I currently own an 02 Maxima and I've been looking at something faster, and a bit larger for the whole family to enjoy. Initially I considered a Mercury Marauder, but the syling is so dumbed down and boring......and it's a Ford product of which I am not a big fan. Trucks and Mustangs are pretty good, but otherwise I would not buy one for a daily driver.

I like my Max quite a bit and I've always liked Nissans in general ( Dad had a 78 280Z ).

The 2003 M45 seems like a great idea for a family cruiser. Not quite as fast as a 300C, Magnum, or Charger, but close enough, and with much nicer interior. I like the styling just fine. Not crazy about it or anything, but it's understated, clean, and very uncommon, which I really like.

I also thought about the Dodge Charger or a Magnum, but again, same issues I have with Fords. Not as high a quality product as the Nissan / Infinity products. I just can't bring myself to purchase a Dodge anything regardless of what kind of ratings they every generate.

My concerns with the M45 are what to look for when shopping, issues with oil consumption, servicing ( closest dealer is 1hr north ). Can a Nissan Dealer service these cars?

I'm finding mostly 50K plus cars with little warranty remaining and prices in the low to mid 20's.

Is there a good, easy way to check for oil consumption issues? What's the source of this problem anyway? Is it valve seals or rings or PCV problems?

I have been lurking here for a while and there's not a lot of activity, but I think I've found enough info that I'm very interested, but also have some concerns.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys

Steve

Welcome to NICO.

As an owner of a 2003 Infiniti M45, I can tell you that it is very, very fast indeed. I have not personally compared it to a 300C, Magnum or Charger, but I would be very surprised if those cars come close to the performance you can expect from the M45.

About the only things I can point as a weak point is the oil consumption on certain engines if they were not broken in properly. The early engines had looser components to generate the power (340HP).

I would certainly be very careful about this issue. Any oil use that is more than 1 qt every 1500 miles is very poor and an indication of improper breakin procedures. This is tough to figure out for sure - there is a post from Q45tech that suggests some possibilities.

Z

On paper they ( the 300c, Charger, and Magnum group ) come close when equipped with the Hemi motor. It makes nearly 60 more ft lbs of torque than the VK45. It's an impressive power plant, even if the combustion chambers really aren't hemispherical as the name would imply.

To 60mph, Car and Driver managed 5.8 seconds in the 2003 M45. In the 300C it was 5.3 seconds.

That aside, my priorities don't lie with 1/4 mile drag or street racing. It's more of a relative benchmark if you will. A good friend of mine has a 300C and it's acceleration is quite impressive. Having driven ( and owned ) a number of other fast cars, I have some idea where I believe I'll be satisfied. 340hp is an excellent number for a car this size and weight. The DOHC motor will have a peakier power band than the Hemi, but I like that.

My current toy is a brutal 480hp, 2300lb Shelby Cobra replica with a 5sp manual trans. I have more power than I can use on the street, or hook up. That car will be sold along with the Max to make the M45 a more comfortable purchase. I understand what it's like to have a fast car, believe me.

I really need to speak with one of the techs or mechanics on this forum regarding the oil usage in order to better understand what typically happens and why. I have read these motors use a moly coated piston. I wonder if they used some sort of special ring package or low drag ring or some sort.

I am having a hard time believing improper break in procedure could be to blame. This level of automobile should never have an issue like this for several reasons, most primarily the way the typical owner of an Infinity would be maintaining and driving his car, regardless of model. It simply doesn't make sense to me. I would imagine the typical Infinity owner doesn't even change his own oil, let alone run it past the typical oil change schedule.

Now that I think about it, improper break-in really only leaves one problem on the table when it comes to oil consumption, and that's properly seating the rings. I have not heard of this problem with any domestic or imported engine manufactured in quite some time. I would really be surprised to learn they would be willing to produce an engine for a high level performance sedan for the general public, with some sort of special break-in requirements, especially one in the high end luxury performance segment.

Seating the rings.......HAH!.....this is what I've had to go through with my simplistic, flat tappet camshaft, hand built, 408 Ford stroker for cripes sakes!

Thanks for the reply - I will be back with more questions as I learn more.

Steve

FYI...The time you are quoting for the 300C in Car and Driver was the only test time I have ever seen for that car that was that low. The other test times were in the low 6 seconds. I think Car and Driver tested a ringer.

The bigger 6.1 liter Hemi, 425 HP models are in the low 5 second range.

I love my M45. Its way more comfortable than my Maxima was. And much faster, responsive, than my 96 mustang GT was. I also wanted a Marauder, however after spending five minutes behind the wheel of my 03 M I knew I found the perfect car. Get one you won't regret it. My burns no oil which is the only thing I've ever heard bad about this car. Inifiti service is absolutely top notch, too. at least in honolulu.

If you want absolute speed leave the traction control off.

I think you're right. Now that I think about it, Speedvision did a series on these cars and track tested them. The Charger with the Hemi was not in the 5's as I recall, and the SRT8 was quick, but not as impressive as I expected.

I'm going to shop for an M45 with warranty remaining and try to work with my local dealer, even though he's an hour away. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't want to sell me one of these cars and stand behind the warranty since Nissan motor co will pay for all the parts and labor anyway.

I need to test drive one of these things soon.

Simple Google searches on "M45 oil consumption" revealed this is a pretty common problem with this car. There's a fair amount of discussion about it on various Nissan forums. I was pretty concerned about it after reading a bunch of this info last night, but I can stand some level of oil consumption.

I just don't want a smoking, plug fouling, POS in three years, that's all. If it continues to run great and drinks a quart every oil change, that's fine with me.

Thanks guys

Steve