Down to two contenders (wife just bought our 10th ann. gift)

[RKS]

Tomorrow my wife and I will will try to figure out the replacement for her 02 Max SE (6mt). The dealer called Friday and told me he just received a 2011 G37 S Sedan (6mt). We will also be hitting the Subaru dealer a few yards away to try out the 2011 STi. Besides the 4 doors, manual transmission, and price; these cars aren't that similar so it will depend on the wife.

The only unfortunate thing is that both come with summer tread and I'll immediately have to spend about $1500 for winter wheels and tires.

 

[Jumpem]

Sho.

 

[RKS]

Sho.

Too big
Too automatic
Too much "makes me feel even older"

It was a consideration but the aforementioned factors kinda ruled it out.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Those are completely different. Ones a sport lux cruiser ones a tin can with a rabid badger under the hood.

 

[RKS]

Those are completely different. Ones a sport lux cruiser ones a tin can with a rabid badger under the hood.

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

 

[mb]

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

Worst experience I ever had with a dealer was at Subaru. No one wanted to give me any help. I thought maybe they were all busy so I asked the receptionist if there were any available sales people and it turned out they all were. I was asked if I was buying today and said no, so I was turned down for a drive. I wanted to try out the Legacy GT.
No one else did that, not even Audi or Lexus. As soon as I walked in the door they were trying to get me on the road.

 

[Zap]

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

WTF exactly. Find another dealer. First dealer we went to let us drive the normal WRX but not the STI, plus wouldn't even let me hit higher RPMs. Screw them! The second dealer let us drive anything we wanted to our satisfaction. We made our purchase from the second dealer.

Does it snow where you live? If so, AWD with Winter tires is da bomb!

I've owned a few sporty vehicles (Mustang GT, Contour SVT, Mazdaspeed 6) but the WRX STI we test drove was a beast in comparison. The suspension was crazy harsh and the engine exhaust was really noisy. That's why we ended up ordering a WRX Limited (Limited model has heated leather seats, moonroof) and not an STI. The power felt really similar but it was a more civilized go-kart. 😛

EDIT:

Worst experience I ever had with a dealer was at Subaru. No one wanted to give me any help. I thought maybe they were all busy so I asked the receptionist if there were any available sales people and it turned out they all were. I was asked if I was buying today and said no, so I was turned down for a drive.

I don't think it was because they were Subaru dealers. I had different results at two different Subaru dealers. If one won't play, go to another.

 

[JCH13]

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

The Subaru dealer wouldn't let me drive an STi either, the "manager" was out driving it >.< they let me drive a WRX, freaked out when I actually tried to drive it and not putter around, then sat me down in the sales room and said "what do we have to do for you to take this car home today?" I just left.

OP: get cheap wheels for the winter, probably under size them a little, and call it a day. I sped $250 on used tires, $100 on used alloy wheels (OE Hyundai, fwiw) and $30 on spray paint and I got some decent winter wheels and good tires. They're 16" wheels instead of my OE 18" wheels, which makes tires a lot cheaper. This is on my MS3.

 

[RKS]

WTF exactly. Find another dealer. First dealer we went to let us drive the normal WRX but not the STI, plus wouldn't even let me hit higher RPMs. Screw them! The second dealer let us drive anything we wanted to our satisfaction. We made our purchase from the second dealer.

Does it snow where you live? If so, AWD with Winter tires is da bomb!

I've owned a few sporty vehicles (Mustang GT, Contour SVT, Mazdaspeed 6) but the WRX STI we test drove was a beast in comparison. The suspension was crazy harsh and the engine exhaust was really noisy. That's why we ended up ordering a WRX Limited (Limited model has heated leather seats, moonroof) and not an STI. The power felt really similar but it was a more civilized go-kart. 😛

The original dealer sold the lone STi I looked at last week. The second dealer had an STi but would not permit a test drive.

FWIW we probably have about 5-10 dicey days every winter but we do have a full size SUV with 4wd/awd. The Subaru would provide extra coverage in winter but I'm not gonna buy it if I can't try it. The G37 (6mt) is rwd only so I would get a new set of wheels and tires for the winter months.

 

[RKS]

The Subaru dealer wouldn't let me drive an STi either, the "manager" was out driving it >.< they let me drive a WRX, freaked out when I actually tried to drive it and not putter around, then sat me down in the sales room and said "what do we have to do for you to take this car home today?" I just left.

