G35 or 350Z?
February 2nd, 2016
The G35 Coupe is the car that put Infiniti back on the map. People of all ages had the desire to own one. I knew I had to have one as soon as I could afford it. It was sporty, luxurious, and the stock exhaust note was absolutely incredible. After a year of searching I found a certified used G35 in nearly mint condition. It was a 2005 sport model completely stock with the beautifully updated interior. The only draw back was the missing Brembo package and the automatic transmission. I know I know, auto. I was tired of Vancouver traffic at the time. The power was decent and the ride was incredibly smooth. Trunk space was mediocre and the rear seats accommodate 2 small adults under 5’9 comfortably. Common problems for these cars were oil consumption, door locks and window motors. Nothing extreme, it’s really not that bad. My previous cars we’re modified so naturally it started happening again gradually. I started with lowering it and then adding the wheel spacers to compensate for the enormous fenders. Then I installed the security and sound system. I noticed the 06-07 sport model had a much nicer bumper and headlights so that was swapped. The infamous ‘iron board’ spoiler was replaced with a subtle m3 lip. I decided to change the wheels a couple times also. Under the hood I installed a 350Z intake and a Motordyne plenum spacer. (10 horses bro) I owned it for 5 years and paid it off after a long 4. My next modification was air ride or a 6MT swap. Neither happened because another beauty in the same family caught my attention. The G35 recently sold to a close friend.
I guess you can call this car my mid life crisis. My soon to be wife has loved the 350Z since the day it came out. Naturally I convinced myself to buy the car with less than a year before my wedding. Not a good idea boys. I was extremely bored of the automatic transmission. For some reason looks wise I still prefer G35 coupe. Once you sit down in a 350Z and the array of gauges slaps you in the face it’s game over. This isn’t your Mom’s corolla. This is a drivers car. It handles better than the G35, it feels stiffer and it’s slightly faster. Why the hell not I told myself. It’s a 2006 touring model, 6 speed manual with the RevUp motor and VLSD. It came fully loaded minus the factory navigation and optional Brembo package. It needed lots of work so it was cheap. Its also an American imported car. I had some extra cash left from the G35 so I fixed it up a bit. The pearl white paint was turning beige and the rattle can black 18” OEM wheels were curbed to hell. You can tell some little punk drove it because of the discount Autozone accessories it had inside. He also chopped the muffler off so it’s pretty loud. The wheels were unbearable for me to look at so I had to change them before my fiancé saw the car. Off to Craigslist I went. I found a set of Vossen replicas. They aren’t my favourite wheels but they’ll do for now. Next up was lowering it and adding a decent system and security system. Shout out to The 12Volters at Visions Electronics for your sponsorship. Then I did some research on the MREV2 lower plenum with iso thermal spacer combo for a bolt on 15whp. (It’s worth every penny) I converted all the gauges to kilometres because I’m Canadian and the metric system is awesome. The dents and paint were really pissing me off so I had the car resprayed. I chose gloss white with a gloss black roof. So if you need a trunk, more than 2 seats and decent fuel efficiency buy a G35. If you want a smile every time you drive than buy a 350Z.
-Trevor Bennett
