rubman

Seriously thinking about getting either a G35 coupe in the Fall, or a 330 CI. My biggest concern is the quality control issues that we all have had to fight Nissan over with our Maxes. Ex: Paint Chips, Low quality rotors, Cheap-a#$ss windshield, cheap Bose stereo system. All in all, love that VQ engine with the good torque but am concerned with dropping $30k+ on a car that might still have al of the problems my Max has had. Quality-wise, how are your Infiniti's holding up?

TimW

iTrader: (6)

which have the same difficulty getting TSB work. MaineI30 had some trouble as I recall.


Dunno... its a toss up.. at least you'll have a nice loaner.

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

my 96 I30t w/ 80k miles is runing beautifully. I am second owner but have all the records. Besides 60K mile tune up there was a rear o2 sensor replaced, replaced left trans axel seal, some history of alignment problems which I think was just bad tires because it's fine since I put on my 17"'s, and the belts need to be done soon. So nothing major mechanical.
As far as interior/exterior the car was previously owned by a car collector, so between me and him it's always been taken care of.
Leather is flawless, no cracks in dash or anything, no leaking in sunroof or window seals. No broken **** or cheap flimsy plastic. Bose stereo has given me problems recently but is still working O.K.
The paint does not seem like the most durable in the world, but for a 6 year old car I don't think it could be much better.
All in all it has held up very nicely. The reliability rating speaks for itself. I have owned a few high mileage use cars. Mazda B3000, Ford probe, F-150, Thunderbird, Tauraus. My Infinti has given me the least problems by far. My brother ownes a 95 Accord EX and has put way more money into it than I have.

So, yes, I would highly recomend an Infiniti. And I will be insanely jealous if you get a G35 6-spd coupe.

Maximus1000

While it would be foolish to lambast the G35s excellent chassis, its still a Nissan under the pretty badge. Any problem the Maxima expereinces, I fail to see how the I35 would not experience. I really dont want to start a war, but have you driven a CL-S 6spd. That is one incredible car.

rubman

My last car was a 2000 Honda Accord V6 Coupe. Exellent car in every which way possible. It was totalled at 45K and did not experience any major problems. All that was done, aside from modding and oil changes, rear driver's side caliper went out under warranty. Honda gladly replaced both rear calipers with new ones under warranty, and provided me with a Tahoe as a rental at no cost to me. My main reason for going with a Max wanted someothing diferent. I have talked to an Acura owner or two, they have not been as lucky as me with their dealer service. I might even look at the 2003 V6 Accord Coupe, 240HP.
Thanks for your suggestion.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

The maxima would be a GREAT car if the service was there. All of my problems, yes acuras are warping rotors all the time, stem from unpredicable and unreliable service. I think that also has alot to do with resale, people throw their hands up and bail out for premuim brands (I know leases/fleet sales are the main resale killer).

I've decided against the 350Z and the G35 because its still Nissan Corp. They have treated me like dirt. Thats the *only* reason I wouldnt buy these otherwise fantastic cars.

Now, my other problem is that Audi, Acura and BMW all have the same kind of problems with customer relations. Maybe its the lesser of evils I will have to pick when I finally sell.

tbirdrob

Really the only reason an I35 costs more than a Maxima is the longer warranty and better service. Of course, the car is essentially the same, but Infiniti's service reputation is much better, which means chances are good that any common problems will be dealt with quickly and stress free, unlike for us lowly Nissan owners.

