Mainly the older ones?

Normally I'm not on over the weekends, but just found out today my wife's old car (our beater) has officially died. It was definitely a good car and we got 197,5xx miles out of it (well, we only got about 147,5xx b/c we got it with around 40k back in 1997), but alas it died on us.

So I was looking into either an Infiniti G20, I30, or I35. We're leaning towards the I30/I35 since it is about the same size as the old car (1994 Camry). Checking eBay it looks like you can get one of these for between $11k-$15k depending on year and mileage... and that is really all we want to spend.

So... does anyone have any experience with these cars? I did some quick Googling but the forums really don't have much on these cars. We're hoping to buy a 2001-2003 with decent miles (say between 35k and 50k) and would like to get upwards of 200k miles as we did with the Camry. Is this possible with these cars?

Any help is appreciated. Not sure how much I'll be online this weekend, but I'll definitely be back during the week to check in.

TIA all

 

This girl that parks next to me at school has a 97 I30 and it seems to run well expect it had a stalling problem but I think they got it fixed. What excately happened to your camry though? Also the accord is very similary to the camry and they last for a long time so you might want to check those out as well.

 

I've owned 2 Q45's, one was a 1991 and the other a 1992. They both lasted well over 100k. The second one did have some tranny problems but that was due to a botched repair.

I've had a few friends run the J30's up over 100k as well. Never experienced any major problems with them.

I know those aren't the models you were specifically asking about but I've always been a fan of the mid-90's Infinitis and have had good luck with their reliability.

edit: Oops. It also helps if I actually read what years you are specifically looking at. For some reason "older" still is early 90's for me.

 

Those years I30s are just glorified Maximas. They were a solid car. The only real problem was that the MAF sensors went at a higher than normal rate.

My mom had an 01 Maxima and put 100k miles on it in under 4 years without a single problem.

 

Jb, Ravi dumped his CL for a I35, so he might have some input on forums, etc...

 

I had my now fiance buy a 2001 I30t back in 2004. It had 50k miles and we got it for $15k.
It now has close to 80k miles on it.

She loves the car, it's been great since the day we bought it. Regular oil changes and the occasianal recommended service and the car is still performing like a champ.
I don't mind switching from my CL-S to her I30t at all when I have to.
It's VERY quiet on the road, but still has plenty of power. The only thing that bothers me a little is when crusing at highway speeds, the I30 is at about 3100 RPM, while my CL-S is at about 2100 RPM or less. Very nit-picky I know, but for some reason it just bothers me.

It's a VERY reliable car, the only problem we have run into in thus far is the ABS sensor on the rear brakes went faulty, disabling the ABS and Traction control. The dealer wanted $320 to fix it, but I found the part for $68 online and had my mechanic install it for $50, costing us only $120 in maintenance since we purchased the car...not bad.

I have recommended the Infiniti I's to many of my friends and many here on AZ as I think this used car is one of the best values out there. I'd do it if I were you and never look back, you won't be disappointed.

I would assume that you should be able to find a 2001 w/ 50k miles for around $11k.

Keep us posted!

 

my parents had an I35 and two QX4's and they were some of the most reliable cars weve ever had.

 

Had an I35 as a loaner. Drove OK. Kind of reminded me of a nicer Buick, though.

 

You could save more cash and get the same year Maxima as well: less toys to break, same engine and chassis.

 

 

I had a G20 for 177K before a woman totaled it and it was a great car. I often got I's for loaners and I'll somewhat agree with the Buick comment. They are mechanically the same as a Maxima....not a bad thing at all. Very reliable cars though....

I also always had good service experiences with my Infiniti dealership...much better than my current Acura dealer.

 

I'm looking at a FX 45, Infiniti's are great.

 

I personally like the I30/35, they are good, solid, reliable cars. I recommend!

 

I agree with others that they are solid reliable cars and personally I have always liked them and the maxima. If your working with in any sort of budget, which you mentioned you are, I would look towards the maxima or even get another camry instead of paying for the premium brand name.

