The G-spot

[GoCougs]

Ha, ha, yes, only this issue.

[GoCougs]

So after a fresh round of jihad on rattles, the G is back to being 98% rattle free, which isn't a bad scene at ~123k miles. Other than a wee bit of the clear coat peeling on the rear bumper cover and some road rash on the front, things are as tiptop as ever. Since I had to re-up for new tires a few months ago I've decided I'm going to give it another year - I've had great luck at turning over my last two vehicles at higher mileage (~150k for the Accord, -165k miles for the Tacoma), and no reason to believe it won't be the same for the G. The problem of course then is, What next? There are very few great cars these days sadly, and even fewer in the AWD four-door space. B8 S4? Golf R? QX50 (basically a lift back G37)? We'll see.

[MexicoCityM3]

So after a fresh round of jihad on rattles, the G is back to being 98% rattle free, which isn't a bad scene at ~123k miles. Other than a wee bit of the clear coat peeling on the rear bumper cover and some road rash on the front, things are as tiptop as ever. Since I had to re-up for new tires a few months ago I've decided I'm going to give it another year - I've had great luck at turning over my last two vehicles at higher mileage (~150k for the Accord, -165k miles for the Tacoma), and no reason to believe it won't be the same for the G. The problem of course then is, What next? There are very few great cars these days sadly, and even fewer in the AWD four-door space. B8 S4? Golf R? QX50 (basically a lift back G37)? We'll see.

Upcoming X3M.

[68_427]

Upcoming X3M.

Yup.  This or the GLC43 AMG

[MexicoCityM3]

Yup.  This or the GLC43 AMG

There's actually two good choices for Cougs. The X3 M40i with about 360hp and the full on M (still to be announced, but a sure thing) with ~ 450hp. Either would smoke that G. No "luddite special" moral infotainment system however.

[GoCougs]

They may "smoke" the G but I doubt that they will be as interesting to drive, and the chances of them going ~150k miles with minimal/no issues is virtually 0%. In that space I'd just go for the SQ5.

As of now, high-end infotainment and ergonomics (no shifter lol) is a 99% deal killer save for maybe Audi's MMI, and that is how the Golf R and B8 S4 sneak - the former has a touch screen but has knobs/dials for the important stuff and no joystick or touchpad and the latter was available w/out MMI (but rare) and of course the QX50 has no real infotainment (just buttons).

[12,000 RPM]

QX70 AWD. It's the only way

[GoCougs]

QX70 is fairly large (I hope to never have anything bigger than the G at ~188" in length), and cargo space is abysmal for its size, plus it's relatively slow (V8 is long gone). I do like the looks though. That package with say the new 400 hp V6 would be potent indeed. But, noooo, the Japanese insist on continuing their abysmal legacy of poor product planning and ancient power train design/configuration...

[Cookie Monster]

Drove my dad's G37 to work today since the Subaru is misfiring.

OMFG I love this car. 

I can't wait for him to sell it to me.

[12,000 RPM]

Specs? 6mt?

[68_427]

Specs? 6mt?

G37 6MT

[12,000 RPM]

Some times I do miss stick

[giant_mtb]

Some times I do miss stick

heh.

[GoCougs]

Drove my dad's G37 to work today since the Subaru is misfiring.

OMFG I love this car. 

I can't wait for him to sell it to me.

The last great Japanese car. Enjoy it, man!

[Cookie Monster]

The last great Japanese car. Enjoy it, man!

Unfortunately, I think my dad is too busy enjoying it to want to get rid of it any time soon.

But really though, the car is so good in pretty much every aspect. Strong engine, good compromise between ride and handling (for what it is), great controls and ergos, etc. It's not perfect in that the interior isn't great, but all the controls and inputs are spot and, and steering feel is much better than you'd think for a luxury sedan.

Maybe the non S/xS models are different, but I don't understand what a comparable year 3 series offers over this in terms of driving feel and enjoyment.

[Laconian]

Really heavy steering.

[12,000 RPM]

I found the steering in the E90 and E60 to be spot on. Seems like they mount their steering racks on granite... felt really great. FM platform steering feels needlessly heavy to me but I got used to it.

