interior trim wise, these are not up to typical Infiniti levels of quality. Some of the trim pieces and materials are poorly made or installed. So get any issues you might have with that stuff fixed.