ive been interested in the Infiniti I30 and I35 lately. I can pick up a 2001-2004 model for under 15k, usually around 10-11k.

I have been searching everywhere for a decent nissan forum to dig up information on these but i cant seem to find much. I know they have some kind of ignition coil problem, can anywhere care to elaborate on this

If anyone can point me to a good forum or share any advice on these cars i would appreciate it.

 

i almost bought one before i bought a 02 TL

 

yea im also looking at another TL, however the transmission problems on a TL are probably no where near as bad as a I35. Unless a i35 has another kind of major defect that i should know about?

 

The I35 is basically the same car as the 02-03 Maxima except a little nicer (subjective). You can check Maxima.org for more info from owners of the I.

As a former 02 Maxima owner, the only problem I had was with a blown MAF sensor VERY early on and a bad HU by year three. Aside from that, it was trouble free with nary a rattle.

Prior to getting my 07 AV6, I was in the market for a used I35 (along with the TL-S and G35 sedan)....settling on the AV6 mainly because I do prefer buying new and the deals on the 07 AV6 were/are too good to overlook.

 

A former 03 maxima owner here, and I would echo everything F23 says, especially the Bad head unit... my Bose 6 disc crapped out after a year. Other than that, I loved the car, especially the engine (Which the I35 shares)

 

Bought an 04 I35 last year. Put about 28K on it so far. It's at 83K and still drives like it's new. Very comfortable car. Definately not as much fun as the TL. But it's a solid car.

I was either going to buy the I35 or a 2003 Maxima that was parked across from it in the lot. For $1000 more I got heated leather seats front and back, heated stearing wheel, sunroof, better stereo, trip computer and really freaking comfortable seats. It was well worth it.

I get about 23-24 mpg on mixed driving and close to 28 all highway. That's usually doing between 75 and 80 mph.

When I had my CL, by the time I hit 80K miles I had to replace the tranny, and the second was on it's way out the door. Replaced the cat convertor, heated seats, memory module for seats, a bunch of sensors, and I can keep going. I think it's a much better made car than the Acura.

I also think the head lights are better and these have actual fog lamps. Definately a plus.

Only downside I have right now is the rear sunshade seems to have a nasty rattle and I can't find anything that's loose. But it's the same as with the Acura. Also, the suspension is built more for comfort, not as much for handling, so unless you upgrade it, it will not be as tight as with the TL.

And it's not really a car that you can do a lot of modding with. Let's face it, when you look at it, a 3 inch exhaust will look retarded. I was thinking about getting the intake and headers replaced and maybe some wheels. Mesh wheels look really nice on them.

 

Aside from what F23 and te3 says, I haven't had any problems with the HU. But I tend to listen to the radio most of the time. When I do use the CD player, I find it a better system than in the CL. Not the best out there, but very suitable for the price.

The MAF problem I also had on my old Maxima, but it was one of the only problems I had in almost 200K miles. So I thought that was minor.

One other slight downside, and again will be similar to the TL is that I think the brakes could be better. I haven't had warped rotors yet, but I would like a bit more stopping power.

 

PM me if you have more questions. I think I am one of maybe just a couple I owners here and I drive my cars a lot.

 

I almost bought an Infiniti I instead of my '03 TL, almost.

My main issue was lack of Infiniti dealers in Oregon.

 

wow from your description the i35 sounds excellent for me. for one, i too had a 2000 acural TL that was always in the shop : motors mounts, tranny, warped rotors....a bad HU does not sound that bad because i would most likely install all aftermarket components.

also, i am a more relaxed driver now, i do not want a stiff car with good handles, id would much rather have a soft ride. My TL was dropped 2inches and there are way too many potholes on bay area roads.

do most i35s have heated front and back seats? i have always wanted those features, because sometimes i have other people drive while i sit in the back. do they have rear climate control?

My main other options is a 98+ LS400. i like those because they have unbeatable reliability, and lots of backseat room. I like the i35 because they are cheaper, and the v6 engines delivers good fuel economy and lower insurance rates too.

 

The heated seats in front aand back are part of the winter package I think. I just got lucky. I did see 2 of them, and both had it. But I can't say for sure it's standard.

It does not have rear climate control. It was one thing I initially was upset about. But Nissan does a good job with their AC's. Even my old 95 Max was really good.

I'm hoping to get about another 60K miles out of it without too much issues.

Good hunting.

