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2002 C70 Hpt / 2003 G35 Coupe / S40 T5 Awd


Jamaica2G

For those of you WITH experience, which would you get?  

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Some of you are probably wondering what happened to the other choices that I had. The S4 I think would be a bad idea. The Acura TSX doesn't have enough GO (my GF has one) - I've tried Auto and the 6 spd. The GS 300 I ruled out 'cause I dont like the bubble feeling... and its quite volumetric (or so it seems to me).

I'm really looking for some feedback for those of you who have driven the G35. It will cost me about $6K more to get the G35. This one might also be a far fetched idea for me monetarily.

I understand that the S40 would handle pretty well, but is it slow?

The C70 is also a choice since I have so many mods that will bolt on directly already (Switch from the S70)

My main things to think about.

Reliability?

Upgradability?

Acceleration & Raw power?

Handling?

Safety? (this is the easy point to pull on my parents b/c they will probably pay for half the car)

I need something to last me at least till 2011 and not cost me ELEVENTY ZILLION DOLLARS to get me there.

Thanks you guys. Your experiences are ALWAYS appreciated.

Adrian

Many thanks once again for your replies

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My vote is for the C70... for the reasons you stated...

Bolt on parts that you already have.

The '05 S40 seems to have a ton of bugs in it (from reading on SS)

I think the C70 looks better than the S40 anyway..

Never driven a Infinity... volvo looks better IMO..

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Adrian I would say get the G35, the power is sufficient for everyday driving and the handling was good. Tons of stuff you can do with it too. The interior looked nice and modern but seemed like the pieces were a bit cheap. I havent driven the s40 yet so I cant really say anything about it. The C70 is pretty much outdated so if your planning on having the car till 2011 I dont think its a good idea.

BTW whats your budget? Maybe you could look at some 330ci or 328i

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Do you love volvos are infinity? What are u using the car for, what are ur HP goals. If i got another C70 it would be my 3rd so you know what my answer is.

Regardless of all that, the answer is pretty simple. No matter what your "HP goals" are or what you want out of the car in general, the G35 is still the better choice. It's faster stock. It's faster lightly modified. It's faster with tens of thousands thrown at it. It handles better. It stops harder. It's also built on a relatively very new sports car's platform, whereas the C70 is built on the 850's chassis from over a decade ago. Did I mention it's RWD?

There are countless of 350Zs (essentially the same car) in the 11s, several in the 10s, a few in the 9s, and only a handful in the 8s and 7s at 170+ still running the VQ (albeit streetability goes out the window at that point). Low-12s/high-11s at close to 120 are possible with nearly any of the numerous bolt-on twin-turbo kits available without even tearing into the motor.

You have to be disturbingly in love with Volvos to turn a blind eye to a better car...

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No brainer: G35.

My only gripe about it is that the interior does look and feel a little cheaper than the C70's, but the positives outweigh the negatives by far.

It's RWD. Enough said.

Yeah I have to ask since I've never ridden in a G35 Coupe... is the interior as cheap and simple as the 350Z? My brother's girlfriend has a 350Z and I really didn't have anything bad to say about the car except for the interior. It just seemed lame overall given the price of the car. I'd assume that the G35 interior is nicer though, since it is an Infiniti?

Oh and I know I'll probably get bashed for this, but Adrian, be sure to drive a Lexus SC400 before you make your decision. Yes, yes, I know, it's an old lady car. Maybe check out the SC300 as well, since it sports the 2JZ-GE engine which will gladly accept that extra "T". ;)

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No brainer: G35.

My only gripe about it is that the interior does look and feel a little cheaper than the C70's, but the positives outweigh the negatives by far.

It's RWD. Enough said.

I agree with Joe the interior looks and feels kind of cheap but once you drive it and feel the power of the VQ engine, it sounds nice too !!! Good luck and God Bless. :)

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Mind you, the pole is supposed to say 2002 C70.

I'm presently looking at an 02 C70 coupe 5spd HPT with 18K miles on it...

G35 Coupe for sure. I love the exhaust note on that baby!

I actually found the exhaust drone in the 350Z quite annoying when I rode in one. Not sure how it would sound to me now or how much of a difference the padding and the rear seat makes in the G35...

only thing is (down here in FL) they are soo freakin common, that's my only gripe with them is everyone and their uncle has a g35/350z coupe or g35 sedan  <_<

whereas manual c70 coupes are more rare

The C70 5 spd is rare, but juni had the idea when he said its getting old... Also, don't forget the fact that I'm in Gainesville 90% of the time now - and you live in Boca Raton, where you are surrounded by rich people.

  The C70 is pretty much outdated so if your planning on having the car till 2011 I dont think its a good idea.

BTW whats your budget?  Maybe you could look at some 330ci or 328i

What I really need to do is test drive the G35 and the S40.

As far as BMW's are concerned... and this includes Mercedes. I refuse to get one until its 100% out of my own pocket. When I get one, I don't want to have to look for a used one or one that is second best. 330ci... second best... When I step into that realm, I'm going for M3, M5, AWD twin turbo porsche, AMG or Brabus Mercedes. I refuse to step to the big toys and get the entry level hand-me-down wanna be a real merc or bimmer vehicle. I want to know it's my own hard work that got me there. No help from the outside. This is my goal, this is what keeps me studying instead of working. This is why I say possibly 2011. I'll graduate as a dentist in 2008 and if I get my wish, graduate as an orthodontist at 2011... I'm sure you understand. I don't want everything on a silver spoon handed to me.

Budget? About $20-23K. My uncle is going to supply some and the rest is money that I have saved up and my car as trade in or sale. If I get the G35, I would have to supplement about $6K with the extra student loan money that I already have in hand. (Outside scholarships have put me at an advantage and have made this possible)

I hope everyone understands my intentions. If it was all TMI, I apologize, but I think it puts you one more step to understanding me. Those who have met me understand me :-D

Lata will be Greata

Adrian

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speaking of midget cars, I just saw a MR2 or something like that pull a turn on the way home tonight. Very nice, very low, and looked much more like a MAN's car than the miata. Sorry Joseph ahhahaha :lol:

EDIT now that Im looking at MR2s online, Im not sure it was that... but I know it WASN't a S2000 or a Miata

Adrian

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speaking of midget cars, I just saw a MR2 or something like that pull a turn on the way home tonight. Very nice, very low, and looked much more like a MAN's car than the miata. Sorry Joseph ahhahaha :lol:

EDIT now that Im looking at MR2s online, Im not sure it was that... but I know it WASN't a S2000 or a Miata

Adrian

I'd choose the Volvo S40 T5 AWD. I think it's the best looking of the bunch, it's built on a newer platform than the others. It has the same engine as the C70, 850, etc, so mods are available. It's AWD, so I would think it would outhandle the Infiniti. The interior is leaps and bounds ahead of Infiniti. Plus it's a Volvo, doesn't that count for anything? And I was looking at an issue of Road & Track, and in the back it has this chart of all the cars they've tested this year, and their various performance aspects. The best braking car was the Ferrari Enzo, and the Volvo S40 T5 was like 4 feet slower. So it brakes pretty hard.

But you can't argue with the huge mod list available for the VQ engine. Big power is easy, and not really that expensive.

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