There was a time when you couldn’t spell “car” without “catch.” If a car was fast, it was probably expensive, hard to work on, or both. If a car was a luxurious, it likely fell onto its face when shown a corner. That time is now over, because the Infiniti G37 exists. Here are five reasons why you should pick one up before they’re all gone.
5. It’s Barebones Econobox Cheap
On the new car market, you’d have to look awfully hard to find something that doesn’t have too many compromises, while the imminent threat of catastrophic and irreparable depreciation inches towards your wallet. A used Infiniti G37, however, has depreciated to the point where the worst losses are in the past, and the car can sell for its true intrinsic value, which is currently cheaper than a fully loaded Toyota Corolla.
For example, here’s a fully loaded, one owner G37S Coupe with no accidents and a service history at the Infiniti dealer, for less money than a Honda Fit, before the dealership installs $500 of “rustproofing.” If coupes aren’t your style, or you have colluded with another human to produce offspring and thus require larger transportation, fret not, for the G37 has a four-door variant with available all-wheel-drive that’s just as good, if not better than the coupe for the same money:
For the value, you get an interior and exterior that looks almost identical to whatever rehashed idea Infiniti is plopping out these days in the Q50, performance that’s on par with anything BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes are putting in their midsize people carriers, and quality that’ll likely outlast anything made by America, Korea, or Elon Musk’s secret moon base. The G37 is also quite common, so it’s a perfect fit if you prefer understated driving experiences. However, one notable attribute of the Infiniti, which sets it apart from its relatively low-key rivals completely is the fact that...
4. It Has A Near-Exotic Exhaust Note
Whenever I stand next to a Jaguar F-Type and the glowing “start” button is pressed, I think to myself after changing my inevitably ruined pants, that it’s frankly insane that a car this loud was made by a luxury automaker. The same goes for the G37, just replace “loud” with “refined.” Ever since the original G35, Infiniti’s flagship fleet model gave its driver a nice rumbly idle and an exhaust note not unlike a Nissan GT-R mixed with a Volkswagen Golf VR6. When you mix in an aftermarket exhaust, the lovely, muted sound turns into a aural torrent, unafraid of kicking your eardrums into the middle of the next tax season. Here’s a comparison video between a stock G37 exhaust and one from a company called Motordyne:
As with any late model used car with a following, it’s made better with modifications to its original design, which is quite serendipitous because...
3. It Has Great Aftermarket Support
(Photo by Jordan Adkins on Flickr)
When you delve into the realm where warranties don’t dare tread, aftermarket support is a must. Not only for the fact that it’s a way to personalize and update the looks and performance of the car you’ve all but fallen in love with, but it’s also the best way in which you can change the car’s entire purpose. If you want to create a gutted drift rat out of an originally luxurious G37, drive a Japanese VIP-inspired sedan complete with rear sliding curtains, or create a hard-parked, bagged-out stancemobile, the aftermarket has your back with suspension setups, a limitless wheel selection, and enough power-adders to have everyone in the car white-knuckling their oh-shit handles. However, I must make a special allowance for performance mods, because although go-fast mods are well-received on the G37 platform, they may not be necessary, because...
2. It’s Surprisingly Fast
Although it’s no Hellcat and it won’t win any combination Australian tire-shredding-and-hot-dog-eating competitions, it is a capable performer at the very least in a straight line. Here’s a quarter mile run with the heaviest iteration of the model - all-wheel drive with the seven-speed automatic.
What gets the car moving is the ATTESSA-ETS all-wheel-drive layout, a system originated in the Skyline GT-R coupled with the close-ratio short gearing in the automatic transmission, allowing for maximum launch speed and stellar fuel economy while cruising. The car runs a 13.80 at 102 miles per hour, which is a few tenths off the pace of an early 2000s Porsche 911 - quite refreshing for a car that seats more than two adults comfortably and doesn’t have the build quality of a T-Mobile Sidekick. On top of the car being a more-than-decent performer, it makes one hell of a first impression, because...
1. Just Look At It
Personally, I think the Infiniti G37 is the best looking car to come out of Infiniti since ever, which is probably why the Q50, Q60, Eau Rouge, and every other wacky and adderal-fueled napkin drawing Infiniti presents at current auto shows resembles the G37 design almost exactly. The lines of the car don’t abruptly end, but flow from the front to back seamlessly. The silhouette of the car can be drawn with a single stroke of the pen, which is supposed to represent good design, but I’m sure I can do that with a Chevy Cavalier, so that may be a moot point.
What actually matters is that the proportions of the car are right and they denote a sense of luxury, excitement, and quality that I don’t think will date badly, if at all. It’s a car that does everything almost perfectly, and almost everything perfectly.
What are you waiting for? Get one of your own cheap reliable luxury cars before they get scooped up by aspiring orthodontists.
More on vehicle purchase considerations from G/O Media’s partner:
Jalopnik is not involved in creating these articles but may receive a commission from purchases through its content.
Infiniti Extended Warranties
Best Warranties For Used Cars
What Are Vehicle Service Contracts?
Cheapest Vehicle Warranty
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes and makes videos about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world’s cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he’s the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn’t feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.
You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He won’t mind.