Sue Esponte

I could be wrong but I think he may have been referring to the public's perception of the Infiniti as an upmarket "luxury" car manufacturer vs. Mazda (which isn't typically considered a luxury car manufacturer).

And, I still think the G35 is butt-ugly. Aside from being "affordable luxury" and a competent performer, I don't see the aesthetic appeal of the G35 sedan at all...and the coupe is a bad interpretation of the TT.

-Eric

TiRX8

Save yourself the hassle. You've pretty much convinced yourself. BUY THE G35!!!!!!

Spin9k

Huh? Your definition of 'history' is? OR did I miss smthg the last 9 months in the problems dept?

:p

gusmahler

I drove them months apart, so I may be wrong with respect to rear seat room. That's why I asked here, to be corrected. Luxurious is, of course, subjective.

Believe it or not, I'm still leaning towards the RX8, not the G35. I don't have to pull the trigger for about 2 months, though, so I still have plenty of time to compare them both again.

rx-7~rx-8

if you want something that will last longer and has a proven reliability... last 10 years... G35...

if you want a unique really sweet looking car and awesome handling... and unknown reliablility... RX-8

I say RX-8.. come on it stands out on the street... and is so damn fun to drive... cause i drove one and boy is it fun... to drive... man it should be reliable... just takle care of it... you'll be alright dont worry...

BIMMER5&RX8

How do you know G35 Coupe is going to last longer than RX8? It has one model year more than RX8 although the sedan version has been around for a couple of years. But that should not lead you to this conclusion.

As far as I know, I don't worry about products from either Mazda or Nissan, especially those models made in Japan. The RX8 is made in Japan.

Sue Esponte

Funny, of the big Japanese automakers, Nissan is one of two that I'd be most concerned with over the long term. Newer models are definitely an improvement over old...but "old" isn't that old.

And, the Camry and Accord (both of which are assembled in the U.S.) have some of the best reliability records on hand for any Japanese car sold in North America.

I honestly have no idea what the basis is for your opinion.

-Eric

BIMMER5&RX8

The previous version of Mazda 626 (now called Mazda 6) was assembled in North America and it only had an average reliability record. I don't even want to talk about Mazda Tribute. So, it has been my perception. When I bought my RX8 I had a chat with the dealership owner while signing the paper work. He told me that his experience of selling cars (his family owns a bunch of dealerships including Lexus, Jaguar, Acura, Infiniti, Cheverolet, Volvo, Mazda, Nissan, etc.) has been that within the same brand cars made in Japan tend to be more reliable. He marveled at the Japanese quality control .

I work for one of the biggest software companies in the world and I have regular contacts with our engineers in Japan. One of the Japan team's jobs is to localize the product in Japanese after a product is ready. They usually would find lots of problems that slip through our QA. For some reason they are much more focus on quality. And they are the only people I know who actually read the product manuals and they read them carefully.

BIMMER5&RX8

Another thing...

I used to own a 1991 Honda Accord. That model year, some cars sold here were made in Japan and some were made in North America. A couple of years ago I put an ad on yahoo to sell it. When a buyer came to look at the car, one of the first things to looked is to check the sticker and made sure it was made in Japan. I was able to sell it to him for a price higher than the prevailing Accord prices.

cwerdna

So is the G35.

Back to one of the earlier replies. I agree that the G35 sedan is ugly (at least the back is). The G35 coupe looks ok IMHO.

AltecLansing

i second that. the G35 looks too heavy and a daddy car. yet the G35c is another story.

btw, my friend owns a Audi A4 1.8T 03' and its having some engine problems already...

RunnedAround

lol, funny that you say that your friend has problems on his A4, because my friend who has the A4, has more problems than anybody else with his car!

RunnedAround

Oh ya! The reason I want an RX 8??? Because unlike other cars, the RX 8 is a piece of art, a one of a kind, so it should be treated accordingly

cwerdna

The A4 probs aren't surprising. Audi's reliability is below average and its parent VW is even worse. Every VW and Audi that Consumer Reports had reliability data for had below avg. reliability except the V6 Passat.

RodsterinFL

Interestingly it was on this forum right after I bought my car (in July) that I learned of the study done that rated the NA rotary as the 2nd most reliable engine in the world - just after Mercedes Benz diesel.

If you must buy a car and are going to buy either/or I would purchase the RX8. For one thing, you have $26,000 to spend. I do not believe you can buy a new G35C for that and if it is used as someone said, why are they selling it so soon? If they have owned it for one year then you have 3 years of warranty vs. 4 years with the 8. The insurance was lower (for me) on the 8 vs. the G35C. ALso, don't try to get any adult sized friends in the back seat. I am 5'8" and I could not sit upright in the G35C in the back, the rear window was in the crown of my head. One person said the gas mileage was better on here - check the long term report of Car and Driver (I believeor Road and Track) reported 17 mpg city for the G35C. Also, the G wants Premium gas and the RX loves Regular. Many have tried to tell others on here about that who have soot hanging from their pipes but, oh well.


Now, if you don't HAVE to buy a car like that now, I would look for an inexpensive car to get around in while your precious must sit out in a lot exposed to the elements of nature and naughtiness. Vandalizing cars is sadly a pastime with many younger people and it is harder to take with "new stuff" let alone any stuff. I would get a tuned Civic or something at best and save the rest in your car fund.

AltecLansing

actually a second hand miata, s2000, 350Z etc also works. :D

cwerdna

From http://www.infiniti.com/content/owne...ty/0,,,00.html the Infiniti basic warranty is 4 years/60K and 6 years/70K on the powertrain. So, if you drive a LOT, you might not be that bad off w/a G35 even if it's a year old. There's no extra coverage on the powertrain on Mazdas.

m477

Seriously. Get a beater now, not a nice new car. Trust me. It will get bumped, scraped, scratched, and dinged to hell after several years of being parked in and around student housing areas. Think of 4-5 years down the line when you're graduating, you'll be getting a job and might want to buy a house/condo or at the very least, need money to get settled in your apartment. All you'll have to show for your $26k is a beat-up car that has is no longer worth anything.

I had a used Neon in college. I wanted a nicer car at the time, but in retrospect it was a good idea. By graduation, the sides of the car had so many dings they looked like cellulite, I got rear-ended, backed into, broken into, and was vandalized twice.

However, if your family has a lot of money and will help you out with your expenses after college too, then hey, go for it....

RodsterinFL

Agreed Altec Lansing, Those are all great choices.

RodsterinFL

True on the warranty but also note the mileage figures. If the car is driven the avg 12,000 miles a year then at 4 years that's 48K and 6 years is 72K - 5 years 10 mths or less if driven more is more the actual of that powertrain warranty. The warranty is 20K more than the Mazda on powertrain. I agree that it is a warranty but my experience with the "emissions" part of a warranty that was longer than the basic on a car I owned caused me a big problem even though it was a catalytic converter still way within the emisson warranty period. Go figure. The basic warranty is the most important one and fully transferrable but all in all, you make a good point Cwerdna.

This brings up a good point - mileage figures and warranty. I wish they would come up with another factor besides mileage or at least be a little more understanding. We have a 2001 Miata LE that is still under basic warranty and has 16,500 miles. An issue with that model year that is a TSB is that the clutch when cold shutters. We also have been experiencing veering to the right just during acceleration (runs straight during cruise not alignment) and the dealer admitted this week that there was an issue with the clutch but that it needed to be taken car of during or within a 12,000 mile period because the clutch is a "friction" part. Well, whatever the car has 16,500 miles - 4,500 more miles than the so-called cutoff. Used only as a weekend car it just now has what many persons have in one year of driving.

bubble

Evolution