Wanalexus

SD Guy

Forgot to ask, does you wife like the FX?

SDGuy

Yes, my wife really likes it. She says she can appreciate the handling even though she is a VERY reserved driver. When she is my copilot, I kid her about what an important role she has after she presses the I AGREE button on the NAV

timoc42

man, this post is making me think twice.

I just got back from the dealer, and I was asking about trading my 99 ES300 to a 04 RX330.

looks like I am going to have to visit the Infiniti dealer to look at the FX now...

A question though: 3-4 years down the road, which car is going to have a better value?
Which car will depreciate more?

Also, does anybody knows whether the Infiniti dealers are giving good financing rates?

Thanks

tim

JRB

I don't think there is any question that the RX will hold its value better. I think I can be impartial here because we own both vehicles. If you consider the two to be pretty equal overall then from an investment point of view the RX is probably your better choice. I could be wrong, as Infiniti is doing some good things to improve the brand, but I think the history of Lexus vs. Infiniti when it comes to their models holding their value is pretty well documented, and I don't think this will change overnight. Not a big issue for me as I plan to keep both vehicles for at least 5 years (as long as I remain confident in their reliability).

Wanalexus

I would guess that the Lexus may win in that department, but I'd also say it's too soon to tell for sure. You can go to KBB's web site and check values ont he the '03 FX's. IMHO, they're during pretty well so far. Resale aside, I picked the FX45 over the RX because I felt I got more bang for the buck...the dealer offered a 2.9 percent apr on a 60 month loan, so it's a great time to look at the FX. I've heard of some offereing as low as 0.9 percent....good luck on your decision....

kutscher

Used 03 FX45's (with tech package) are selling for around 38-40K. Quite a large depreciation, the RX is much better in this regards. Infiniti has a history of terrible depreciation. Maybe this will change in the next few years though? This is one of the issues that held my purchase of the FX. It may be worth your time to review the comments regarding this at freshalloy.com
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johnnieliu

That just makes the Infiniti's a HUGE bargain in the used car market. I have a used J30, and the quality of the car far exceeds the used car price that I paid. Back in '96, a comparable Lexus('95 GS300) was selling for about $8K more. New car, I would buy a Lexus; used car, the Infiniti's are HUGE bargains. Hopefully the G35's will also have the large depreciation. I'll need a replacement for the J30 in a couple of years.

JL

JRB

Just got my new Car & Driver today and I see where the G35 came out on top in a comparo of 7 sports sedans, beating out the BMW325i, Acura TL, Lexus IS300, Audi A4 3.0, Saab 9-3 Arc, and Jaguar X-type 3.0, which finished 2nd-7th respectively. With that kind of good press I bet the G35's will hold their value pretty well.

johnnieliu

I read the same article. The new Acura TL sure does look nice! But a G35x has me saving my pennies. This model might be worth buying new. Sorry for being off topic.

LexFather

We just found out G35s are used as rental cars and since I've been looking for cars, you can have a year old G35 sedan for 21-25k with no problems. Infiniti simply does not hold any value. The G35c seems to be holding up pretty well. Heck, 2002 60k NEW Q45s are going for 35k. And yes, used FX45s are in the 35k range already. I would recommend a used Infiniti, I would never, ever buy a new one.

johnnieliu

WOW!

Prior to getting the RX330, we looked at a 1.25 year old QX4 NAV with about 20K miles for about $25K; new retail was about $37K. I thought it was an dang good bargain. However, the wife didn't like the rear seats. The depreciation was one BIG minus when we did the FX35-RX330 trade. I knew that the RX330 would hold more of their value than the FX35. Unfortuantely there were no used FX35's out when we were looking for our vehicle. Thus we bought an RX330.

LexFather

I am not sure why, but just looking at carmax or autotrader, there are quite a few FXs being sold. With a great discount. Most are very low milage (heck the car is new). Great deal to me from buying new.

RX 300s are holding their values very strong in comparison. It's rare to see a sub 20k RX and we are talking about a 5-6 year old SUV. In comparion, you can get a same priced or more expenisve when new Expedition or Navigator for the same price and cheaper (not that I would recommend those like the FX).

You can use the Bluebook and NADA but to get a real good idea of what a car is worth, just check out the ads and see what people are selling them for in your area. Cause it varies region to region.

Fikse

while the FX45 can take down the 4.6is, the ML55 is faster....