330 / G35

sketch · Dec 26, 2003

MrElussive, did you ever own a bmw? just curious, im kinda new here. i thought about getting a g35, but my dad was a bmw fan to start with so we got the 330. to me the g35 is a great car, but i think its up to the person thats going to drive the car. whether they're going to drive it everyday commuting, or trying to race the next ricer they see kinda makes a difference. hp and torque doesnt make a difference if your just going to work or to a local store. if your an enthusist driver, then maybe. and if sly wants a g35, let him buy it, its going to be his car, or get both like Dave said [:D]

MrElussive · Dec 26, 2003

sketch, I have never had the pleasure of owning a BMW, but I have been around them my whole life (my parents used to own BMW's, actually). Friends and relatives have them and I have been in them a lot, and when I was looking for a car, I test-drove the 330Ci twice. I ultimately chose the G35 Coupe over the 330Ci because I just loved its styling, the 280hp engine, and the Brembo brakes...it took me a LONG time to make my final decision but the G35 Coupe just suits me more and I haven't regretted the decision. It is true that not everybody needs all 280hp from this car, but personally I find that almost every time I drive, I run this car hard, and therefore the 280hp is really worth it for me. [:D]

Average Jae · Dec 26, 2003

i had to decide btw g35 coupe and the 330 ci. g35 is fun because of the power, hard to argue w/ 280 v 225 on the ci.. but the bimmer did have a better overall driving experience. in the end, g35 is a really nice car, and if price is a big factor, g35 looks mighty good. but their residual value, and infinity's rep w/ reliability does make it seems like you'll pay less up front, but more throughout the life of the car.

i missed out on getting a 03 coupe, and saw the 04 coupe, i had a tough time deciding (still not a fan of the 04 facelift) then i saw the zhp package for the sedan and found out it only cost a grand more than similarly configured ci i was looking at, rest is history.

MrElussive · Dec 26, 2003

sly · Dec 27, 2003

and infinity's rep w/ reliability does make it seems like you'll pay less up front, but more throughout the life of the car.

Are you serious? I've owned three Infinitis and the quality of each car was outstanding. The first Infiniti I purchased was a '95 G20. I paid only $17K for that car, and had no problems. I sold the car for $3K a couple of years ago after putting over 180K miles on the odometer. The only expense I ever incurred on the G20 was for routine maintenance. As a matter of fact the original clutch was still working fine when I sold it. I also owned a J30 and I30 which also had no quality problems. Based on my personal experiences and on what I have read, I believe that Infinitis have much better than average quality.

adrean8j · Dec 27, 2003

I have to admit that I have always been a closet Infinity fan. As a matter of fact the G35 Coupe was on my list to possibly buy about six months ago(very, very high on the list). But due to the unavailability of an Infinity dealership in Germany I never got to test drive one, sooooo I got a BMW. Not a bad trade-off IMHO.

Bryan330i · Dec 27, 2003

MrElussive said:

Great point MrE. I did not know there was that much of a difference between the 330 and the Infinity...I guess that could make the Infinity a bit more expensive in the end, or at least the same as the 330...even if it is purchased because the better value would show at tradein or sale down the road.

MrElussive · Dec 27, 2003

Yup...you do save $7,000 initially on the G35 Coupe compared to the 330Ci, but I think you do pay for that difference over time in a couple of ways. First, the Infiniti doesn't come with free scheduled maintenance, and you have to take it in every 3,750 miles. Second, when the brake pads where down, you have to change the rotors along with them, and all that Brembo equipment is a $500+ brake job. And in my case (my car is leased), since Infiniti only has a projected 50-51% residual value over 3 years (although I have a feeling residual value will be better with the G35 Coupe due to high demand and low supply), the lease price is the same as the $7,000 more 330Ci !!
So basically you have to REALLY love the G35 Coupe to choose it over a 330Ci.

flashinthepan · Dec 27, 2003

In car comparisons there is often a major point overlooked -

There can be more than 1 winner, often it comes down to personal style etc..

Both cars are phenominal success's. [thumb]

MrElussive · Dec 28, 2003

Speaking of the 3-series and the G35...did anybody check out the newest Car & Driver? They released the 10Best List for 2004....both the BMW 3-Series (including M3) and the Infiniti G35 are there! [thumb]

sly · Dec 28, 2003

Hell no. Residual value after 3 years for a BMW 3-series is 60-65%. Residual value after 3 years for an Infiniti is 50-51% (which is the same projected value for the G35). That's why even though a 330Ci is $7,000 more, their lease prices are the same.

