Hi all,

I really don't know too much about the G37s? I've been doing some research on them and they seem to be pretty reliable.

Right now I currently have a 2016 MK7 GTI with 11,500 miles. I was planning on just saving the money to pay this car off in the next half year or I was planning on buying a 2008 G37s with 90k miles in all cash to get rid of my debt. I have a dealer here in my area that will buy my GTI for how much I owe on it straight out.

I'm just worried that the G37s might have some things that will go wrong with it or major things like the clutch going out soon or something like that? I don't want to get rid of my new car just to get out of debt quicker and then end up spending more fixing an older used G37s. I also think the G37 is a pretty awesome car but I'm not sure what to think at the moment? This might be a dumb question and maybe I should just save up and just pay off the GTI. Maybe that's the better idea but idk. It would be nice to just be out of debt now and also have a reliable cool fast car.

My friend will sale me his G37s for 11k. Is that a good deal? From prices I see it seems to be a decent deal.

Any advice would be great!

Thanks,
Matt

 

This is funny, I actually just went from a 2008 G37s to a 2016 GTI (I still have the G). If I were you I would not do it. The 2008 model year has a few things that could potentially bother you and/or cost a lot of money. If the clutch slave hasn't been replaced with a new slave or hd slave, it will most likely be on its way out. Some 2008s also have an issue with an inferior oil galley gasket that will cause loss of almost all oil pressure, and they are $1k+ to get to to prevent or fix. The G has an oil pressure switch, and it only comes on at super low pressures (I think less than 5 psi).

Having driven the GTI now, I like the chassis much more than a 75k+ mile G. My G handles like a 3800 lb car, the GTI just has sharper turn in and less body roll.

All in all, you will be going from a car that is under warranty with I presume lower mileage to another that is not under warranty and getting to a point in mileage where you may have to spend some money. Other than the issues I listed, the G has been very reliable to me and is a little faster in a straight line. If you want a faster vehicle, just flash the GTI or upgrade the turbo if you really wanna go. $ for $, modding the GTI is much more efficient. If I had a choice between the 2 cars given my experience with both, I would go GTI, pay it off, and switch to the IS38 turbo with downpipe and Cobb protune for over 350 whp

 

Love the G, Not a huge VW fan (I think they're ugly) but there's no way I'd trade a brand new car for a outdated 10 year old model. As Waste mentioned, the timing gasket failure will cost northward of $2,000* and that slave cylinder has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel if it hasn't been replaced.

I understand getting rid of payments but I'd stick with the newer car with a warranty rather than jump into the 10 year old car with potential problems and no warranty coverage. If you can pay off the GTI in a year then do that and save for the next 5 years+ of ownership while maintaining warranty coverage rather than getting an '08 G with high mileage and paying for all the repairs to come?

 

I'm going to agree with the others and say pass. The CSC and timing gasket are both common and fairly expensive week points.

If cash flow is that much of a consideration, I'd recommend putting that $11k into a one or two year old Ford Focus or something similar with <20,000 miles

 

Wow a lot of terrible information in this thread. Really a ford focus????

You are looking to buy a used car, any used car can and will have problems...You want to get rid of debt so I assume you don't have much cash on hand...Better make sure you have $ saved to pay for any repairs that could happen no matter what car you have.

But yea VWs are the ugliest cars made so get your cash flow working better for you and get a used car. You are worried about repairs on a car you dont even have yet, will you have the money to pay for an expensive repair on an overpriced new car when the dealership doesnt cover it?????

 

Haha you guys make it seem like this oil gallery gasket is happening to everyone. There's g37's with north of 400k miles already.

OP: Yes, there is a gallery gasket issue, it's only happened to a number of people that can probably be counted on your hands. At 90k depending on how the previous owner drove it the clutch may need a replacement. If it does, go ahead and replace the CSC too with a heavy duty one so you won't have any issues in the future. I have an 08 g37 with 75k miles on it, have fixed zero things on the car in the last 3 years I've owned it. And I drive it like I stole it every day. Lots of tracks runs, lots of WOT runs. Still on the stock clutch and csc as well. If you want to get out of debt then, by all means, it's a good car to buy. Just make sure the maintenance was done.

 

Because the more time goes on, the rate at which the galley gasket issues seems to pop up on 2008s seems to increase. It may be a time based failure rather than mileage. Either way, it is something any prospective owner of a 2008 should be wary of. Mine was in the process of failing and had given no clue, the only reason I found it is because I decided to check when the engine was already out. Is it still probably a low chance of occurring? Yes, but it would suck to buy it and have no idea what to look out for.

 

There's been quite a few more than 10 around here that have had the gasket failure. The fact that Infiniti hasn't admitted any failure only complicates the issue.

How many have had codes pop up, took it to the dealer and had it repaired under warranty without any true knowledge of the real problem??

Like I mentioned in other threads, this issue isn't inevitable but is something that needs to be considered, as these cars miles add up this problem will be showing up more often. To say that it isn't a common problem may or may not be true, the verdict is still out IMO.

 

I just went from a 2008 G37S 6MT to a 2017 GTI 6MT.

Loved the G but the GTI is so fun and practical.

 

Yea, I think I'm gonna do an MK7 after I'm through with the G if I can't get a 997 C2S. They are the poor man's 911... just a jack of all trades.

 

I don't think there is a lot of terrible information in this thread

If you have 11,000 and are in a cash flow crunch, a newer economy car still under the manufacturers warranty, such as a Focus, would be a far more prudent financial decision that a 10 year old G37 with 100,000 on it.

Maintenance would be far cheaper, fuel economy would be significantly better, and if something major went wrong, you'd be covered under warranty.

Would it be fun to drive? Absolutely not. But you can't have your cake, and eat it too. Suck if up for a couple years until your finances are in order and upgrade to something then.

I'd consider a Golf R if my G was hit by a bus tomorrow......

 

Seriously? It isn't some boogey man that gets brought up to deter people from buying. In my short time as a member, I've seen about 3-4...in 4-5 months. You do the math from '08 on but that's also only counting members of this forum. Carry that figure into the ocean of G owners who aren't on the forum and all of a sudden, like Bnewt said, it's something that needs to be considered.

Also, I never read anything about a cash flow problem. OP just wanted to see our thoughts on buying a G outright and dumping his note now VS. paying off the MK7 over the course of a year. If he can pay off what I'm assuming is a 5 year loan in a year I doubt there are cash flow issues. Lego suggested the Ford Focus as it would still have the warranty and allow OP to save tons of money on maintenance and fuel if that was what the OP was intending to do in order to get into something else

Just the way I interpreted it

 

Don't buy your friend's 08, buy a newer one. There are lots of these cars going crazy cheap with miles on them. Get one of the newer ones without the likely problems.


I'm sure the OP realizes he could get cheaper less enjoyable car so it seems silly to recommend that.


The G is a great luxury GT car with strong midrange power that really makes it fun to drive and stellar reliability--especially compared to a BMW or other German cars.

 

I'm a service writer for VW/Porsche/Mitsubishi and trust me, VW's definitely have their common problems too. Infiniti is light years more reliable than most newer VW's. That being said, just make sure you have a warranty and they'll take care of ya.

 

so the golf has been made in mexico huh? my understanding is the bmw 3 series will too. with that said i hope not the q60 i hope it stays in the japan lol