G35 vs. G35S

So, I may have finally convinced my wife to go autocrossing with me, but she says she doesn't want to drive my 200hp '71 Opel GT. Hmmmm, not really practical to buy another two seater since we need to be able to haul a few kids around on a daily basis. So the old steady Jetta TDI will be replaced with a dual purpose rwd sedan. I was thinking CTS but they're next to impossible to find with a manual trans. (CTS-V is out of the price range and too gas thirsty) G35 's with manual trans are a litle more common and the reports say handle a little better and are faster than the CTS. So on to the question. 2004 era G35 w/6speed or 2007 G35S. There's about a $4000 price differential for cars with around 100k on them. I no the '07 has quicker acceleration and is about 100 lbs heavier than the '04, but both are reported to hit .90G on the skid pad. Does anyone know if one is better aftermarket support? or is one more prone to problems? Does anyone have experience autocrossing either? Thanks

I know on the 350z you want the later transmission, but they are all troublesome. When I was looking at them apparently they have some engine problems, oil consumption or something like that.

Dont know about the differences between the S and earlier ones though.

My recollection is that the "sport" package on the G was mostly cosmetic with little actual upgrade in terms of performance. I could be wrong though.

I autocrossed a Maxima.....you'll do just fine with a G35/37

I love my 03 G35 sedan 6-speed. The old 6speed sedan is the lightest G35/G37 ever built, and they are a lot of fun to drive

The 07 gets some major updates to the engine internals, vvt on all 4 cams, dual path intake, etc. That would be my pick.

The only way to get a manual G35/7 was with the sport package. So any manual is a sport. Its just that in that later years they added the "S" to the badge.

Anyone know if an '04 and '07 would be in the same SCCA class?

Both are in F Street.

I'll add that the oil consumption issue is only on 2005-2006 manual trans cars with the "Revup" version of the VQ35. You can identify it by the 7000rpm redline instead of the 6500rpm redline. To clarify - all manual trans cars is those years got the "revup" engine. Auto trans cars never did. I know the manual trans are known for crunchy syncros but I'm on my second G35 and neither has had that issue.
All manual trans cars also get the viscous LSD. It's not much good, and gets weaker with age, but better than an open diff.

So is the oil consumption only on the revup engines? I thought it was also an issue with the HR engines.

I really wanted a 350z and then a G35 sedan when I saw how cheap they were and although Ive never known anyone to have issues with oil consumption it seemed like everyone on the 350z forums was griping about oil consumption, I figured it was a big enough issue to worry about.

what really worried me was the trans, every manual 350 or G35 im familar with has had the crunchy 3 and 5 upshifts, rebuilding hasnt fixed any of them, and the internets says you have to put the newest updated trans from Nissan and even then its a hit or miss.

Coworker has a g35.

Its a pile. Uses oil, eats chassis and brake parts, lost 3rd gear completely, etc. Flaming pile of E36 M3.

Fun car to hoon when he first got it though.

The two G35 sedans in my network have all been troublefree.

The average G has far fewer problems than the comparable 3 series. Not far off in driving fun either....

In reply to Opti: As far as I know, only the Revup motor has the significant problems. I think if the HR uses oil, it falls into more of the "normal consumption" range, rather than "manufacturing defect" range.

I agree, on average I think these cars are pretty tough and quite reliable. My first one ('06 sedan, 6MT, Revup) and my current one ('03 coupe, 6MT, non-revup) have both proven to be well put together. I really like the Brembos on my current car.

The non revup is actually better in day to day driving in my opinion, as it makes higher peak torque, at lower revs, although by a fairly small margin. It does sort of fall off after 5500rpm or so, in stock form at least.

Neither of the motors comes close to the VQ37VHR though. I've driven a couple and they are right quick. Very broad power band and rev like crazy for a big V6. I wish it was a simple swap into the older G's but it's not.

doc_speeder wrote: In reply to Opti: As far as I know, only the Revup motor has the significant problems. I think if the HR uses oil, it falls into more of the "normal consumption" range, rather than "manufacturing defect" range. I agree, on average I think these cars are pretty tough and quite reliable. My first one ('06 sedan, 6MT, Revup) and my current one ('03 coupe, 6MT, non-revup) have both proven to be well put together. I really like the Brembos on my current car. The non revup is actually better in day to day driving in my opinion, as it makes higher peak torque, at lower revs, although by a fairly small margin. It does sort of fall off after 5500rpm or so, in stock form at least. Neither of the motors comes close to the VQ37VHR though. I've driven a couple and they are right quick. Very broad power band and rev like crazy for a big V6. I wish it was a simple swap into the older G's but it's not.

The 37hr is a phenomenal engine, but ours aren't too bad. However, I despise the clutch's narrow engagement, and I can rarely get a smooth 1-2 shift. They're awesome cars otherwise, though

In reply to Wizard_Of_Maz: Have you tried the RJM Adjustable Fulcrum clutch pedal? It's the bees knees. I don't have one, but I have tried one. Awesome piece of engineering.

In reply to doc_speeder:

I was thinking about it, but would it potentially cause premature clutch wear?

What's your budget? V1 CTS-V's are popping up for $10k - $15k every day, and I'm guessing they'd destroy the G35 in FS.

My dad bought a 2003 G35 sedan 6 speed, new. After 160,000 miles he had replaced the brake pads 3 times, the rotors once and the shocks once. He might have replaced the battery as well. It never used enough oil to add any between changes. I kick my self for not buying it.

It seems with these cars it's either really good or really bad. 3 of the 4 people I know have one and it's been normal wear items and a few small things and then the 4th was a pile and just kept breaking down. I hope the G37 I just got falls into the gem category because so far I'm really liking the car. So far so good.

ZHP

Smarta$$ McPoopyPants wrote: What's your budget? V1 CTS-V's are popping up for $10k - $15k every day, and I'm guessing they'd destroy the G35 in FS.

Well, I was hoping for something in the $5 - $6 range which is where the older G35's are, but we test drove an '08 that was $14k and very nice, then went home and found an '07 online for $10k. Now I'm thinking I may go up to as much as $10k.

So, buy low and have an extra $4k for upgrades, or pay the extra $4k and get one that is faster from the factory.

In reply to bigben: I don't know if you plan to leave it stock or whatnot, but the V35 chassis (2003-2006 for sedans, 2003-2007 for coupes) has more suspension options in the aftermarket it seems.