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?

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?

3. Can the sound improvement mod I've heard about be done on the base sound system or just the Infinity sound system?

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!

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.

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!

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

 

1. I use nothing but premium. Kinda depends on how often you want to clean your injectors.
2. Same drive train. Same chasis. Same body. Different trim. If you like how the base sits you, then go for it.
3. Don't know.
4. A lot of guys do better than the sticker. Haven't seen too many get less than 20.
5. 50 bucks. 4.43 per.
6. Keep looking. I would think that you find a Limited under 50K for around $12K.

Mods are few and tend to be pricey. You better like it how it comes out of the box. Love mine and have for over 4 years.

 

Welcome. Use premium fuel. I suggest going with the limited. It won't cost much more and you also get a better sound system and trim package. That's my 2 cents

 

All typing in red are edits by me...

My educated $.02

 

Mine's a 2007 Limited 6-Speed. Using premium with no ETOH, I recently kept track for over 2000 miles. Rarely go over 100 mph, hit 80-90 a lot........25.8 mpg. 85% hwy. It would be much better if I could control myself.....but I can't.......I think gas would have to hit $10 / gal before I'd slow down.

Trick with this stick is to keep the RPMs up & don't let off the gas between shifts....if you do it right.....it's serious fun. Last thing you want to do is ....say you're coming up to a 90 degree turn....you take your foot off the gas......clutch in.....turn......move it into 2nd.......IF you don't have those RPMs up when let out that clutch...."clunk". Gotta rev-match.

 

look in the for sale forum to buy one. i would buy from a trusted forum member before some dealer!

 

In my opinion, if you want a black car you might as well purchase a Base car. It seems more people are making their Limiteds look like Base cars, than the other way around, by giving their cars the "mono chrome" treatment. (painting the windshield surround, door handles, and fender vents etc.) There are fewer things to go wrong on a base car also.
Since you are actually considering the use of "REG" fuel, then saving $2000.00 at your initial purchase sounds like something that would be more important to you than better over all performance, and engine longevity.
If you're really serious about becoming a minimalist, maybe a Crossfire really isn't the car for you, what with expensive oil changes, tire replacement, mods, etc.

 

I'm not worried about the savings of fuel. I was just curious. For example. My M35 and FX35 say unleaded fuel only, and in little letters say - premium fuel for optimal performance. When I put 93 in vs. 87 I can't tell the difference. I was curious if that was the case for the Crossfire.

Like people have mentioned. 87 here is about $3.85-$3.99 and Premium is $4.05 - $4.20 and the difference on 15 gallons is about $4 dollars. I agree it isn't worth the savings.

I actually prefer the limited exterior look, and was fussing that I was going to have to buy the chrome windshield surround, side vents, and door handles which would have been about an additional $1000 all together.

I'm actually bidding on a 2005 with 39,000 miles black on black limited on eBay - the only down side is it is an automatic, but the gas mileage seems to be significantly better.

The only reason I'm looking for a Crossfire is because it is the only vehicle out there under $15,000 that has the look of being more than $20,000. What - I'm going to go from an FX35 and M35 to a Honda Civic? pssh - NO. I'm just looking to take my $1,500 / month in car payments and replace it with $250 - tops.

This whole saving money thing is hard when the economy is in the toilet.

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Last question... Does the 2005 limited model automatically come with the Infinity sound system or is it still an option? I can't tell from the pictures on eBay if this particular one has it. Thanks!

 

I accelerate conservatively but I see 27-28 mpg highway consistently, although I drive 75-80 with frequent spurts to 90-100. I came back from Detroit to Grand Rapids one night following some bear bait at 95-100 for an hour, and still saw 26 mpg. Manual vs auto is a preference.

I also use midrange almost exclusively. Premium is not just recommended - it is required. But I have not had any problems at 28k with midrange and I've tried a few tanks of premium...it did not make a noticeable difference.

Besides the chrome-like trim, I believe the limited only has the high-back seats.

You won't enjoy the manual rear-view mirror or the crappy cup-holder.

If you live in the snow belt, keep the TT for winter driving. My A6 is unbeatable in the winter and I would never consider driving either Crossfire because of traction and salt.

 

You WILL NOT FIND a better deal(In its class) than a crossfire! You are correct, this car looks a lot more expensive than it is actually selling for. For good reasons......It is basically a MB with a chrysler body as you probably already are aware of.......Of course I would tell you to just fork up another 10k and buy an SRT6 and get the best of both worlds, but they are becoming harder to find(Which is good).

 

I know I'm the downer in this thread, but if your goal is to save money by "downsizing", why are you getting rid of the TT to buy an equivalent vehicle? Why not stick with the TT?

That said, having owned both and loved both, if you enjoy the TT, you'll be just fine with the Crossfire.

BTW, I'm here in R/D. I had a ***** of a time finding the right Crossfire in this state! Oddly enough, my goal was the same as yours: a 50K+ car for ~$10K. But then I started looking at the market, and I discovered that for only $2-4K more, I could get a vehicle with only 20K on it. The market sucks for used Crossfire right now. They were never popular to begin with, people are hoarding their funds right now with "economy fears", and those that are buying cars are leaning towards fuel efficiaent vehicles. Use this to your advantage. You'll be amazed how much you can get for $13K.

Also, I'm averaging 26 mpg. This is over an 18 mile commute, average speed 45 mph, occasional stops, and ,uyes, I get on the vehicle.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love my TT. But the clutch just went on it and it has 78,000 miles on it. I'm selling it for $12,900 as is or $13,900 with a new clutch.

I found a great deal on a Crossfire - 2004 Limited with 56,000 miles - $10,100. Black on Black Manual! Nevertheless, I have to sell my M35 before proceeding -

The TT isn't a quattro - but has a quattro body kit on it (dual exhaust and everything) and we get 1/4 inch of snow a year, and when we do, they close schools and work. So - no need to keep it.

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm anxious to proceed with the Crossfire. If anyone knows someone looking for a 2006 M35 - white with tan interior / nav, a/c seats / bluetooth / everything. I'm giving a $400 bonus for a referral fee. Asking $29,400 OBO! Depending on the offer is how much bonus I can give - any leads - call Michael Green 704-345-4962 or michael_green@countrywide.com

Thanks guys!

 

That's makes sense. It probably is time for the TT. Good luck though, the market for TTs is just as bad as the market for Crossfires.
$10K sounds about right for 56K miles. Although with the way the economy is going, you could probbaly get that down to $8.5 (or less!).