DPGreen

Hello all,

I'm looking to spend $12-$16k & have preference for speed, sporty handling & quiet ride.

Thinking 2011 - 2013 G37 Sedan. (I was considering Q50/Q70/M56 , but G37 seems to be the better value, given my price range.)

I'm still trying to learn pros & cons between Base / Journey / Sport & AWD. I do know that I'd like the luxury package (which I read here is indicated if the G37 has heated seats.)

I'd like AWD for road trips into the mountains. But that REALLY limits my options in terms of what is available, so I'm trying to decide if I should try & hold out for that.

Questions, pleas:

• Do you like those model years for G37's?
• How good is the Infiniti AWD , particularly in snow/ice?
• Does having AWD add significantly to maintenance costs?
• Between the Base / Journey / Sport - is it correct that:
  • the main differences are the features
  • they are all the same level of quickness
  • the Sport has "sportier" ride (suspension & brakes)

Also, trying to get a handle on expected maintenance costs for a 2011-2013, likely 60-100k miles.
At around 100k miles, should I expect big ticket items such as timing belt, CV joints... maybe even water pump etc? AC...

Would also love to hear your general thoughts.

Thank you in advance!!! I'm STOKED to get this car...

Best,
David

Oh yeah; I'm mainly using Craigslist, from owners, looking for a reasonable deal. There are some Carmax's nearby with some G37's, but not sure if the premium they charge is worth it... I also have been looking through Autotrader, Cars.com, etc.
If you have any thoughts on that, would love to hear them too.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Welcome to the site David, missed your post so wasn't able to approve it But now you're good to go!

I'd look at a 2012+ G, the models prior to 2012 have an inferior oil passage gasket that's over $1500 to repair if it fails.

I'd strongly consider the RWD w/ sport pkg, all 6MTs are sport models and the Autos are designated as Journey w/ sport pkg.

The AWD sedan w/ sport pkg lacks several important upgrades that the RWD has, so if you can get around without AWD I'd go RWD.

As far as quiet, you won't find these to be quiet luxury cruisers, there is a fair amount of road noise regardless of model, but if you plan to do any suspension upgrades that noise will get worse. If you want a sport sedan w/ good tires you'll have to sacrifice some peace & quiet I'm afraid

Good luck w/ your search and post up any questions on what you find out there!

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

in addtion to what Blnewt mentioned, the AD is almost 200lbs heavier, but i is a great system

Other things to keep in mind is that the Sport models have things like an LSD, quicker ratio steering and much bigger brakes...this doesn't include the AWD "Sport" model which just has cosmetic upgrades and doesn't have any any of these mechanical upgrades

DPGreen

Hello and thank you very much for the invaluable information Binewt & Hashim!

I'm reading several reasons to go with the RWD... and now I need to try to decide how important the AWD is to me.

1) Is the RWD ok on wet roads?

2) I want AWD for when I road trip into the mountains & snow.. Am I correct to assume that the RWD would perform very poorly in these conditions? I've been living in CA for awhile now, so lost any snow driving experience I ever had....

I don't like giving up the upgrades (LSD, quicker ratio steering and bigger brakes)... I suppose the trade off for better traction is only something I can answer.

Switching gears, regarding noise - if I found a good value on a M56 or Q70:

1) They are quite a bit quieter, correct?

2) How much of a trace off would there be in terms of "sports sedan" experience?

Thanks a lot for helping me to think threw this !!!

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

You'd have to drive the bigger sedans and decide if you want that trade off, if you don't haul passengers (especially ones in the rear seat often I'd go w/ the G.

As far as RWD in teh snow, w/ a proper set of snow tires you should be fine, many in the snow belt have this setup. Might post a question in the sedan folder titled "those w/ snow tires on a RWD, how does it do in the winter vs. AWD?" or something similar.
HTHs
B

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

To Add to Newts answer again, snow tires go quite a long way and will probably be the one thing to help the most but there is no substitute for familiarity with winter driving. If you've gotten used to it in the past you probably will gain, but might have to take it easy in any car till you know your car better....snow driving isn't really about better systems or a particular configuration in most case, its just familiarity with your own car because the cars limits are lowered substantially and you will be driving closer to them for extended periods.

I'm not sure if the M56/Q70s are any quieter, but it does have a few extra accouterments like cooled seats and more depending on the year...either way you can get the same big brakes as the G37S on it, but expect it to not be nearly as agile...that being said...I bought my G, 7 or 8 years ago, if I were buying now I might go for the M56/Q70 because I've had my fun in the G and more importantly...because big V8 (I wouldn't go for the 3.7L M/Q70 just cause it would fee like a big slow G to me)

DPGreen

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Congrats and an official welcome to the club! 2013 is a nice year to buy.

DPGreen

Thanks!

I noted your advice re. "models prior to 2012 have an inferior oil passage gasket that's over $1500 to repair if it fails."

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

pm sent!