G35 vs. 330i sedans why did you choose one over the other?

I've driven both. The BMW wins. It handles better in all respects.
But I'm biased. I like BMWs for all kinds of reasons. I think they're
better engineered. You can be reasonably assured that the BMW's engine
will last a lot longer and run better after 10 years. How many 10 year
old Infiniti's do you see on the road, vs how many 10 year old BMWs do
you see? Lots more BMWs.

If you do your own work on the car, BMW parts are easier to find and
cheaper. BMWs are easy to service and there's a huge knowledge base
in the owner community.

"GRL" > wrote
> I have a short list for manual sport sedans that is down to a new 2004 G35
> (Premium, Sport, and spoiler packages) sedan or a nice late model 330i
> sedan
> (Premium, Sport Packages). They are basically equipped alike.
>...
> For example, the G35 would doubtless be a bit less troublesome, has a
> better
> gear shift, is new, is a bit quicker, is noticeably roomier inside and in
> trunk space,
> and is not a BMW (remember the how do you tell the difference between
> a BMW and a mosquito joke?)

IMO, the G35 may not be "less trouble". The E46 has been around since '99
and is virtually bullet-proof at this time. The G35 has only been around a
couple
of years, and Nissan's overall reliability/quality is not as good as BMW's,
so
even a new G35 is not as likely to be as good as a used 330i.

Floyd

"himes" > wrote in message
om...
>. How many 10 year
> old Infiniti's do you see on the road, vs how many 10 year old BMWs do
> you see? Lots more BMWs.

I have a 1991 Q45. It handles and performs pretty much as it did when it
was new. Back then, I did not see a lot of them on the road. Most people
who could afford them at the time (at least in my area) bought Lexuses
instead. If you liked BMWs back then, you might have liked the Q45, but I
doubt you would have liked the top end Lexus.

So if there were not many sold back then compared to BMWs, it's not
surprising that there are not many seen today. Some of them get totaled or
disappear for other reasons.

>If you do your own work on the car, BMW parts are easier to find and
>cheaper. BMWs are easy to service and there's a huge knowledge base
>in the owner community.

Absolutely. Infiniti parts are a pain to find, and if you don't do your own
work, it's hard to find a mechanic familiar with them. Despite what Infiniti
claims, I can't get decent service at my local dealerships. There are
actually two of them and neither one of them is really local. When I had
nothing but problems with one dealer, I spoke to a knowledgeable mechanic,
who does not work on Infinitis, to get a recommendation. He said he's not
surprised at what he heard from me, and that many of his customers who also
have Infinitis have reported problems with the dealer. But it turned out
that the dealer he mentioned was the other one I was considering as an
alternative.

Even though I don't own a BMW, I could tell people about two good shops off
the top of my head that specialize in them.

When I need to get Infiniti parts, I usually end up getting them on the web,
but it could take half a day to find them.

One, these are Text Only groups, you should reset your newsreader to post in
Plain Text, not rich text or HTML.

Two, I don't buy your view on automatics. Your view that owners of
automatics are missing alot is just plain idiotic. Autos have come along
way, and driving an auto can be a very spirited experience, and it is easier
to use in heavy traffic where the speeds are closer to 0 than 80.

Three, the Infinity is FWD, I think, whereas the BMW is RWD. There is a
significant difference. I don't take a position that one is better than the
other, only that they are significantly different than each other.
Personally, I like being pushed around by RWD, but there is a very good
argument to be made for being pulled around by FWD.




"GRL" > wrote in message
...
I have a short list for manual sport sedans that is down to a new 2004 G35
(Premium, Sport, and spoiler packages) sedan or a nice late model 330i sedan
(Premium, Sport Packages). They are basically equipped alike.

Have driven both, like both, but am torn between the two because each has
its advantages. Both make me smile wide. Neither has a dealer nearby.

For example, the G35 would doubtless be a bit less troublesome, has a better
gear shift, is new, is a bit quicker, is noticeably roomier inside and in
trunk space, and is not a BMW (remember the how do you tell the difference
between a BMW and a mosquito joke?)

The 330i is more tossable, handles a little better, has a better clutch
action, looks a bit nicer (not Bangle-ized), is a BMW (lower depreciation,
snob appeal), gets better mileage.

OK you folks who were in a similar position, which did you choose and why?

