Had one of the first G35 6MT coupes in Dallas as I stated above (we bought it in 02 after a 4 month wait since you had to order them at the time). We had the car until late 05 with NO problems except a wheel bearing going out.

There are reports of SOME people having issues with the transmission, but not widespread issues like on the Acura CLs of the same time period.

Saying that you should avoid early G35s because of the tranny is like saying you should avoid all Evos because of the transfer case issues.



Forgot to add since you're being such an ***, we got rid of the car because we had a kid and the backseat and trunk weren't gonna work. A month or so ago, my wife decided she didn't need the SUV-let any more, so we traded it in on an 08 G35s 6MT sedan. Just so you wouldn't think I'm full of ****... but we know our cars

 

for sure a coupe. for an 05 with generally low mileage you are probably looking at about mid 20s, usually 25,000. i love g35s , they are def worth it .. sporty look and luxury. and all the coupes are rwd! good luck !

as far as any other suggestions. 350z would be cheaper used , but they are pretty small. and possibly a new nissan altima coupe, they have the g35 look, and you could prob get one brand new for the same or a littlee more than a used g35!

hope this helped !

 

Like people have mentioned, the coupe is going to be more expensive, and the backseat is a joke, but it's one of the best looking cars in it's price range(and even in higher price ranges). The sedan is still a good car, but the AWD is pointless unless you are going to run into bad weather a lot. I would say you could get a nice one for your price range though. The motor is fantastic like someone else said, I've got a newer 350Z, but my friend with an 03' that has 90,xxx miles on it still runs perfectly with absolutely minimal maintenance. Plus, like you mentioned, the VQ motor sounds gorgeous.

 

def look for a VQHR coupe.......

 

the techs dont even work on them anymore, now they just swap them out for a newer tranny.

 

He'd have to get a new G37. They switched from G35 to G37 for the coupe when they started doing the HR motors. But you are right, my 350Z has an HR, and the top end on it is much better than the DE motors.