Hi, I am going to trade in my 2005 BMW X3 and the decision is down to two cars. One is a 2011 Mercedes Benz C300 sport 4matic and the other is a 2011
Infiniti G37X. Both are certified, both have 40k miles, and both the same price at 25K. I have driven both of them and my impressions are thast I should buy the Infiniti. Handling and ride are similar, Infiniti much more powerfull and more
quality in the interior cabin. My wife drives a Mercedes Benz 2002 CLK320 with 65K miles and we have had no problems since we bought it new. She says that Mercedes equals quality and engineering and the Infiniti is an unknown to
me. Will appreciates any comment you can provide to help me make up my mind. I realize it is a matter of taste but I am inclined to the G37x. Thanks
and regards.
Norman2

 

Depends on how much you want to pay for regular scheduled maintenance. The merc is going to cost more no matter what. G37 is well known to be reliable. Sounds like you know what you want, obviously on a g37 site your going to get some biased opinions.

 

i had both cars at one point... i still have the Infiniti, got rid of the C class within 6 months of owning it...
the C class is nice, but i found it too boring to drive..

 

that goes to show the depreciation of german cars...that 4-matic Merc must have cost more when new.

anyhow, infiniti represents an unkown entity to the OP, i get that. infiniti = nissan which generally means cost of ownership should be minimal from a maintenance point of view. costs for consumable parts will be less expensive with the g37x.

as for performance, the g37 should be able to walk circles around the C300. so all other things being equal that would tip the scales in favor of the g37 - at least in my books. however, if OP (or the wife) is in love with the Merc that emotional reasoning may cancel out some of the tangible and factual benefits of the g37.

both cars are nice vehicles so it's a win-win. if it was my money i'd lay it down on the g37. especially to get a bit of variety in the house! who wants a two-of-anything garage? ok ok, i can think of a few exceptions...

 

Hi, Thanks for you comments. Thast is the same way I felt when I tested
both cars at Carmax but I could not find the right words to express it. The Mercedes was Ho-Hum and the Infiniti was WOW. Have made up my mind for the Infiniti and they are trying to find a gray and black interior one for me.
Again thanks.
Norman2

 

Great decision. I do prefer the looks of the MB, neither interior exactly blows me away although I think MB has the better feel and quality, but the G certainly does have the advantage on performance. I've tested the C300 and it was a great car, but much tamer than the G37.

 

Trying to find? I thought you had a Certified one picked out already. Here's some price advice. It will cost them a certain amount to get the car up to CPO spec...which will extend the drivetrain to 100K miles.

My dealer told me it was like $1500 to CPO a G37 (not sure if accurate). You can get a 120K mile BUMPER TO BUMPER for a tad more than the CPO cost when you talk to the finance manager. If you want peace of mind, I'd suggest saving money on the car as a CPO and spending the money for bumper to bumper instead.

It may make more sense to get it CPO than Bumper to Bumper, but I'd suggest looking at both options.

For reference, I paid $22,900 for my 2011 G37x (premium and nav packages) about 3 weeks ago with 27,900 miles on the odometer (Charlotte NC market). It's not CPO. I didn't buy the extended warranty, but I recall it wasn't that much more than what they said it would cost to CPO it.

I could have bought one without the nav for $21,000 and 47,000 miles on it from an independent dealer. I opted to go with the one with 20K fewer miles from the dealership plus nav. It had a bunch of preventive maintenance items taken care of too.

 

I had one picked out but I prefer the Gray exterior. I will ask Carmax for the
cost of extended warranty. I believe the Salesman mentioned this to me.
Again thanks for your input. Regards
Norman2

 

I didn't know you were buying from Carmax. I also didn't know they sold "Certified" (CPO) models. My experience with Carmax is that they cost more than most other places, but perhaps you have your system in place, and have decided on using them. Either way, i'm sure you'll fall in love with your G37 (or Mercedes) and it will provide years of enjoyment.

 

Norman, you didn't describe any automotive values, except to put the G37 Sedan up against the C300. I don't think the Merc compares well in that head-2-head. Wouldn't the C350 be a more equitable comparison?

If it's luxury you're concerned about, then the G probably isn't the right car. There's far more NISSAN to the G37 than there is Infiniti.

However, if power and handling are a priority, then there's a lot of bang-4-buck value in the G. More so than many cars in its class.

 

25k is too much for both of those 2011 vehicles even if they are certified. They should be around 20k or so depending on the options. 25k seem way too much.

 

I would look at certification by any dealer other than the manufacturer as pretty much worthless. As far as I know, the only way to get certified Infinities backed by the Infiniti warranty is to buy from an Infiniti dealer.

BTW I view the automatic G37, including the x as a very reliable car. The 6MT is less so due to issues with the clutch and synchros.

Greg

 

Up your budget a bit and get a 2012 Benz C350.