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]