karguy

We previouly owned a 95 GXE and a 1997 GLE, we bought an I30 as a second owner. Have had absoluety 0 problems in 2 1/2 years. The I30 comes with a 4 year 60,000 mile warranty which helps. Infinti does provide free loaners and wash your car and clean interior for free when you take it in for service. We didn't buy the 97 GLE when it came out of lease because NISSAN Finance wouldn't negotiate. So we bought the 97 I30 because it was $1300 cheaper, came with 1 year factory warranty, it was an Infiniti certified cae car and had an additional 7 year 100,000 mile extended warranty. It seems the Infiniti does not hold their value as well as Maxima so you might want to consider a used one. In terms of problems, we only had 1 problem in 6 years of ownership with the 95 GXE (5 speed) and 97 GLE. It was the clutch in the GXE, it was one fast car and I had a ball! The clutch problem was because of the way I drove that car. Nothing is more fun than blowing the doors off a stuck up Volvo Turbo Driver's ride. From a reliability perspective I think the Max and I30 are about the same. The I30 is a quieter car, has an upgraded interior and in my opinion rides better. If a new I30 is your objective I know the Infiniti Dealers will negotiate!
Be well!!!!

Maximus1000

I suppose I've been extraordinarily lucky when I've had service issues. My freak MAF sensor failure with the frankencar intake netted me a free sensor replacement, albeit with a very scary wait. My local dealer is pretty nice when it comes to service, I've never had to wait too long. The dealer I bought the car from (Bommarito Nissan in St.Louis, MO) was the absolute best buying experience I've ever had. The price was great and the salesman and sales mananger were outstanding. When I intially wrecked the Maxima, one of my first thoughts were (besides buying an M5) to go up there and buy another Nissan product since I was so utterly pleased with my experience. *My* reason for leaving the Nissan family has been the disgusting resale and general unhappiness with the car itself. Now its a great car in of itself, as I've told a board member in personal conversations many times, but the little things about it irk me. The dramatic power fall off after 5Krpms, the silly floating feeling on long highway sweepers with the stock suspension, the poor paint/clear coat issues, many TSBs right off the bat (rotors, hood, etc), and most of all, the fact that I just dont get super excited about the car anymore after just six months.

The Maxima is an awesome car for the dollar. Dare I say, it cant be beat on that basis, but to me a car has to be more than that. The Maxima has SO many more convenience and thoughtful features than my year old Prelude (HIDs standard, cass and CD, power seat, trip computer, 17" wheels, etc) does, and the Prelude was a couple grand more new, but I just get a good feeling driving the Prelude. I bought the Maxima because I though I needed more room, but going back to it I realized how much I missed the fun factor.

In an ironic twist of fate, the lovely Acura dealers I've been to locally and in St.Louis have been the biggest group of jerks I've ever met. There is no way I'd buy an Acura dealer from any of the four dealerships I've visited. But......when I do buy an Acura (theoretically ofcourse), I'll find a dealership I like and buy from them.

In conclusion, I'm not really sure why I typed all this, but I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions I had given before.

97GLE

Maybe I'm spoiled but the Nissan dealers around here are very nice. My father owned an Infiniti J30 from Sewell Infiniti and they have to be the best dealership experience I've ever seen.

In my imediate family we've had these cars: 2 Chevys (Suburban and Full Size Van), 3 Porsches (944, 944 Turbo, 944 S2 Cabrio), 3 Nissan's (Pathfinder, Maxima, 240SX), 1 Infiniti (J30), 2 Honda's (Civic, Accord), and a Suburu Legacay.

By far the Nissan's have been the most reliable and have had the best dealership experieces. I guess thats why I'm sold on them.

The only non maintenece/accident work done on the cars was a thermostat in the Pathfinder.

For maintenece and repair Infiniti was great. We always got an i30 loaner for free and the car came back clean and smelling good every time. If your car were to break down while your out of town, they reimburse hotel food and towing expenses.

Every time I've needed to do work on my car the service guy lets me take the FSM and make copies of the pages I need. And there always helpful with parts and their prices rule compared to honda.

My friend needed bolts to attach his front lip on his Civic. 9 bolts with nuts= $100, freaking rediculous. And try and get honda to honor warranty work on any part of the drive train... If its the transmission, they all say sorry bud you drive it too hard, they dont even look.

I'm 19. If I go to an Acura dealership they wont even talk to me, I went by Sewell Infiniti and they talked to me like i was any other customer. I went to nissan and they let me test drive a loaded 3.5 Altima no questions asked.

