I'm all for German engineering, but issues of reliability are troubling. You NEVER hear about reliability issues with Japanese cars. And I can't be troubled with a tempermental prima-donna car...I need a workhorse not a princess. I think the GTO's are around $33k or so. A good price for 400 hp, but alas, it only comes as a coupe. Need 4 doors.
JTK, sounds like your happy with the G. A low maintenance car too, which I like. The dealer here had a Lakeshore Blue G with the Stone interior on the showroom floor that looked really sharp. I also love the exterior styling -- to me it's one of the best things about the car. The new wheels are sweet -- I like them better than previous G wheels.
Funny you should mention the low gearing -- it was the first thing I noticed when I took it on the highway. At 80mph, the G I drove was at just over 3000rpm, while the car I drive now (Honda) is at 2500 rpm, the higher rpm translating into more engine/cabin noise. It's not a huge thing, but I place a lot of value on a quiet car when traveling long distances, which I do often. The days of having to drive 4-cylinder econoboxes, screaming away at 4500 rpm all day on 600 mile road trips, are long gone for me. The G35 I drove used the electronic key fob, which was very cool. Sounds like it is practical as well. I also loved the seats -- like sitting in a barcalounger.
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I have been driving for 24 years and have never been lost, so I didn't see the point.
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I hear you on this one. I've also always been fine with a good map, and before I drove a car with a navigation system I thought paying extra for it was a waste of money. Maybe it still is. But there is something about having it -- I'm still not sure what it is exactly. There is something psychologically comforting about watching the icon in the center of the screen (you) scrolling through the environment in real time, with the exact coordinates and degrees plotted out, locations of points of interest such as gas stations and ATMs, street names, the ability to scroll around, zoom in/out, etc. Plus, the thing can talk to you for christ sake! How cool is that? It's a completely new dimension to driving that I enjoy immensely.