03/04 VS 05/06 Problems

[Oliver.Wong]

I’ve read a lot on various forums about the 03/04 models having transmission failure and 05/06 6MT’s have excessive oil consumption.

If possible I want to go with the earlier models to save my money but I was wondering how common the transmission problems are and whether buying a facelifted model is actually justified seeing as it’s not without its faults

[camr33]

I've read that the early 6mt's have gearbox issues, but i'm yet to meet anyone that's actually had a problem. 

I've known of a few guys with turbo or supercharger setups still running the stock clutch and flywheel without issue. 

Overall though, they're pretty reliable cars. The only things I've had to do with my 03 model in the last 4 years is replace the bushes and valve covers.

The 05, 06 versions are a lot less common which may have something to do with the oil burning issue. All the guys in the states complain about it non-stop. The interior is a bit nicer though.

[mutex]

I have a 2004 v35 sedan with 6mt, 160km odo, I'd say it hasn't been treated well in the past.

My vq35de consumes oil, so each week I check the dipstick, probably a 1-1.5mm every two weeks.

The transmission is rough, vibrating, noisy, hates the cold, not half as good as my 98 r34 gtt 5 speed manual.

Wear and tear items like the front suspension arm bushes, rear diff bush, clutch, engine hoses, cam sensors, radiator, rear wheel bearings needing replacement.

+'s the handling is superior to the r34 and I can see out the windows unlike a coupe and modern cars :)

[sonicii]

early 6MT had some issues with weak synchros, the 05+ have the upgraded CD009 transmission with triple cone synchros on 2nd, 3rd and 4th which fixed the issues.  has nothing to do with power handling ability.

the V35 Skyline never got the revup version of the VQ35DE like the US G35 and the 350Z did, so oil consumptions shouldn't be an issue on the V35.  My 05 6MT with 150,000km doesn't need any top-ups between services, it might drop a couple of mm on the dipstick at the most.

I believe they also may have improved windows motors too as they don't seem to have that issue either.