My wife and I find ourselves in a quandry trying to decide between a 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe with 9,100 miles on the 285hp 3.5 liter V-6 and a 2002 Mercedes CLK430 with 39,000 miles on a 4.3 liter V-8. Both are priced below blue book, the Mercedes running about $7,000.00 cheaper. The C35 has about 4 years of drivetrain warranty remaining while 3 years could be purchased for the Mercedes for about $1200.00. I like the Mercedes for the long term value I think it would retain over the Infiniti but the G35 is very tempting with only 9.000 miles on it. Both were fun to test drive, the punch of the G35 vs the power of the CLK. Would appreciate any input on which way we should go.
check consumer reports, but I suspect the Mercedes is much less reliable than the Infiniti. In recent years European cars have declined in reliability to 3rd place behind Japan and US.
They are completely apples and oranges, once you decide what type of car you want to own you will know which car to buy. I agree the ricer is probably cheaper to operate, if that’s what you want to drive then buy it.
The ownership costs will be more than likely significantly less with the Infiniti if that is up there in your equation. Not sure what you own now however once warranty passes a general (independent) mechanic will not have much of any trouble working on an Infiniti which is essentially a Nissan.
I agree with Bill Russell, check the Consumer Reports Used Car Buyers’ Guide at your local bookstore. The Infinity has a far better reliability history. Cost of ownership should be significantly lower.
The G35 wins in the consumer rankings 4.8 vs 4.3 out of 5 stars overall. It’s also about $6G’s under blue book, so it looks like we’re getting another vehicle in disguise (350Z). We also have a Honda Passport (Isuzu Rodeo). Anyone want to buy a 92 Lebaron ragtop with a dying tranny?
No, not a 350Z. You are getting a Nissan Skyline. Same car, different continent. Part of the difference in stars maybe related to the initial cost. The CLK probably cost at least twice what the G35 cost new. Is the G35 a coupe or a sedan? You probably won’t notice the difference in power most (all?) of the time. It depends on how much traffic there is.