Hello,
I am buying an Infiniti G37x for my son for his 16th birthday. I am totally torn between anything from 2008 through 2012 and later. I have read that post 2012 don’t have the gasket issues, and I’ve also read that 2008 through 2011 it’s an overblown issue that is not necessarily true for the most part. Also 2009 and later a huge plus to having the new transmission seven speed etc. My question for all of you is, should I really Stick with 2012 later as far as reliability longevity Bluetooth connectivity and any other reasons? Or if I can find a really nice older one that was well-maintained is it worth saving a few thousand dollars? Thank you for any insight greatly appreciate it
I have been searching and searching and I’m finding little bits and pieces but not complete answer so sorry for the post if it is answered in another thread.

 

Screen resolution on the NAV system was upgraded in 2010.
2010 was also the first year for the sedan's new front & rear bumpers, new headlights and grille.
The gasket issue was resolved with the 2012+ models.
Sport package is mostly cosmetic on the G37xS Sedan, but a significant upgrade on the RWD G37S.
All models all years will probably blow out the main rear differential bushing. It's a thing with these cars.
The 6MT Sedan is stupid rare. If you find one, it can be a heck of a special car.
The G gets really crappy MPG, and is a lot of car for a 16 year old. I've raised teens, and no way no how would I want them to have a car with this much power.

 

Great information, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for taking the time to write that up. I agree with you it’s more car and horsepower than you would think you should buy a 16-year-old, but I have a Porsche GT3, and he yells at me when I hit the gas pedal hard I’ll drive over the speed limit. He’s extremely careful and not aggressive when it comes to driving. So at this point I just want to buy him something that I know is super super reliable and will run for a very long time with very little issues. I was also looking at a older Lexus ES 350 or Acura TL, but I just Can’t get over the 65-year-old man looks of the Lexus, and the Acura TL it’s just ugly

 

A 300+ HP RWD Sport(ish) car probably isn’t the best car for a 16 years but you know your son.

I personally own a 07 TL-S and love it. Timeless styling, Honda reliability, sporty enough, more than enough power, good gas mileage, and much more usable on a daily basis.

 

07 TL—s? There is no 07 TL-s. The only 2 TL misleading are TL with nav and without. That 07-08 gen all have a lot of cosmetics wear, ( they don’t age well( paint, leather, etc)

 

Well, you know your kid. One of mine yelled at me repeatedly when whipping the car, and the other one squealed with delight.



It would be a heluva first car. Lucky kid.

 

Mine would totally be the one squealing like a little pansy while whipping the car around and flooring LOL. That’s my point. I’m not concerned about him taking advantage of the power I’m more looking for which is the most reliable years and models to stick with

 

My recommendation would be to go with the best maintained vehicle at the best price. Skip the '08 all together for the upgraded 7AT.

As for the gasket issue, there's no guarantee it will happen but I'd say be prepared to shell out $2-3k in the event it does. Luckily, being on the East Coast, there's a few shops in the Del-Mar-Va area that can fix it if needed; and for cheaper than any dealership.
Yea, it's a lot of car but you know your kid. We all say "man, that's a lot of car for 16!" because we know what we would've done with it (and still would do with it) lol. Shoot, I'd speed in a Yaris...

The only 'concern' I'd have is maintenance of the AT. Can be $400+ at a dealership; or an indie shop can do it for much less. Lifetime fluid is a lie. Service that unit every 40k or so and it will last without issue.

If you want lock-down, iron-clad, near bullet proof: 2012+, 40k, miles w/ maintenance records then service the entire AWD system and 7AT religiously every 40k miles (along with other routine stuff). Should only have to address consumables other that that. My G did eat two (three?) wheel bearings, two axles and the valve gaskets leaked which is kind of 'rare'. Even with those, I spent less than 2k fixing; doing the labor myself.

 

Also worth considering, the 2014 - 2015 Infiniti Q40 is just a rebadged G37 and no Sport Package configuration. Certainly worth looking at.

And there's the forgotten G Sedan, the 2011 - 2012 Infiniti G25, which was a stripped down G37 that had this tiny 2.5L V6 with only 218 HP. Enough power for the car (and for a 16 year old), but not so much as to get in trouble with.

 

Not that it matters as the G seems to be the way you’ll be going but there most certainly is a TL-S, which is short for the 07-08 TL Type S. You are not wrong though as finding a clean example is very difficult. The cheap “leather” Honda used is terrible.

As for the G, as most others have covered already, the pre-2012’s gallery gasket issues are going to be the priciest repair. My brothers 09 journey has 90k miles on it currently and had good oil pressure when I last checked about 10k miles ago. Everything else has been running great as well.

My 12 6MT is at 90k also, and aside from the 90k service, the driver side valve cover was leaking and rear diff bushing was due for replacement. I haven’t gotten around to the $600 diff bushing job yet though, just added a bell raceworks brace and called it a day.

General rule of thumb is get the newest and lowest mileage car your budget allows for. Although, seeing as you have a GT3 budget probably isn’t your deciding factor

Post a picture of that beauty for our entertainment lol

 

Gotta love it, Dad's a car guy and kid is not as enthusiastic. My oldest is at that stage now.

In all honesty, you'll have to get over the looks. Plenty of better/reliable cars than the G.
I get it, you want you kid to ride in style but if we all kept our first cars you wouldn't own that GT3.
Rent him or have him drive a couple of brands around and see what type of car he's really into.
Chances are he'll take better care if it's something he likes and not what dad wanted.

I will be going through the same as you in a couple of years, on my defense I could build a whole G but again doubt my kid would go for it.

 

The 2012+ models aren't immune to the failed gallery gasket. There is at least one member here who experienced this. Just food for thought.

Also, if you kid isn't into performance cars, why not get him something more fuel efficient? These cars guzzle gas, particularly in non-highway driving.

 

this post made me laugh, you’re so right me that is such a car guy my son could give two ****s about cars. It’s kind of one of the scenarios where if I’m dropping 12 K on a car for my entitled son(yes I had to buy my own stuff at that age in my generation ) I want to buy something I like since it’s my money dammit LOL!


Here is a picture of my Porsche, and I’m not posting it to show off I’m only posting because you asked 🤗. Let me make that very clear LOL. Talk about putting a **** grin on your face every time every tween 5000 and 9000 RPMs there’s nothing like this car out there . So I guess I’ll look for an 09 and later, a G 25 like somebody else post it is a good idea but I will always wish I got the bigger six

 

Needs more rollcage.