Where Your Author Steps Away From Infiniti
Some heavy thoughts are weighing on my mind lately; some might even call them urges. And those urges are telling me to sell a blue Datsun sedan and get something else. Should I give in?
The M35x pictured above has occupied the lone space in the garage since early November of 2013. I bought it off of eBay with a little over 52,000 miles on the clock. Today it has 66,000 miles, showing just how slowly they accumulate on vehicles I own. Since 2013, it’s required oil changes and an expensive brake service, which was $686.00. Other than gulping premium fuel like it’s something to do, it’s been trouble-free. It’s ten years old, and is quite depreciated. I don’t need the all-wheel drive anymore, as that’s what the Outback is for. As well, the M does not fit into the overall Cars Plan, as outlined in the Outback article from 2017.
For a while, I had my sights set solely on one of these:
A Lexus GS350, from 2014 or 2015. The year requirement is two-fold here: In 2014 the transmission was upgraded to an eight-speed, and 2015 was the last year before the spindle grille marred the GS’ visage. It will be reliable, and suits me in a large sedan sort of way. I had a second-gen GS430 before the Infiniti, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s the safe option.
But lately, a slightly riskier option (or is it?) popped into mind. It fulfills the requirements of V6 or V8 and rear-drive, just like the GS. But it has the added and considerable bonus of being a stylish hardtop coupe.
It’s the Mercedes-Benz E350, from 2014 or 2015. There are similar reasons for this two-year range for the E350: The model was extensively updated for 2014, and 2015 was the last year before the 3.5 V6 was replaced by the 3.0-liter twin-turbo E400 model. The E400, though mostly the same as the prior model save for the engine, is out of my price range.
Both cars fit what I want, and I like both. They’re both the same age, and would have roughly the same miles (20-40k) for the same sort of money, which I can afford. Given I don’t need the extra doors of a sedan, does it pay to coupe? Or, is the E350 too much of an unknown on the reliability front, when the Lexus has none of those concerns? From research, the E-Class of this era is reliable — but I still wonder. Though it bears mentioning that a coupe will always be more exciting to me than a sedan.
What’s the right replacement for the departing M?
[Images: Corey Lewis/TTAC, sellers]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Those choices are both OK, but I think they would both leave me wanting more excitement in the long run. I would suggest something with more power, with V8 rumble, more suited to the Midwest climate where I think you hail from, possibly more prestigious in that same Midwest, possibly more fun to drive on those crumbling roads, and most likely cheaper to buy and own in the long run, according to Edmunds. I present to you, the Dodge Ram 1500. https://cargur.us/rz1r_
I'd skip both those boring offerings and go straight for a BMW 640i or 650i coupe.