Infiniti or Lexus?

swraman

swraman

Active Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
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292
Location
California
Hi,

My dads lookin at a used Lexus, but I think he should get an Infiniti. It seems like you get more for your money.

For ex., these 2:
Infiniti
Lexus

The Infiniti has 4WD (ive seen the same model with 35k miles and RWD for the same price). You get a 260HP 3.5L engine, and the car is newer than the lexus.

The Lexus is older, has a less powerful 3L engine at 210hp, and is FWD. It seems that the Infiniti is better in every way.

Luxury/feature wise, I believe they are about the same.

Why is the the Infiniti so much better a deal? Are Toyota cars just always more expensive than Nissan? Do they last longer? Any other thoughts or experiences?

Thanks
 
The Lexus might last a little longer, but it's far more boring. Nissan's starting price on the G series was cheaper, too, especially when you consider that the ES is really nothing more than a dressed up Camry.

Now, the G is going to be a bit smaller inside and out, but it's a blast to drive.
 
Does your dad care about the performance?
If he just wants a luxury daily driver, do you think he is gonna notice a difference between 210 FWD hp and 260 RWD hp?
 
ES:

- Not very fun to drive (basically a Camry underneath)
- Larger, more comfortable
- Will probably be more reliable
- More economical

G35

- More sporty
- Faster
- Smaller, less comfortable
- Takes premium gas

Basically, the ES is a comfy cruiser that will give years of trouble-free motoring, while the G35 is considered a "sports sedan" along with the likes of the BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-class, Cadillac CTS, and Lexus IS.

If your dad wants to just drive around reliably, economically, and comfortably, he should get the ES, but if he wants to have some fun, he should get the G35 (although the 4WD version is for wusses, unless it snows where you live. :D).
 
I've been in my friend's ES300 and it's a pretty damn comfortable car. The current G37 sedan is pretty decent in terms of interior quality, but the older ones were definitely a bit too spartan for my tastes. I guess if you dad wants a car that's more involving to drive, he probably couldn't do much better than the Infiniti. However, if he prefers to have a plusher, more comfortable interior, you can't go wrong with the Lexus.
 
Hmm Yea I think my dad would want something more comfortable than something that preforms. I guess the Infiniti just appeals to me more. My dad used to have a 04 camry v6, that had the same engine (and i'd guess the same entire driveline) as the 02 ES. I guess thats a good thing to compare it to.

So does the G35 only take premium fuel? I didnt think it was that expensive a car.


Thanks
 
Yes the Infiniti requires premium only. You can use regular but you get worse mpg and power.

Having been in both cars i agree with the previous comments...but I also want to add that the ES is a slightly bigger car and in terms of interior quality, the ES is much better than the G35.

Personally I am not a fan of how the G35 sedan looks like, while the ES is okay. If it was me, I would get an Acura TL which looks much better than both the G and the ES. It also has more power than the ES and is bigger than the G35.
 
^ That's not a bad idea actually. The last generation TL seems like a decent compromise between the sporty-but-slightly-spartan G35 and the plush-but-slightly-mundane Lexus. But if comfort and luxury is your number one priority, I think the Lexus ES is hard to beat for that sort of money.
 
Yeah, but both of those Acuras take premium fuel (yes, even the 4-banger in the TSX). The TL is much better than the G35 even if it's FWD.

And since you mentioned that your dad had a 2004 Camry V6, then he won't find many differences between that and the ES, apart from more luxuries.
 
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I am, of course, compelled to note that about the same money will get you a nice 01-03 Jaguar XJR.... Which makes both the G and ES look as luxurious as a park bench. :D
 
Spectre said:
I am, of course, compelled to note that about the same money will get you a nice 01-03 Jaguar XJR.... Which makes both the G and ES look as luxurious as a park bench. :D
Click to expand...

Hell, those are selling for twice what I paid for my '99. Of course, you could really piss off Spectre by getting an S-Type R :mrgreen:
 
Labcoatguy said:
Hell, those are selling for twice what I paid for my '99. Of course, you could really piss off Spectre by getting an S-Type R :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Or X-Type. :p
 
Unfortunatley most acuras are a bit out of the price range were looking for..or mor specifically i just cant find many used!

He wants to stick with a Japanese car, mainly b/c of reliability...so I think the Jag is out. But there are some good prices on used Jags.

EDIT: :O

Jag

Wow. I dont think ive ever seen so much power for so cheap!
I know it depends on a lot of things, but anyone know about how many miles Jags usually last before major parts start to crap out on you?
 
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The ES is basically a Camry so if he liked it he's gonna like the ES. I would go with the Lex if comfort and reliability are key.

If TL-S weren't FWD I would go for it in an instant :p
 
swraman said:
Unfortunatley most acuras are a bit out of the price range were looking for..or mor specifically i just cant find many used!

He wants to stick with a Japanese car, mainly b/c of reliability...so I think the Jag is out. But there are some good prices on used Jags.

EDIT: :O

Jag

Wow. I dont think ive ever seen so much power for so cheap!
I know it depends on a lot of things, but anyone know about how many miles Jags usually last before major parts start to crap out on you?
Click to expand...


Actually, they don't do that any more, save for some notable exceptions. Here's an earlier post I made on the subject. (Note that the car you are looking at has the F in the VIN, so you don't need to worry about Nikasil failure destroying your engine.)

Spectre said:
Yeah, 2000+ XJR with an "F" in the last eight digits of the VIN will be fine, though you have to get the timing chain assemblies updated ($750-1000 at a dealership including labor) to the 03+ spec in order make sure there are no problems down the road. The transmissions tend to do exceedingly well until 100-150K; the XJR/XKR transmission from the X100/X308 era is from the Mercedes E55 and is of the "sealed for life" variety - and just like the E55, it has issues in the 100-150K range. Get an extended warranty for driveline only and drive it until the wheels fall off (with the warranty company having to eat the $5-8K bill for the eventual transmission rebuild/replacement.) Otherwise, they pretty much just keep going with "normal" (for any car) little faults as they get older.


Note that this transmission lifespan is considered "normal" by Mercedes plus BMW offers similar guidance so I don't think the transmission life should be considered "unusual" by the standards of the class. If you get one early enough in its life (with low enough miles,) you can change out the fluid via certain techniques at which point your transmission will go indefinitely.
Click to expand...

The only other thing that I can think of that regularly goes poof on those cars is the auto-dimming mirror. It's from Magna Donnelly, and it's a known issue for lots of different cars that used it. Magna will replace it for $75 plus shipping.

These cars also won't nickel and dime you to death any more, either. They're on par or a little better than Mercedes and BMW of late, and generally about the same or a little worse than Lexus. (Scurrilous old JD Powers places Jag ahead of Lexus, FYI.) There is one quirk that panics new X308 owners; almost all of them lose a pint of coolant to evaporation (apparently) per six months and have to be topped up (because the low coolant light came on at that point). The car isn't leaking or burning it, a pint of coolant just disappears for some reason. Every post-85 Jaguar I've ever owned does that. Every X308 owner I've talked to reports pretty much the same thing.
 
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Spectre you just add that to your sig :p.
 
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