 

I tried to tell 'em. Seriously, the Maxima has been a solid car since the early 90s. It's hard to go wrong there.

 

My dad still has a 99 I30t, and it is still going pretty stong. It has 192,000 kms (about 120k miles) and we have not had too many problems with it. We got it with 82k and besides reg maintenance, have had to put a new muffler on the car and the engine coils (not a common problem I dont think) needed to be replaced (which was costly). Not sure about the newer I30/I35's, but have not heard any bad things.

 

Infiniti I30, 2000 - 2002
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articl...0-02i30-35.htm

 

I've seriously considered an I35 in the past. I like it far more than the Maxima

 

How about a TL?

 

1st gen TL

Really, if you're going to be checking out the I30 and I35, give the TL's a chance too. You can get one with low miles and in excellent condition for under $9,000 at this point. They're quite reliable too. No transmission issues

 

Same here. If one is considering a loaded 5.5G Maxima w/4AT then I would definitely steer towards the I35 instead...preferrably w/ Sport Pkg (which incl. VDC, Maxima SE suspension/tire setup, side sills and rear spoiler).

Sidenote: The rear powershade and EL gauges are pretty neat features.....but the jack-in-the-box Navi option is pretty hard to come by though.

 

Hey, thanks for all of the replies guys! We so far have looked at Maxima's, Camry's, Accord's, Lexus ES', RL, etc. I even thought about a TL... but I had a 2002 TLS that I sold last year and I honestly would not buy another one just b/c I don't feel like playing Russian Roulette with the tranny. Had the tranny not been an issue I would have just kept mine. We also know that the I30/I35 is just a glorified Maxima, but you're talking to a former 1998 3.0CL and 2002 TLS owner... both of which are essentially glorified Accords... so I know how that works .

Honestly, our game plan was to just get another used Camry, but we decided we kind of want a little newer (say 2001+). Looking around on eBay, unless you're getting a stripped down car and/or a car with very high mileage, it didn't really make sense to buy any of the above mentioned cars. I actually happened upon the I30/I35 when looking for G20's... but I think that car is a bit too small. So we figured instead of spending ~$11k on a Camry that's a few years old and has high mileage, we could spend a tad more and get something like the I30/I35. Yes it would be our "beater", but it would also be a commuter... so it seems to have the best of all worlds (reliability, appearance, features and luxuries, and good pricing). We're not going to jump into this (although we always say that and we always end up making quick decisions ), so I'm going snoop around online to see what I can find.

Thanks for the replies so far! Everything we've heard has been good and the replies in here are no exception.

 

Infiniti Service is terrible, but the cars reliability is very good at least for the older cars.

I recommended a lady that was a realator and she use to drive a Caddy (several actually). They would die on her and have major issues at 60-80k, and she was sick of fixing them all the time. She talkde to me and I told her to look into a Lexus or Infiniti. Well she did and bought a I30 a 2001 I believe was the year she got. It had like 30-40k on it when she got it. Well it now has 250k and its still going strong and she hasn't had a single problem with it.

 

Oil light came on the night before we were supposed to bring it in for an oil change. I checked the oil, topped it off, and the next morning brought it in. Light was off until right before we got there... then it started making a nasty rattling noise. The place checked it out and the engine is shot... internal damage. T'was a good car and we definitely got our money's worth... but we have so much other stuff going on that the timing could have been better (like it could have died next year)...

 

Technically, the Infiniti I35 is a rebadged for US consumption version of the Asian markets' Nissan Cefiro, although it packs a different VQ version. If I am not mistaken, the 5G Maxima was designed by the geniuses at Nissan's California design studio for adaptation to the Cefiro's A33 platform.

Side question, was the 3.2TL tranny problem an issue with the 03 model as well??

 

It affected the 1999-2003 TL...

 

We may start looking more toward a 2001 since they can be had cheaper and are essentially the same as the 2003...

