Just traded '07 G35 Sedan on '08 335i

[Railgunner]

Horrible experience with Infiniti dealership. $3500 Volk wheels stolen off car while left at dealership for service over the weekend after being assured car would be kept in the garage by the dealership, instead they left it on the back lot, no fence, no cameras, nothing. Dealership claims they are not liable. My insurance (Alstate) covered about 1/2 of it. Dealership is basically waiting to see if I'll go to the trouble of sueing them over $1800.00 before paying and to be honest, I probably won't. It's probably not worth the hassle trying to find a lawyer who will take a case this small. But I can say this, until Infiniti corporate has pullz the franchise of this dealership, I'll never buy another Nissan/Infiniti. I hope the $1800.00 was worth it.

The '07 G35 itself was not a "bad" car. It never really "fit" me well. I'm 6'2 225lb with a long upper body and the G35's left armrest too low, center console elbow rest too low and far back. Couldn't "raise" the position of the armrests by lowering the seat cause I pretty much had it bottomed out to keep my head out the headliner. Couldn't really rest my left elbow on the edge of the window sill because there's not mch "sill" to rest your elbow on. I guess the car might be a good fit for some people, but for me, it was painful to drive for more than about 20 min.

The 335i Sedan on the otherhand fit me like a glove. Armrests in the right place and plenty of headroom.

I had never driven a 335i Sedan until this week but based on all the side-by-side comparisions between it and the G35, I was expecting the 335i to "feel"
pretty much like the G35. They do not feel the same to me at all. The way the two cars drive are very different. The G35 has a high reving engine that really does not start to do much until 4K RPM. It spins up very quicky even when pulling off from a stop slowly, and you hear it spinning up (engine noise). The 335i pulls at much lower RPM and you don't really hear the engine unless you are really getting on it. There's more noise in the G35 both from the high reving engine, road noise, wind noise, and a few creaks, and rattles. The 335i on the other hand seemed "tighter". Much less engine noise during normal driving, and considerably less road and wind noise. Steering on the 335i was tighter (took more effort to turn the wheel) but it felt more "connected" to the road. Overall, the 335i just had a "glued to the road" feel that makes the G35 just feel a little "mushy" in comparision.

The only thing I couldn't really tell with the 335i was how it responds when you get on it (Didn't want to scare the salesman). My G35 was pretty quick when it needed to be but from everything I've read, I don't have anything to worry about with the 335i.

Anyway, my 335i is being trucked in (dealer swap) and will be here the 1st on next week. Jet Black w/sports package, premium package, Beige Dakota leather, steptronic, comfort access system, Sat. Radio, IPod/USB. No Nav/idrive.

[cr22]

wow, sorry you had to deal with all that. I'm positive you'll love the 335 more, especially in the area of styling...I think the G35 looks a bit unfinished. Strange to hear that you had headroom issues though because I was just in the Z4 sub forum and there were guys around your height that fit fine in the Z4 and the Honda S2000...I would think the G sedan would have much more room

[Beer Goggles]

Their insurance will cover it, don't let them lie to you. Sounds like they left it out there on purpose!

[Slvr328IS]

Their insurance will cover it, don't let them lie to you. Sounds like they left it out there on purpose!

+1

[needspeed34]

I have a 06 G35 coupe and I have been debating on the 335I coupe. I guess I better go do the test drive.

[nsxtasy_MD]

Their insurance will cover it, don't let them lie to you......X2

[Blue Streek]

I have a 06 G35 coupe and I have been debating on the 335I coupe. I guess I better go do the test drive.
Definitely! You may prefer the look of the exterior or interior of one or the other, but driving the BMW says so much more than anything else. If you can, drive it both slow or at moderate speeds through turns and stoping and going, but also at high speed on a highway or freeway. Don't have the audio/music on, just listen to the wind, tires, lack of creeks and rattles, and the feeling of the road and what you're doing through your fingers on the wheel. Oh man, I gotta go for a quick drive now! :DHa!

[Beer Goggles]

My advice is that unless you have $5K to lose, keep your new car until you don't waste money.

Cars will always be available in a year or 2 :) Enjoy the G it's a nice ride.

