SEPTEMBER QUESTIONS FOR THE GOOD CAR GUY

Putting bread on the table by answering consumer's questions regarding automobiles is fun but not easy. Frustrating and not glorifying. Research-centric but gut-derived. Here's a sampling of what's come through to The Good Car Guy through the first 22 days of September 2008.

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Are Infinitis Bad Cars? For the most part, the worst thing you can say about almost any North American market vehicle is that they're boring. Bad is rare, and in autodom, it revolves around being dull, uncool, and pointless. Sometimes those cars are also bad: falling apart, excessive repair costs, or ridiculously uneasy in the hands of a driver. The typical Infiniti is none of those things. Unique design works together with tremendous performance, a positive dealership experience, and terrific quality ratings from J.D. Power to make almost every Infiniti a good car. In fact, the Infiniti G was ranked in the first ever The Good 12 as one of the best good cars you can and should buy. While the Infiniti QX56 is alarmingly behemothesque and the Infiniti M has faded somewhat in the light of strong German competition, one can't say the same about excellent crossovers like the EX and FX or the strength of Infiniti's lineup as a whole.

How quick is the Infiniti FX50? It's easy tell the poser of the question has heard about the V8-powered Infiniti FX50 and discovered an inner yearning for such motive force. Car & Driver measured the FX50 to 60mph at just 5.0 seconds; Motor Trend's tester needed an additional two tenths. Apparently 390 horsepower isn't very concerned 4,575 pounds.

What Cars Will Compete With The Infiniti G37 Convertible? Before the introduction of the G37 convertible, a rendering of which by The Good Car Girl proved remarkably accurate, buyers would have likely leaned towards the BMW 3-Series convertible, a Good 12 winner. The BMW has true-to-the-core rear-wheel drive dynamics unfelt by Audi A4 or Saab 9-3 customers. That being said, those looking for a more sporting feel could've been seen in an Audi TT, BMW Z4, or Porsche Boxster.