The stock suspension on the G37S felt sloppy to me. Never felt settled. I might have been due for new shocks..... which I did :)

[Cookie Monster]

I haven't pushed my dad's car because it's my dad's car and I don't want to beat on it. Plus it has 42k miles on it and he babies it so I feel bad for driving it in the first place, but from just regular driving I like it.

That being said, if he ever sells it to me, I'm putting coilovers, wheels and exhaust on ASAP.

[Morris Minor]

Oh dear - guess who fucked up and smacked his mirror into a garbage bin that was in the street. Replacement OEM heated glass is on order.

[giant_mtb]

Was that going forward or reverse?  Must have hit it with some speed to have done that damage in reverse?? 

[Morris Minor]

Was that going forward or reverse?  Must have hit it with some speed to have done that damage in reverse?? 

Going forwards at about 25mph - neighborhood street. I'd had to swerve right to avoid someone coming the other way encroaching on my side.

[giant_mtb]

Going forwards at about 25mph - neighborhood street. I'd had to swerve right to avoid someone coming the other way encroaching on my side.

Figured!  Bummer.  Any damage to the outside of the mirror?  Good paint scuff?  I'll buff it out for ya!

[Morris Minor]

Figured!  Bummer.  Any damage to the outside of the mirror?  Good paint scuff?  I'll buff it out for ya!

Yeah that mirror casing has taken a few scrapes against the garage door frame when I have not been paying attention. Fortunately I've been able to buff them all out so far. I have the evil smelling stuff from the UK called T-Cut that's about 30-years old. And it still works really well. I'm sure it's full of long-banned toxins. http://www.t-cut.co.uk

Anyway I bought a replacement glass via eBay - it's OEM and has the heating element.  It clicked right in.
(No fun driving without it the mirror yesterday - looking over my shoulder to change lanes. Afterwards I rescued the little convex stick-on mirror and used mounting tape to stick it in the void - that helped a lot.

[GoCougs]

Hmmm. Had to have another wheel bearing and valve cover gaskets at ~130,000 miles . List price on this stuff was ~$1,400 but I moaned about it and got it down to ~$1,000. Wheel bearings are because of the rough/gravel road driving I do, so can't complain about that, but valve cover gaskets every ~60k miles on an engine in production for almost 25 years? At least the first go around was covered under warranty. Have the paintless dent removal guy coming next week and the bomb can paint on the wheels is holding up remarkably well. I'm going to go another year. I had the last two cars for ~7 years and ~150,000 miles and that interval has served me well.

[GoCougs]

I will say, I had another new QX50 as a loaner, and if I had to buy a new car tomorrow, that would be it. Drives ~80-85% like the G37 but interestingly, despite the 19" wheels and 40 series tires (as opposed to 18" wheels and 50 series tires on the G), it has notably better ride and NVH mitigation. It also has better headlights, esp. high beams, and the AT logic is a bit better (better part throttle shifts). Yes, it's in effect a 10-year-old design but that also means it's virtually absent the nonsense running rampant in new designs - LCD dashes, turbocharging, push button transmissions.

[12,000 RPM]

Dat gas mileage doe. Yeech. M-car gas mileage, x28i performance.

[Morris Minor]

I replaced the worn-out tires on my G.
Goodyear Eagle Sports - at a Goodyear-owned service center. The front alignment was all over the place - so they fixed that - and it's transformed the feel of the car. I also swallowed hard and allowed them to replace the oil & filter.

I drove home, noticed the wheels had been balanced right (a rarity) and later checked the oil level & tire pressures. Everything was as it should be: another rarity.

Then I remembered that the guys working on the car were all graying middle-aged gentlemen. Probably better trained & higher paid than the kids at the average lube franchise, and almost certainly more experienced.

[afty]

My TPMS light is on, but my tire pressures are fine. Maybe bad batteries in the sensors? They are surprisingly expensive to replace, around $60 each aftermarket.

[Morris Minor]

View from the stepmill today. Lone sedan in a sea of trucks & SUVs - reflection of our new buying patterns (including mine -  [cough]CR-V[/cough]).
Nine years-old and still a nice-looking car IMO.

[MexicoCityM3]

View from the stepmill today. Lone sedan in a sea of trucks & SUVs - reflection of our new buying patterns (including mine -  [cough]CR-V[/cough]).
Nine years-old and still a nice-looking car IMO.

I'd be worried about potential dings from the red truck.