Infiniti got burned on their early lease deals with the Q45 and J30. They aren't about to do that again. I suspect that a lot of G35 coupe owners will be selling their cars before the lease expires, assuming the quality of the car holds-up. It shouldn't be hard to get more than $18K for a three year old G35 coupe in good condition. If you check car quality reports, Infiniti is always at or near the top in both the quality of their cars and in the service experience.

The last Infiniti I owned was an I30 which I purchased in '96 for $30K and wholesaled it to CarMax in '99 for $17,300. Even doing a retail to wholesale ratio, I was easily able to beat a 50% depreciation in three years. I have to believe that the G35 coupe will hold its value better than the I30.

Bryan330i · Dec 28, 2003

PS- In GENERAL, sedans hold better value than coupes. As an example, the 330i holds a higher resale (residual) than the 330ci. When I was looking, the residual on my ’03 330i in June was better than the ’04 330ci, now, however, they all suck on residual compared to where they were at in June.

It looks like about a 5% residual penalty on a BMW or Infinity coupe vs. either respective sedan. Some banks are only giving 55% 36/36 on a 330ci, not real far off from the G35 I guess.

I was thinking 330 but the 330ci makes a bit of difference I guess given that the value does not hold up as well over time as the sedan.

donmbmw · Dec 28, 2003

I lease my 330i, and when I mentioned to the infinity dealer that I was leasing he wouldn't even quote me a price. Just kept trying to tell me that I was better off buying and that the infinity was such a better car than the bimmer blah blah blah.. bottom line is, if your leasing then the bimmer is actually cheaper. Plus don't forget that BMW includes ALL maintainence for up to four years. So when you lease or buy a bimmer, your monthly costs are truly fixed.

sly · Dec 28, 2003

I lease my 330i, and when I mentioned to the infinity dealer that I was leasing he wouldn't even quote me a price.

Well here's the lease price that is offerd on a well equipped '04 G35 sedan with all options except navigation: $329 a month for 39 months and 36K miles. This price is advertised in Maryland papers each weekend. I can't believe that you can get a well equipped 330 for $329 a month. A 325 probably but not a 330.

Bryan330i · Dec 28, 2003

sly said:

Did you read how much cash down/cap reduction? I don't think you can even get a 325 for that. A well equipped 330 will run you 550-600/mo with 2-3k down/cap reduction.

Look at the fine print, I bet it is $5-6,000.00 cash cap reduction down or more.

Bryan330i · Dec 28, 2003

I found it....a 39 month special. It looks like about 3,500.00 not counting sales tax and other fees for a base model.

Not a bad deal...$330.00 a month and depending on your taxes about 4,000.00 cash or less without taxes.

MrElussive · Dec 28, 2003

Yeah, it is sooo worth it to lease a BMW over a 330Ci. For example, my $37,000 G35 Coupe, based on $0 down (aside from inception fees), 36,000 miles, 39 months lease, the monthly payment is $630. For that same exact price, you can lease a fully-loaded 2004 330Ci Coupe ($45K) AND you get free scheduled maintenance.

Average Jae · Dec 29, 2003

sly said:

if you get a luxury brand, of course you wouldn't expect to see low quality, but quality issues w/ infinities are something that you'll hear from the owners. your experiences seems to to have been good, and i say cool. (that should be the norm, not an exception)

and in the same breath, why do you think infiinity got burned on their residual? because their relibility wasn't as good as projected and retained it's value. you just unproved the point you made..

but all that said, infinity by no means is a slouch, or a GM brand that gives up 60%+ percent of the value on their leases in the first 3 years.. *ouch.. infinity closely mimiced a 3er w/ the g35 $$ less, but it's still not a bimmer. a viable choice for sure tho. every comparison will state that.. it's not just an image issue, altho for most buyers it maybe.. [:(]

sly · Dec 29, 2003

Yeah, it is sooo worth it to lease a BMW over a 330Ci. For example, my $37,000 G35 Coupe, based on $0 down (aside from inception fees), 36,000 miles, 39 months lease, the monthly payment is $630. For that same exact price, you can lease a fully-loaded 2004 330Ci Coupe ($45K) AND you get free scheduled maintenance.

You got screwed. Lease by tel 877 989 1500, quoted me $469 a month for a well equipped G35 coupe. The quoted price was zero down for 39 months and 36K miles. They were the first leasing company that I contacted. You have to shop around for a lease just like you do for a car.

Bryan330i · Dec 29, 2003

sly said:

That cannot be true. Sitting down with a simple 4 function calculator will tell you there is absolutely no way you can lease for $469 per month without some $$$$. They are not in business because they take a $3,500.00+++ loss on the sale of EACH new car.

The G35 with no cash runs exactly what MrE said, $600.00+. Check out "leasecompare.com" I think they have some of the most current rates on the internet.

330 / G35

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