I recommended it because it fits all of the OP's criteria and it was something that hadn't been mentioned yet. He said its really for work purposes so the subpar interior shouldn't be a big deal.
What exactly is boy racer about a stock 03-04 G35? I have 192k on my 04 and it runs fine with no rattles.

 

This I've never understood. Yes the car is for work, but he's not buying a work truck, he's buying a car to commute in long distances and spend a lot of time in...so why would one assume a subpar interior shouldn't be a big deal? The comfort and quality of the interior should be one of the main points of consideration.

I've also never understood paying a lot of money for a nice car, and then buying some horrible cheap little economy car as a "commuter car". You spend most of your time commuting...and you spend your hard earned money on a nice car only to use a different, not nice car as the car you spend most of your time in...

If you can drive the Ram, and you enjoy driving the Ram, and its not a hardship for you to pay the costs of driving the Ram on your commute...I'd just drive the Ram.

 

If you have not already done so, Steve, check out one of the newer Rams (say, those built in the last 3-4 years). You won't believe what Dodge engineers have done with the chassis and sound-insulation....especially on the coil-suspension models (vs. the traditional leaf-springs). Though it is also still a work-ready truck, it has the ride and refinement of a good luxury sedan.....far more so than its Chevy and Ford competitors, though, to a lesser extent, the new aluminum F-150 is also a step up from its predecessor in ride and refinement.

 

He clearly doesn't want to continue piling up the miles on his truck. At 6k max you're getting an interior that might not be in the greatest shape.

I was throwing out something that hadn't been mentioned yet. That's all.

 

Oh yeah, they are really nice. My father in law has one, and my business partner just had one for 3 weeks while his Lexus was in the bid shop, he liked it so much he wants to buy one now.

Full sized trucks are really nice, the FCA trucks especially.

 

this. i lol when people talk about keeping the 'nice car' tucked away and having their 'daily' or 'beater' in which they spend most of their time driving. i also don't believe in the end between the beater cost, more insurance, more maintenance, etc., that you end up saving much if anything over just having one nice vehicle and having more depreciation on it.

 

I'd agree with you, bit, where you live in Florida, where you don't have to deal with salt, sand, and winter abrasives on the roads.....and where the roads are usually glass-smooth and not potholed from freeze/thaw cycles. But in most places in the U.S. road conditions are more harsh, and vehicle paint/glass/trim suffers. That's why, in places throughout the Snow Belt/Great Lakes states, nice vehicles that the owner wants to KEEP nice are often covered or put in a garage for the winter, while daily errands from November to March are run in things like old Toyota 4Runners or Nissan Pathfinders.

 

But what is the point of keeping a nice car if you aren't going to drive it? Its meant to be driven. Its meant to be used and enjoyed. Why spend the money on it if it just sits in a garage?

In any event the winter has nothing to do with the OP's situation, he lives in TX. His concern is mileage not damage from winter weather.

 

Right so is driving a 10, 15 or even 20+ yr old car costing $6k + insurance, maintenance (this is likely to be non trivial since the car is so old), registration, inspections, etc., 'worth it' vs the extra deprecation of additional miles on the 'good' car? Not to mention suffering driving a 'beater'

 

Good points being brought up in the above posts. These aren't museum pieces, they're cars bought to drive and enjoy. Drive it until it's time for another one for whatever the reason(s) might be.

 

True....and in some instances, I agree. But sometimes, keeping it nice means NOT driving it....at least in the worst of conditions. We occasionally get some of those conditions here, too. Take a trip thru the Snow Belt states and you will see that many people operate that way (at least, those who can afford more than one car)....a beater for winter, nice vehicles for nice weather.



Yes, I know Josh lives near DFW. I was only posting a reply to an eariler post.

 

I buy things to use them, not to sit them on a shelf and look at them. I don't understand why people buy houses with a bunch of rooms they don't use either. To buy a nice car and then to drive around in some old junker to avoid putting miles on the nice car makes no sense to me.

Its not a 59 Eldorado...its a Dodge Ram he enjoys driving, he should drive it. When it wears out...get something new.

 

Okay, thanks for your opinion.

Let me ask you, what are you comparing this to? It's a nice ride/quality compared to what? An LS400?

I remember back when they came out my friend picked up a brand new G35 coupe, fully optioned, 6spd with oem brembos. Even brand new it was a pretty **** poor excuse of an interior in terms of quality, materials, and overall feel and ride comfort. I get to drive G35 sedan almost on a daily basis (coworker car) that has 160k on the clock and even though the car is well maintained and adult driven, the interior has not aged well at all. It feels like a plastic container from the moment you shut the door. I could not own something like that. Some goes with every other Nissan product I have been in recently, from Altima to the several GTR's I've been in. Same thing every time.

If the OP is going to be putting alot of miles on the vehicle, that means he is spending a considerable amount of time in that car. You want/need it to be comfortable and well built. I would suggest an LS430 as that imo is the epitome of a Luxury sedan that you can still own with high mileage without worrying to lose your *** on maintenance costs or run into reliability issues, but that is out of his price range, so an LS400 is honestly the next best thing. I love the ride in my GS430 but it pales in comparison to the LS. Lexus really seemed to put all their $$ and R&D into the LS430 and it shows.

 

ok now you're acting all practical while you lease (not buy) an LS?

 

nothing on that LS I don't use LOL