[henrysko]

Boy, really sucks about the wheels getting ripped off. I'd think the dealer, having care and custody of your car, would make them 100% responsible. Perhaps a small claims suit for the entire amount is warrented.

I gotta ask though, when you purchased your G35, didn't you know that it didn't fit you all that well?

Anyhow, buying the 335 is a good call. :cool

Good Luck on the other matter.

[Terry @ BMS]

Good call on the 335i... ;)

[Railgunner]

I gotta ask though, when you purchased your G35, didn't you know that it didn't fit you all that well?

Not really. I mean I test drove the car but just assumed that once I had some time I could adjust the seats and get them the way I wanted. I've never had a car where I couldn't adjust the seats and get them reasonably comfortable.

There were lots of complaints about the seats in the '03 G35 but they were comfortable for anything other than a trip lasting more than several hours at which point the seat controller that was made into the left top edge of the seat cushion would start to make my thigh hurt (this was a common complaint).

But I could never get the '07 seats right. Well I "could" but my head would be touching the headliner. The problem was that the last inch or so before the seat bottomed out also changed the seat bottom tilt, flattening it out, which was uncomfortable. If I raised it high enough to be able to get some
"lift" on the front of the seat cushion my head would be in the headliner and either way, the arm rests were not in the right place.

[Trendari]

Sorry to hear about the dealership....but oh boy! Wait until you hit the gas on that 335....it's really fun! When I took my test drive, the saleman was so happy to show me just how quick these cars are...actually threw me back in my seat! That hasn't happened since I drove a twin turbo 300z in 1991!! :)

[shifterkart33]

Our 328i is primarily the wife's car, but I drive it enough that I need to fit in it. I'm 6'3" with extra long legs. I looked at the G37 to replace our old 323i. When I put the G37 seat all the way back I asked the Infinity saleman if that was as far back as it goes or if there was height adjustment. He said that's all the way back and it has the same leg room as a BMW 3 series. I replied, I have a 3 series and it has a lot more legroom. Case closed, we bought another BMW. I think you'll love the new BMW!

[JD 6SPEED]

WOW that sucks. Sounds like they did it on purpose, probably knows who stold them. What Volks were they? GT-C, GT-S? Sorry for your loss.

[JD 6SPEED]

I looked at the G35 sedan and didn't like it at all.YUK. Front seats were much worse then my 07 TL-S seats. The beemer is WAY better in every way, except problems I have read, and many.

[mismjy1]

This past weekend I drove the following cars:

- G35 6MT (manual)
- G35 Sport Automatic w/ paddle shifters
- 328i manual (base model)
- 335i Automatic loaded

Of the two Infinitis, I much preferred the automatic. The manual shifter was great - extremely short throws - but something in the way the pedals are placed and the nonlinear clutch made it less than satisfying. The automatic on the other hand was very nice - the paddles reminded me of my friend's Ferrari 355, and they have a throttle blip feature that made for amazing downshifts. You can literally step on the gas while downshifting - way faster than I could ever be with a stick. Handling on both was very flat, and I went through some twisties and managed to engage the limited slip once. Lots of power and very high handling limites - it was a pretty fun drive. So I was leaning towards the auto G35 when I headed to the BMW dealer.

First car there was a stripped 328i with a manual, and immediately the car seemed more together to me. Although the throws were longer, the pedals were perfectly positioned, and the car felt lighter and tossable. Even though it wasn't as fast, I was just having fun with it, taking turns hard with a satisfying chirp of the rear tires (even with traction control engaged). Following that, I drove a loaded automatic 335i - which I expected to love, but which frankly left me a little flat. First of all, I don't like the weird thumb/finger shift buttons on the wheel. I'm sure they'd be fine in time, but why don't they just do it the same as Ferrari al? Second (and perhaps strangely) the power just didn't blow me away - whether I was (poorly) using the buttons, or in full automatic mode. The vaunted torque just didn't seem to appear - did I maybe have a lemon?

Anyway, the dealer is offering me a pretty incredible deal on an '07 328i (how about $300 over invoice with an awesome lease to boot). Maybe I just drove the wrong 335, but the thought of that tossable little 328 for ~$350 a month is making me think I don't care.

[BavarianDDR17]

Beige leather is beautiful... but be prepared to use a little saddle soap on the driver's seat about every 300 miles.