Go look at JD Power, Infiniti has the highest rated dealership experience in the industry. Nissan is rated the same as BMW (whoo )

Whatever car you buy, ask questions about the best dealers out there. Theres a wealth of information for almost every area around on the internet.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

Our 2k PF needed a new idler pulley.. $9 part. Took 3 trips, untold hours, they beat the crap out of the radiator, coolent was leaking from a hose that was not tightened. Somehow they got brake fluid all over the bay (I asked them to check the touchy brakes and they overfilled the *already filled because I checked that* resevoir, so it spewed all over the bay when we got it back)

That has been a pretty typical service visit. Usually they track oil in the car, made a cut in my leather, wrote in pen on my steering wheel (went thru the paper), oh.. I could go on..

Luckily, nothing major has broke on the car. All these horrible experiences I've had are for things like a $5 relay, or a 30 min TCU fix. silly... completely unnecessary.

Maximus1000

Good night, that gets my vote for the worst service experience ever. I guess I'm just lucky when I get mine serviced.

97GLE, I too am disappointed with every Acura dealership I've been to. One salesman (when driving a CL-S 6spd) told me that Acura was Hondas racing division (strange how Acura is a North America only division then) and that the 6spd came directly out of an F1 car. Geez. That still doesn't change my feelings that the TL-S/CL-S are superior cars to their Nissan/Infiniti couterparts.

Of all the bemoaning of poor service, just think what the poor F-body guys are having to go through with Chevrolet or Pontiac service, not to mention the hordes of other sucky cars....Kia, Daewoo, Chrysler, etc, etc, etc.

97GLE

I'm spoiled then. Once i didnt have time to change the oil in my girls car, i went to the Nissan dealership in Gainsville, Florida. It was 8 dollars, they had free donuts and coffee, talked to me about the new altima, and i spent most of the wait sitting in one, then they washed the car for me.

I agree on the whole people here have had bad dealer experiences, but I know that I've had much worse with other brands. I wont try and sell you on my experiences, I just know that there are good Nissan dealers out there.

97GLE

Well, I have to say that yes the TL-S/CL-S compare better to the Max/I35, but for me the G35 and the G35 Sport Coupe take the cake. I just don't see what every one see's in the quality difference. Yes it's there, but I'll take the seat of my pants fealing over minor fit/finish issues.

Oops G35 is OT!!

TimW

iTrader: (6)

Oh well.. that explains it all.. Fit and finish are important to me. 1/4 mile time means nothing to me if I have to deal with rattles and bad paint. Heck, you could save 10K and get a GTP.

RussMaxManiac

I love my service with Acura. All depends on the dealer of course...

Maximus1000

It seems that Acura dealers are kinda hit and miss when it comes to customer satisfaction. Every Lexus dealer I've been to (all three of them) have been outstanding. Then again, my run ins with Nissan dealers have been great too. Incidentally, the Honda dealer where I bought my Prelude sucks so much. My third oil change that I got there was a mess. They left the dipstick laying in the inner crease of the hood causing oil to spray all over the engine and inner hood. So I dont take it back to them anymore, but have it serviced locally (where I SHOULD have bought the car).

karguy

I know what you mean about Honda's, I have a Red Civic Coupe that is a ball to drive. I really appreciate the design, excellent engineering and quality. No problems in 4 1/2 years of ownership. Can't comment on service I have had no problems as with the 2 Maximas and I30 no problems. I can't say if I am lucky or it is because I really take great care of our cars. Probably a little of both.
Be well!!!!

97GLE

By seat of my pants i mean corners not strait line. I dont race my car, but i like a car that can handle. And by fit/finish i dont mean i accept rattles, i mean im not bothered by a few hard plastic pieces. You've seen a G35? The interior isn't bad like people make it out to be. A rattle will drive me up a wall and back to the dealer.

I'm not telling people what car to buy, just saying everyone has horror stories.