Hello boys and girls. Hope we're doing well. I currently have 3 vehicles and looking to consolidate the 3 into 1. Good bye 2006 Infinit M35, Good bye 2003 Infiniti FX35, Good bye 2001 Audi TT.
The reason? Money. With the poor economy and me being in the mortgage industry, I am looking to downsize and lower my monthly overhead. Before plunging into a Crossfire, I have some questions that might be easier answered through a new thread then searching individually.
1. I've read that people put 87 fuel in their crossfires and get equally good gas mileage as premium. Is that accurate? Does anyone strongly recommend / not recommend it? NO, equivalent gas mileage is not at all the case with 87octane gas. Not to mention the fact of the higher maintenance cost you might incur by using lowerd octane than reccommended. I highly urge against doing so
2. Is there a big difference between a base model and limited model? Besides the leather, exterior chrome, and power seats, is the premium cost of a limited worth it? There is a local selling a 2005 Base with 52k miles for $10,000 or a 2005 with 58k miles for $12,000. I'm sure the $2,000 is well worth it, but any input?
Heated seats are also an addition to the limited model. I, along with many others here, feel that whether you buy a limited or base model is a matter of preference. I, for instance, bought a base model based on the fact that because of the lack of heated/power seats it gave my 6'3" self a bit more headroom which is nice. It's all a matter of personal preference. Go test drive both a base and limited model and then go and buy the one that speaks to you more.
3. Can the sound improvement mod I've heard about be done on the base sound system or just the Infinity sound system?
You could physically install it on a base model, but without the amplifier that the infinity system has the difference i feel would be minimal (lack of power flowing to speakers)
4. What is your true mpg with a 6-speed manual? Don't reply if you don't get on the vehicle. I intend on driving the vehicle relatively aggressively on a daily basis. I see fueleconomy.gov says 15 city - 23 highway, but I find that hard to believe. Let me know!
With aggresive driving habits and a mix of city/hwy driving you can expect to see somewhere in the 20mpg range. I average around 22mpg with a mix of city/hwy with only a few sperts of aggresiveness... Though I have been aggresive for a full tank and saw around 20mpg...
5. What does it cost to fill up your Crossfire? What do you pay per gallon? I'm sure the tank size is bigger than what it will actually take.
Personally I think this is a dumb question. Do the math. Find a gas station, note the price. Multiply that times the size of the tank (15.9gal) voila! cost per tank at the high end of the cost spectrum. Gas here in houston is $4.17/gal on average. Check out www.gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas in your area. As to what size the tank actually is there is some debate. The manual states a 15.9gal main tank with a 2gal reserve. There is some debate as to whether that means the tank is in fact 17.9gal or whether once you bottom out the gas gauge you have only in fact used around 13.9gal... no one has been ballsy enough to run out of gas....yet.
6. Let me know if you have your Crossfire for sale within 400 miles of Charlotte, NC. I'm looking for black on anything with a manual transmission. Preferrably under 50,000 miles. eBay has some sketchy deals out there!
Check www.autotrader.com and www.cars.com they will for sure be able to help you the best. Post a thread in the marketplace and I'm sure people would be more than happy to help you find what you are looking for.
Any / All help would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to being very active in this forum in the near future. I have been a big sponsor of the FX35 forums.
- Michael Green
Charlotte, NC