 

Prior to making my AV6 purchase I checked out several 02-03 TL-S and I35s. My observation was that the I35s seemed have held up as well as the TL-S in some respects (i.e.: interior wear/condition) and better in other respects (i.e.: powertrain, paint, structural integrity).

IMHO (and this may be due to the class leading 3.2TL, TL and G35 sedan), the I35 is a VERY underrated car that should be given its props.

 

my only complaint about it so far is that it has a relatively high rev.

on the freeway in my TL, 2-2500 rpm steady at 80mph

but in a i35 it was more up in the 3000 rpm range, i really like lower reving cars, the LS400 has like a 2000 rpm rev on the freeeway

 

my gfs got a i30..with 80K on it..it still drives very well..and has never had any problems...IMO its a well built car! Its a lil too boring for me tho..but good reliable car nonetheless

 

yea thats what im looking for, nothing sporty. 1 more point on my record and my license is gone for another year. its already been gone for the last year. i get my license back soon and im anxious to get into a car, but this time NO 5 speeds or anything with crazy handles and power. i need a "grandpa" car, something luxurious with low revs and AT.

im leaning towards the infiniti now. i currently own a infiniti m30 and its been solid. i like how its alot cheaper than the LS400 and its cheaper on insurance. i was skeptical at first because i thought that nissans and infinitis had ignition coil problems. does anyone know about that?

 

When I first started researching my 03 maxima, I heard a little bit about some people having problems with coil packs, but I never had these problems. I think the problem was not that they were unreliable, but more that they were difficult and expensive to repair IF they went bad, but I may be wrong. Never had a coil pack problem in my 03.

 

Rock solid car and will last you forever, my last maxima had 240k miles on it before it got totaled , the only problem i have had with the maximas /I35s is the turning radius, if you ever plan on making a 3 point turn then prepare to turn that 3 into at least 5 if not 7 points .

 

The higher revs does not really bother me at all.

 

i35 is a great car... i was going to buy one but chose the tl-s since it seemed to satisfy my desires in a car as a 19 year old better (i35 seems geared toward the older population) if you couldnt tell. lol

 

yea im still considering a 2002-03 acura TL, as long as i can find one with under 80k and under 15,000. if im going to spend 15k i might as well drop that on the lexus.

my price ranges are:

Infiniti i35 with under 100k miles = 8-12k
Acura TL with under 80k miles = 12-18k
98+ Ls400- 12-19k

im trying to stay under15k, i like teh i35 because i can find one for around 10 grand, even less. that leaves some extra money for tints and a nice sound system.

 

Indeed. The A33 did a pretty good job of imitating a cargo ship when it came to turning radius. In some spots where my Murano can pull a U-turn, my Maxima required a K-turn.

 

Nice car for the money..

 

i wouldnt get the TL..not unless u wanna deal w/ the transmission issues.

 

yea acura transmission are something i have dealth with and would rather not deal with again.


the transmission on my 1990 infiniti m30 shifts like butter, and its the original tranny. you can barely feel 2-3rd gear shift.

 

2001 I30t owner...

Do yourself a favor and FORGET about the TL...
My wife has a 2001 I30t will 90K miles on it, which I drive quite often.
The only two things that really bother me about the car is the terrible turning radius and the higher RPM while cruising at highway speeds.
It's an incredibly solid car with no problems thus far.
I've said it on here 5 times or more before...get the I... you will not be disappointed.

 

haha is the turning radius that bad??

my infiniti m30 can make the smallest u turns, it has excellent turning.


i forgot the ask, is the i35 FWD or RWD? i still lust after the ls400 and its rwd setup, but if the i35 is rwd too this might be a done deal.

 

The I35 is FWD.

 

While I have no doubt your older M can turn quite well, I know this isn't an "I" specific problem. My old QX4 and the wifes old G20t all had brutal turning radius's. (...or is it radii???)

 

but, it is not a deal breaker. Just have to avoid u-turns on narrow streets.

 

Actually, I think the turning radius on the I35 is the same as that on my 3G TL- about 40 feet, which is wider than most and demands 3-point u-turns on my 40-foot wide street.

The I35 has a very good reliability history, and a nice interior.
I considered it, along with the G35, before getting the TL. I decided to bypass the I35 as it was being orphaned by Infiniti.

 

haha i pulled a u turn today in a parking lot on a street that was probably 20 feet across, two lanes deeps. it made it perfectly. im going to miss the turning radius on my m30.

 

Any update on your shopping.