I'm also not worried about the dealer service. A few of our neighbors have Infiniti's and we asked them about the dealer. They all had nothing but good things to say about them... so the dealers here seem to be good.

 

Thank you. I was eyeballing an 03 TL-S w/Navi (34k) as a replacement for my 02 Maxima.

 

Certain 2003 TL's (maybe CL's too) were supposedly not affected by the transmission issue. I wish I had a link to that info.

 

I had a '93 G20 which was recently totaled in a rear-end collision (it had 165K miles, and still ran like a champ). 2002 was the last year they made the G20, and i think it was rated best used car by consumer reports a couple years back. if you're looking at the G20, check out www.g20.net and see if there are any for sale in the classifieds, you can also look around and see what kinds of mods are available if you're into that.

 

^ Cool. Thanks!! Even though we're leaning I30/I35... the G20 isn't completely out of the equation... so I'll check it out!!



Actually, you are correct... only early 2003 models were affected. The later 2003 models were supposedly fixed, however, even though Acura claims this to be the case and the 7year extended warranty doesn't apply to later 2003 TL's, there are still some that had problems.

 

Up til' recently, a colleague of mine had an 00 G20t. She was terrible at maintaining it (never taking it in for tune ups, oil changes only when the mood struck, etc,...) but it seemed like it soldiered on trouble free nonetheless......at least until she rear ended a truck and totalled it. (She has since replaced it with an 06 TL.)

 

Having owned a G and gotten I's often for service loaners...there is a big difference in size. As much as I liked my G (it was totaled in an accident too), I'd go for the I...bigger and more comfortable.

 

Word to that. I bought my car new in May '03, right before the end of the model year and right before the release of the 3rd gen TL, and I went through 3 transmissions in a little over 37k miles. I got that oil jet kit 2nd gear bullshit thing replaced after my first transmission went and the car was still slipping gear every single day of the week. How I don't miss that Acura... unless you have a nice warranty, STAY AWAY.

Oh yeah, with that being said, I have an '06 M45 Sport and I love it to death, an all-around great car. I know you're talking more about earlier generation Infinitis, but I figured I'd throw that out.

 

I just bought an 06 G35, and so far the dealer's been superb. This was the best car buying experience since I bought my brand new Ford Taurus 10 years ago. Apparently any time I please I can roll through service for a free wash, and I get loaners for life!

 

I am currently on my third Infiniti. Two G35s and a QX4. I haven't had a single issue with any of them. My 2000 QX4 has worked flawless and it's a great truck to have while my G sits safefly in the garage during the winter. I know that you are not interested in these particular model Infinitis, however I can vouch for the brand's reliability. Good luck shopping.

 

not to get off topic here but with your budget, you can afford my 03 CL-S and I can get my S2k!!!! no?? essentially they are all japanese...right?

 

Acura had issues with Tranny's, but they build better cars than Infiniti. This is nothing against Infiniti but I have owned 2 Infinitis and about 10 Nissans over the past 15 years. The quality is nothing compared to the Acuras we own now. The older I30/35 was better quality than the newer Infinitis that are out now including the new G35.

The 05+ TL does not have transmission problems. I mean, even Toyota is having tranny problems on the ES350/CAMRYS.

 

As I just finished selling my 02 Maxima to a relative and am now looking for a replacement, I have to agree with the statement above (bold).

The used A33 platformed I30/I35 seem to be in much better condition than used 03-04 G35s. Particularly the leather: the I35s seem to be in VERY good condition whereas many of the G35s seem to be cracking A LOT more than I would have imagined.

 

i have many colleagues (3) that have I35's and have ridden in them numerous times. And i disagree that the quality of the I35 is better than my M45 in any regard.

And i have test driven the current gen. RL and TL. The TL is not better quality either, and the RL is slightly below quality than my M45, although the ergonomics/layout of the interior is more snazzy.

Please be more specific before making rash statements like "XXX is better than new Infinitis that are out now", because it does not apply in all cases.