Surprising thing in looking at used 330i's is how few manual models there
are available. There are loads of automatics, on the other hand. A BMW
dealer told me that his dealership only sells about 5% of their new Beemers
with manuals. Virtually everybody buys automatics. For the "ultimate driving
machine" that is very surprising. Makes me think that lots of BMW customers
buy the brand (prestige) and not the car.

No way is an automatic is as much fun to drive as a manual, in my view. Poor
saps buying all those automatics are missing a lot.

(Manual G35's are hard to find, too.)


GRL

"It's good to want things."

S. Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic.Net programmer)

"Jeff Strickland" > wrote
> One, these are Text Only groups, you should reset your newsreader to post
> in
> Plain Text, not rich text or HTML.

Agree.

> Three, the Infinity is FWD, I think, whereas the BMW is RWD. There is a
> significant difference. I don't take a position that one is better than
> the
> other, only that they are significantly different than each other.
> Personally, I like being pushed around by RWD, but there is a very good
> argument to be made for being pulled around by FWD.

Wrong. The G35 is RWD.

Floyd

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 07:18:56 -0700, "MW" > top posted:

(top posting corrected)

>"Snoop" > wrote in message
>>
>> So should you buy a handsome, beautifully handling, classy car that makes
>> you feel good, brings a smile to your face at weekends, you will look
>> forward to driving every day, and that people would lust after, or a
>> lardy,
>> Japanese mainstream wallow-barge with little or no desireability,
>> absolutely no lust factor and third rate looks - oh, and which has the
>> appropriate depreciation to match its
>> aspiring-to-be-a-sub-lexus-which-is-toyota-trying-to-be-a-merc image?
>>
>> Tough choice!
>
>Well said.

"Well said"? You're an idiot. And that's being kind.

>Seems some would prefer to share psychobabble about their choice vs. simply
>acknowledging said choice and paying with depreciation. BTW...I love my
>steptronic.

Goody for you, snob.

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:49:50 -0400, "GRL" >
wrote:

>Looks are a matter of taste, and you are welcome to your opinion.
>
>As far as driving fun, you are so wrong about the G35 that there is no pint
>in arguing with you. You clearly never drove a G35. The car book editors who
>drive more cars in a lifetime than you or I will drive in a lifetime and who
>are very familiar with 330i's rate the two very close, with the G35 usually
>winning on price.
>
>You sound awfully threatened by the G35. Try to remember that they are both
>just cars in the end.

Yes, but what's with the top posting? Is that the norm in the q45
group?

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 15:14:51 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
> wrote:

>Three, the Infinity is FWD, I think, whereas the BMW is RWD. There is a
>significant difference. I don't take a position that one is better than the
>other, only that they are significantly different than each other.
>Personally, I like being pushed around by RWD, but there is a very good
>argument to be made for being pulled around by FWD.

Second time in the last few days that one of this group's regulars has
proven horribly misinformed, when it comes to Japanese cars.

Maybe you guys should get out more, and learn that BMW isn't the only
car company in the world.

"dizzy" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 15:14:51 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
> > wrote:
>
> >Three, the Infinity is FWD, I think, whereas the BMW is RWD. There is a
> >significant difference. I don't take a position that one is better than
the
> >other, only that they are significantly different than each other.
> >Personally, I like being pushed around by RWD, but there is a very good
> >argument to be made for being pulled around by FWD.
>
> Second time in the last few days that one of this group's regulars has
> proven horribly misinformed, when it comes to Japanese cars.
>
> Maybe you guys should get out more, and learn that BMW isn't the only
> car company in the world.
>

I said, "I think," this often times means the speaker isn't sure that he has
his facts straight. Given the fact that I did not place a value judgement on
which system is better, the lack of knowing precisely what I was talking
about is of little consequence.

Thanks for correcting me on the drive train of the G35, but you really need
to work on not being quite so snooty.

"fbloogyudsr" > wrote in message
...
> "Jeff Strickland" > wrote
> > One, these are Text Only groups, you should reset your newsreader to
post
> > in
> > Plain Text, not rich text or HTML.
>
> Agree.
>
> > Three, the Infinity is FWD, I think, whereas the BMW is RWD. There is a
> > significant difference. I don't take a position that one is better than
> > the
> > other, only that they are significantly different than each other.
> > Personally, I like being pushed around by RWD, but there is a very good
> > argument to be made for being pulled around by FWD.
>
> Wrong. The G35 is RWD.
>
> Floyd
>
I didn't know that. I guess I need to get out more ...