[Gig103]

Their insurance will cover it, don't let them lie to you. Sounds like they left it out there on purpose!

+2! You can file a small claims lawsuit in the county the dealership is located under. They will almost definitely buckle immediately. Publicly traded corporations are required to send lawyers to small claims to protect the investors, so they won't send Joe Shmoe or the dealership manager. And that corporate lawyer will cost more than the $3500...

[Bandit335]

This past weekend I drove the following cars:

- G35 6MT (manual)
- G35 Sport Automatic w/ paddle shifters
- 328i manual (base model)
- 335i Automatic loaded

Of the two Infinitis, I much preferred the automatic. The manual shifter was great - extremely short throws - but something in the way the pedals are placed and the nonlinear clutch made it less than satisfying. The automatic on the other hand was very nice - the paddles reminded me of my friend's Ferrari 355, and they have a throttle blip feature that made for amazing downshifts. You can literally step on the gas while downshifting - way faster than I could ever be with a stick. Handling on both was very flat, and I went through some twisties and managed to engage the limited slip once. Lots of power and very high handling limites - it was a pretty fun drive. So I was leaning towards the auto G35 when I headed to the BMW dealer.

First car there was a stripped 328i with a manual, and immediately the car seemed more together to me. Although the throws were longer, the pedals were perfectly positioned, and the car felt lighter and tossable. Even though it wasn't as fast, I was just having fun with it, taking turns hard with a satisfying chirp of the rear tires (even with traction control engaged). Following that, I drove a loaded automatic 335i - which I expected to love, but which frankly left me a little flat. First of all, I don't like the weird thumb/finger shift buttons on the wheel. I'm sure they'd be fine in time, but why don't they just do it the same as Ferrari al? Second (and perhaps strangely) the power just didn't blow me away - whether I was (poorly) using the buttons, or in full automatic mode. The vaunted torque just didn't seem to appear - did I maybe have a lemon?

Anyway, the dealer is offering me a pretty incredible deal on an '07 328i (how about $300 over invoice with an awesome lease to boot). Maybe I just drove the wrong 335, but the thought of that tossable little 328 for ~$350 a month is making me think I don't care.


BTW, I'm sure you know but 2008 models are available and $300 over invoice is a good price on a 2008 not on a 2007 328 sedan.

[Bandit335]

Back to the original post. The dealership is totally responsible for the wheels. Trust me I know. It's a form of bailment. When you leave physical possession of your goods to someone, the car, with the keys and you even tell them to store it inside makes them totally liable. The classic example is valet parking. When you hand over the keys to them it means they assume full responsibility while in possession, unlike an unattended parking lot where you just leave the car and take the keys. You need to tell them that you will take them to small claims court, no lawyer needed and small amount involved. You will pay a few hundred dollars for filing fees but the judge will make them pay that back to you, The dealer is never going to take it that far, unless they're really stupid. They will pay up quickly. Sounds to me like you're being way too soft and not agressive with them. Why the hell would you go through your insurance if they are 100% liable.

My advice, first, talk to someone at dealership at as high level as possible and simply make the above threat of lawsuit. If that doesn't work or even before you call the dealer, call Inifiniti Headquarters and tell them what happened. They will tell you the dealer is independently owned and nothing they can do. Bullshit. Tell them if they care about customers, they better call up the dealer and I'm sure they will. If none of that works, go to small claims court.

[Bandit335]

BTW, I think the wheel theft was an inside job, probably some mechanic tipped off someone else about the car and lack of security.

Don't let them off the hook, get on the phone now.

[mryakan]

Maybe I just drove the wrong 335, but the thought of that tossable little 328 for ~$350 a month is making me think I don't care.
Go for it. You can always upgrade in a couple of years if you feel you need more power, but believe me, you don't necessarily need all that much power to enjoy these cars as your short test drive attested.

[mryakan]

BTW, I think the wheel theft was an inside job, probably some mechanic tipped off someone else about the car and lack of security.

Don't let them off the hook, get on the phone now.
And also get some wheel locks next time. I know it is not impossible to steal still, but makes it a bit harder and easier to tell an inside job from an accidental one, if there ever is such a thing.