The G35 defines Infiniti much like the E30 M3 defined BMW’s M division. It offered competitive luxury features and a stout drivetrain that took the fight to the established German competition. Although G35 Coupe was not a perfect driver’s car, it was fun luxurious coupe with plenty of power.

Today G35s are cheap but there’s tons of bad ones out there. You know, the plastidipped wheels, debadged trunks, and GTR body kitted monsters that flood your local Craigslist. In today’s market, finding an unmolested G35 is a tall order. So if you’ve heard anything about supply and demand, which you should have. The supply goes down every year as G35 coupes get wrapped around trees, modded into oblivion, and given as high school graduation gifts. At the same time, car enthusiasts who lusted after G35 coupes in high school can finally afford to own one. This trend may start to raise the price of G35 coupes.

Modded into oblivion Modded into oblivion

The G35 transcends the Infiniti brand. It’s the car my generation admired in high school, and although most of us are burdened with student loans, soon G35s will be an aspirational classic we will all pursue.

The G35 Coupe is powered by Nissan’s VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6. Although this engine lacked the smooth refined power delivery of its German rivals, this strong engine could handle far more abuse and produced respectable levels of power. When it debuted in 2002 the VQ35DE produced 280 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque in G35 Coupes equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission. The VQ35DE is also one of the best sounding V6s ever built.

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Engines mated the manual transmission produced more power than their automatic cousins thanks to variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust. Throughout the life of the G35 Coupe the V35DE received different upgrades resulting in the final VQ35DE “Rev-up” engine which produced 298 horsepower from 2005 - 2007.

The G35 rode on the 350Z’s Front Midship (FM) platform. This chassis pushed the engine as far back as possible. This helped with the weight distribution to an almost perfect 52/48. Although the G35 was clearly a better cruiser, the rigid chassis and proper weight distribution gave it athletic handling characteristics. The G35 was never built to be driven at the limit, with a curb weight of 3,400lbs, it really shines when driven with a slight aggression.

Since the engine is pushed so far back the G35 has the perfect coupe proportions. Much like the Nissan 240Z, the G35 has a reserved design that will surely age well. As we see the death of more and more new coupe models, luxury coupes like the G35 become harder to find.

Unlike the exterior, the interior has not aged gracefully. All of the displays that looked good in the early 2000s are laughable. Also the leather used in the interiors is know to crack especially on the side bolsters. Thankfully the G35 is still a usable car and shouldn't be defined by its aging interior.

You still get some of the old school charm that’s being lost on all new luxury cars. It’s still a pre-recession, pre-smartphone luxury cruiser. Passive electronic safety features like blindspot are nonexistent, hydraulic power steering, traction control that actually turns off comes standard. I wouldn’t call it a pure driving experience but a simpler one with less electronic nannies and distractions.

Today there are over 80 G35 Coupes for sale on Cars.com with a manual transmission. The most expensive example is listed at an astonishing $25,000.

At a more reasonable price hovering around $9,000 you can expect to pick up a clean example with around 100,000 miles. Most of these cars are silver but expect to pay up for red and blue.

The G35 coupe was a defining moment for Infiniti. Although Nissan’s luxury brand was never able to capture the magic of the G35 with follow up models, we can still purchase used G35s for a reasonable price.

# Nissan # Infiniti # V6 # G35 # Coupe # Classic