What I've Learned After Owning a G35 Coupe for 1 Year. #blogpost

It has just the right amount of power

My 2003 G35 Coupe is completely stock which means it has 280hp going to the rear wheels. This is just the right amount of power. It is enough to where you can have some fun but it will keep you out of trouble as long as you keep the traction control on. The traction system will let the rear end slide out just for a split second but then will quickly cut the power so you don’t end up in a hedge. It lets you have a little bit of fun but not too much. Even with the traction off you still have to push the car really hard to get the rear end to break loose and even when it does it is fairly manageable. In a straight line it has enough pull for you to feel it. It doesn’t feel insanely fast. It’s not going to pin you back in your seat but you can feel the car accelerate if you floor it. I’ve tested my car(an automatic) a few times 0-60(without launching because that will hurt your transmission) and it usually did it in a little under 7 seconds. It feels pretty quick through first and second gear but starts to run out of pulling power once you hit third. Once again it’s quick but it won’t blow your socks off.

It’s a Blast to Drive on a Twisty Road

Every once in a while I take my car on a spirited drive up a canyon near where I live. It’s not a long stretch of road but it has lots of really good tight corners and elevation changes. And man is this car fun to drive on it. The first thing you notice when driving this car hard is the feedback from the steering wheel. It tells you exactly what the car is doing. You can tell if the front of the car is losing grip and pushing wide or the rear end is about to slide out. This makes the car really predictable and not intimidating at all to drive. The steering is also pretty good. It’s not very fast or direct but has good weighting and feel. There is also minimal body roll in this car. The suspension is fairly stiff and this makes it good around corners. While the body does tend to lean a little when pushed really hard around a bend it isn’t too noticeable and doesn’t ruin the driving experience. Same thing goes for the weight of this car at around 3400lbs,it is fairly heavy for a early 2000’s sports car. But once again while you can feel it’s weight when pushing the car hard around a bend it isn’t enough to throw the car off or ruin the driving experience. The brakes are extremely responsive they bite really hard and slow the car down really well. All of this adds up to an overall great driving experience. You can lean on the brakes hard into a corner then turn in, let the weight transfer to the rear end, feather the brake and throttle, and then nail the throttle and feel the engine pull you out of the corner all while the tires are on the edge of their grip. It always puts a smile on my face and I could do it all day.

The Exhaust Note is Glorious

I have a plain old bone stock exhaust on my car but god does it sound good. It’s not that loud. It’s not going to blow out your ear drums or anything but the VQ sounds so sweet. That’s the best word I can come up with to describe it. It’s just sweet. While an American V8 is more like a rock band. Deep, loud, obnoxious, and in your face. The VQ is more like a symphony. It’s not super loud and in your face but has a sweet smooth sound. It almost sounds like a V12 but quieter and without all the crazy crackles or pops. Every time I go through a tunnel or an underpass I rev it out so I can hear that glorious symphony reverberate off the walls and it never gets old. I could listen to it all day. And I do. I literally drive everywhere with the windows down as much as I possibly can so I can hear that glorious exhaust note.

It’s Design Is Timeless

Every time I tell someone who doesn’t know a great deal about cars that my car is a 2003 model year. They are always shocked because they thought it was only a few years old. This car’s design has aged very well. This is due to the fact that when it came out they didn’t go over the top with the design. There’s no giant wing on the back or an obnoxious looking body kit. It has a simple clean design which I love. Aside from the rear end of the car there are no really hard lines or creases on this car. It just flows in a smooth curve from the front bumper all the way back to the edge of the trunk. With subtle rear haunches that give it that little bit of presence and stance.

It’s Reliable… for the Most Part

This car’s engine is basically bulletproof. As long you keep up with regular maintenance it should last well past 150k miles. The newer rev up engines do burn a lot of oil but even then as long as you do frequent oil changes you shouldn’t have any problems. The transmission is also bulletproof. Both are known for their reliability. However, if you have ever owned a G35/350Z or known someone with a G35/350Z you will have heard of the infamous problem that plagues every car no matter what. It is unavoidable. The window motors and door lock actuators will fail. And if you’re lucky they will only fail once. If you’re not you will have to replace them numerous times throughout the car’s life. It is the Achilles heel of this car. Luckily, these two things are not too expensive to replace. Both cost around $100 for replica oem parts unless you want the actual OEM parts directly from Infiniti/Nissan which it will then cost you around $300 apiece. But luckily both of these parts are fairly easy to replace on your own so you shouldn’t have to pay for any labor. Other minor issues the car has are fuel gauges not working properly, trunk opener failing, the infamous seat rip, and various squeaks and rattles throughout the interior although these don’t seem to be too bad compared to a lot of other cars.

The Interior is Nice Enough

The G35’s interior is nice. Not too nice. But nice enough. The power adjustable leather seats are really comfortable yet still supportive when you need it. It has leather inlays in the doors, a nice thick leather padded center armrest, and a leather wrapped steering wheel. It has leather in most of the places you need it and none of the places you don’t. The rest of the interior is basically all plastic. Which I know people love to groan about plastic all the time but I could really care less because it’s not super flimsy and doesn’t look bad. It has heated seats which I had never experienced before owning this car and my god they are wonderful on a freezing winter morning. It also has automatic headlights but I don’t use them because it always turns them on way before you actually need them and it’s easy enough to flip a switch anyways. The only features I wish it had that it doesn’t were remote start and maybe a heated steering wheel but I can live without them.

Overall I absolutely adore my G35. It’s not the most exciting car in the world but it does everything well and is a blast to drive. It looks good and the exhaust note is great. I would buy this car again ten times out of ten.