OP: get cheap wheels for the winter, probably under size them a little, and call it a day. I sped $250 on used tires, $100 on used alloy wheels (OE Hyundai, fwiw) and $30 on spray paint and I got some decent winter wheels and good tires. They're 16" wheels instead of my OE 18" wheels, which makes tires a lot cheaper. This is on my MS3.

This was my plan but the G37 S has the 4 piston calipers which has clearance issues even with some other Infiniti 18" wheels but there may be 17" or even 16" that can clear the bbk, I haven't checked closely yet.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

They don't want people joy riding in those cars. It is a high strung sports car and the people who do buy them want them pristine with under 10 miles on it so they can break them in properly.

It is a car you definitely want to drive before you make a decision as it is completely different than the G37 sedan. You will hear a lot more road noise in the STi, the suspension is much firmer, and the car is quite a beast. The Infiniti will be more comfortable, more refined and more sedate.

 

[RKS]

They don't want people joy riding in those cars. It is a high strung sports car and the people who do buy them want them pristine with under 10 miles on it so they can break them in properly.

It is a car you definitely want to drive before you make a decision as it is completely different than the G37 sedan. You will hear a lot more road noise in the STi, the suspension is much firmer, and the car is quite a beast. The Infiniti will be more comfortable, more refined and more sedate.

I absolutely understand that, we need to know if it is a car we can live with but apparently it's supposed to be a complete surprise. 🙁

 

[Zap]

The Subaru would provide extra coverage in winter but I'm not gonna buy it if I can't try it. The G37 (6mt) is rwd only so I would get a new set of wheels and tires for the winter months.

RWD or AWD has nothing to do with Winter traction. Snow or not, you don't want to be driving Summer-only tires when the temperatures stay below freezing.

the people who do buy them want them pristine with under 10 miles on it so they can break them in properly.

1.24 - SOFT BREAK IN

So what’s the best way to break in an engine? Run it hard.

 

[BUTCH1]

They don't want people joy riding in those cars. It is a high strung sports car and the people who do buy them want them pristine with under 10 miles on it so they can break them in properly.

It is a car you definitely want to drive before you make a decision as it is completely different than the G37 sedan. You will hear a lot more road noise in the STi, the suspension is much firmer, and the car is quite a beast. The Infiniti will be more comfortable, more refined and more sedate.

Then they should have at least one that can be driven, hell if I'm gonna drop the cash without a test drive, that's just nuts IMO..

 

[halik]

Looks like the Subaru dealers are making it easy. Unless you commit to buying the car or sit down to negotiate a deal; no test drive. WTF?

Wow wtf, how do they stay in business. I'd go for the infiniti, cheaper insurance and every tard in a civic won't try to race you.

 

[KentState]

That's crazy they won't allow you to drive. I'm interested in the S4 so the gf and I stopped by the Audi dealer on Saturday. I just wanted to check out the interior, but the salesman talked me into a test drive and then encouraged me to test out the sport differential. I was a little shocked that they wanted me to beat on a $60k car.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

That's crazy they won't allow you to drive. I'm interested in the S4 so the gf and I stopped by the Audi dealer on Saturday. I just wanted to check out the interior, but the salesman talked me into a test drive and then encouraged me to test out the sport differential. I was a little shocked that they wanted me to beat on a $60k car.

Yeah, Audi salesmen encourage you to "explore what it can do" I test drove an S5 for shits and giggles and the guy wanted me to practically 4 wheel drift the thing.

 

[KentState]

Yeah, Audi salesmen encourage you to "explore what it can do" I test drove an S5 for shits and giggles and the guy wanted me to practically 4 wheel drift the thing.

That's pretty much what the guy was suggesting that I try. I'm not comfortable trying that even if the car is insured.

 

[RKS]

We both liked the 2011 G37 6MT. The GM said he was going to take the fun out of the negotiation process and sell it at invoice. I checked sale prices via zag/amex/costco/usaa/etc. and they are all around invoice so I think this is an okay deal.

There was slight bullshit however. Originally the GM said he didn't stock many 6MTs (1 or 2 per year) because everyone wanted the AWD 7AT. Yesterday when I asked for a week to make a decision, he said that he could hold it until noon on Thursday because he had a lot of people asking about it.

 

[Howard]

RWD or AWD has nothing to do with Winter traction. Snow or not, you don't want to be driving Summer-only tires when the temperatures stay below freezing.

