Car shopping: 2005 Q45 vs 2006 m35x

[Europeenne]

hey guys, shopping for my 1st car, and i've narrowed it down to these 2 for sure

the 2005 Q has about 90k miles and is listed at $12.2k (before taxes)(before auto transport, from another city) most likely $12.5k total before taxes
the 2006 M has about 95k miles and is listed at $11.9k (before taxes)


both have similar clean carfax reports, the Q is a 1 owner car, the M is a 2

the Q has the premium package, and seems to be way more loaded with the rear camera, navigation
the m35x has the journey package, and is valued higher on kbb.com


what kind of final information should i be looking at when deciding between these 2


also the Q's original 60k miles were all done in california in San Leandro, which is near a large body of water, should i be worried about moisture rotting the underside of the car?

what other information could i provide to help decide?

[BadQ45t]

As far as water on the 2005 Q, I wouldn't be concerned about that. New cars have much better protection than older ones did. These are pretty different cars. The M is far more popular as you probably know and would have better support as it grew older for parts, aftermarket support etc. The Q is a bigger car for sure and probably more comfy...both get essentially poor gas mileage since the 3.5 liter in the M strapped to 4 wheel drive will probably not do much better than the Q with the 4.5 V8. Both unforunately have 5 speeds versus more modern 7-8 speed trannys, but of course they are significantly cheaper.

I think my decision would be a) do I want to buy a car that I will put antoher 120k on and drive it until it drops (favors the Q with worse resale value), b) do I want a more "taut" ride or a more plush ride (M is taut, Q is plush) and do I want a full size luxo car versus a mid-size lux. The Q is a big car, wasn't popular and thus not much aftermarket support and very few out there. The M was a good hit for Infiniti and thus lots of them out there. But they are very different cars indeed.

One thing to check on both is oil consumption. The Q and M in V8 form were particiularly noted for having this issue. I believe that nobody with a 3rd Gen Q doesn't consume a quart or two between oil changes. Not sure if the V6 had the same issues.

One last thing, if you live in snow, the M is way smarter as the Q isn't a car made for snowy days.

[Europeenne]

wow, thanks so much for the informative response!

i'm definitely far from snow! in Las Vegas haha, 100+ summers

could you please elaborate more on the taut vs plush ride aspect? or what each term means

i really don't care for the resell value, i really just want a car that'll last 10 years, i'm probably going to be driving a 5k~ a year

what do you think about the pricing of each? sound about right? either 1 a better deal?

i ultimately just want to be convinced to get the Q!

[BadQ45t]

The M is just setup to be a stiffer car, it is on a shorter platform so it will have a bit rougher ride overall. I had a great day in Los Angeles in my friends 06 M45 (which in 2007 that engine was about as good as Infiniti got). The Q will for sure raise eyebrows as they sold so few of them that if you took of the emblems on the back nobody would know what your were driving. I have only had 2 limited test drives, never in a 05' but in a 02' right when they came out and in a 04' while waiting for an oil change. They are VERY smooth rides, a little softer ride than I usually prefer...that said my 97' was a little softer than I liked too but I stiffened it up with aftermarket shocks & springs...but those were not readily available in the US, I had to find people with access to Japanese imports.

If your primary use is for the highway and you want a luxo cruiser, that Q would be a very cool car and at that low of a price, what the hell. The M has way more aftermarket support, but in Vegas you don't have any use for the 4 wheel drive part of it. Main thing to find out is oil consuption. It would be good to find out a history of the car....also at that mileage and while 12k isn't all that much in this day in age, you should braced with either of those cars for serious suspension rehabs, major flush of fluids and big time tune-ups if the major 100k services have not been performed. For me I would sway on which car has the better maint history.

[Europeenne]

thanks again for the super fast response, could you name the major 100k services so i can bring them up with the dealer?

[ericthered]

I have an M35x, and still own my '94 Q45t.

I also considered a 2006 Q, but the M wins for me with better handling.
I find the ride quite comfortable,

The M35x is super quick off the line.
The Q45 is faster once you hit 45 MPH.

My M has everything, including the DVD player and the chide-bot that tells me when I leave a lane. Some features are never used or are plain annoying... but the backup camera and many others are super nice.

AWD does add a bit of extra complexity, and thus likely higher maintenance. I have zero problems in 35K miles.

For the money you will not go wrong either way.