Sure it does. Depending on the torque biasing, you might swing your ass out into the next lane doing a turn, or just ram a car in that lane straight-up.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Wouldn't something like a Legacy 2.5GT be more comparable to the G37? I know it's less powerful, but it has enough to be fun and 100 times more comfortable than an STI.

 

[iGas]

Have you checked out Altima coupe/Maxima/Genesis coupe/370Z/RX-8 Vs. Infinity G37?

IMHO, G37 is a great car, but the Genesis can give it a good run for the money so as the RX-8.

 

[Arkaign]

The STI is a no-compromises barn-burner built around Subaru's econobox. It's a nicer econobox than the previous gen, but it still drives like the angry drivetrain is bolted directly to your ribcage.

^^ Spice has it right, if you want a Subie to stand a chance of the wife-test, just try the Legacy GT. The Infiniti wins hands-down in cush though, while still sporting some very decent pep. While they're perhaps overly common (I turn my head when I see a LGT, G35/G37 are practically invisible to me), the LGT and STI definitely miss the cachet of the G37. The G37 looks at home parked next to 550s and such, the Subies not so much.

I also kind of prefer a simpler setup with less moving parts. A standard RWD setup is pretty basic, and the G series has been extremely reliable. While the Subies are also extremely reliable, there will be more things to potentially go wrong along with more items on the maintenance checklist. If you need AWD, you need it, but a G with winter tires and traction control on in the hands of an adequate driver is going to be just fine in anything but apocalypic conditions.

 

[Arkaign]

iGas has some interesting suggestions :

Altima Coupe = tiny. FWD makes winter driving a shade easier than RWD though. Cheaper if you find a dealer that doesn't rape you. Dealers around here sticker those things like they were Zs.

Maxima. Nice, large, drives well. Great motor just like the G, FWD though. Very good interior. A lot of bang for the buck if you're not a performance maniac.

Genesis Coupe. Smallish back seat / storage. Although the looks are definitely derivitive of the G, this is more of a Z competitor really. I don't think it quiet measures up, but it is a bargain.

370Z. Wow, really fun car, although many still dislike the exhaust note. This car is only done proper with the 6-speed manual of course. Solid, but like the Genesis coupe it's really only practical as a two-seater.

RX-8. Getting a bit long in the tooth, it's a great looking car that drives very well, but it has two glaring problems : lack of power (specifically torque), and horrendous fuel economy (worse than many V8s in daily driving). Arguably the most composed and forgiving RWD car in the price range, perhaps ever. Many cars approach their limits and feel great right before they decide to try to murder you. This car will start to break loose and give you a chance not only to recover, but to choose what you're going to do.

It's not my $ on the line, but I would definitely line up a series of test drives. Having had the opportunity to drive all of these (except a recent LGT), my $ would go to the G37 out of this list for a shared DD. If I could spare the scratch for a fun 2nd/weekender car, it would switch to the STI or 370Z easily.

 

[RKS]

iGas has some interesting suggestions :

Altima Coupe = tiny. FWD makes winter driving a shade easier than RWD though. Cheaper if you find a dealer that doesn't rape you. Dealers around here sticker those things like they were Zs.

Maxima. Nice, large, drives well. Great motor just like the G, FWD though. Very good interior. A lot of bang for the buck if you're not a performance maniac.

Genesis Coupe. Smallish back seat / storage. Although the looks are definitely derivitive of the G, this is more of a Z competitor really. I don't think it quiet measures up, but it is a bargain.

370Z. Wow, really fun car, although many still dislike the exhaust note. This car is only done proper with the 6-speed manual of course. Solid, but like the Genesis coupe it's really only practical as a two-seater.

RX-8. Getting a bit long in the tooth, it's a great looking car that drives very well, but it has two glaring problems : lack of power (specifically torque), and horrendous fuel economy (worse than many V8s in daily driving). Arguably the most composed and forgiving RWD car in the price range, perhaps ever. Many cars approach their limits and feel great right before they decide to try to murder you. This car will start to break loose and give you a chance not only to recover, but to choose what you're going to do.

It's not my $ on the line, but I would definitely line up a series of test drives. Having had the opportunity to drive all of these (except a recent LGT), my $ would go to the G37 out of this list for a shared DD. If I could spare the scratch for a fun 2nd/weekender car, it would switch to the STI or 370Z easily.

We have 2 kids and a Lab so a coupe is out of the question. I've had Maximas since 1995 and wanted a change especially since they no longer offer a manual. The Genesis sedan was interesting but once again the G37 had the manual. The LGT is only available as an auto or cvt.