checking out a '97 q45T

[airman]

well, you know, I'm looking for the 1st gen Q. But today came across this 97 q45T. To be exact it's 97.5. It has 95K, clean, good condition, all service records. I was pleased to see all major things done even transmission flushed every 20-30K. Things I found:Need new tires, new battery (didn't crank from the first time), and, probably rotors (light vibration on the steering wheel when apply brakes at high speed). Seller, an IT guy just had a pay cut and is getting rid of one car (he's got three) and the price was reasonable (kbb, private party, good, 11,885). Given what I found he cut the price down to 11,250. Do you guys think it's a good deal? What else I should look for in this model?

[airman]

oh yeah, and it's worth to mention: it's in kick a$$ dark emerald green. One of the best for this body style IMHO.

[99q45t_vl]

It should be a good car. Have it checked by a mechanic, and get the service records from an Infiniti dealer service department to see a complete picture about the car.

[911/Q45]

I would hold out for a similar condition 1st Gen for 5K less and put the money into maintenance. They are out there, be patient.

[airman]

I would hold out for a similar condition 1st Gen for 5K less and put the money into maintenance. They are out there, be patient.

Yeap, I'm loosing patience...

It's just my current car is not the best transportation for the family with a newborn. It's getting hot over here, and my AC is not great at all, transmission doesn't have syncronization between 1st and 2nd, rotors are warped, gas tank is leaking is you fill it more than half... etc. No abs, no bags. And I will have to teach my wife to drive this summer in this car...

I don't fix things since the transmission will go out at any moment, and I paid for this car $1200 two years ago. Don't make sense to keep it in shape.

I like this one, but guy is asking too much (9K) for the mileage IMHO:

http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/...5&ck=

"1994 Q45t Beige with Tan Leather, Sunroof, Heated memory seats and wheel. Runs and Drives as new. All Books and Records since new, New Shocks, Alternator, Battery, tires, transmission cooler, belts, hoses, CD changer. Over Maintained, all synthetic fluids flushed religiously. BBS wheels. No dings, dents or chips anywhere, great sedan. Better than excellent condtion 9 1/2 out of 10 inside and out. 127K. If you are seriously looking for luxury sedan with history, this is it. T3 in Atlanta Serviced."

[911/Q45]

I can see why you're losing patience! Check with the T3 guys on that car and perhaps offer less. If it's as good as it sounds, it may be worth the $$. Pretty minor difference in mileage compared to the 97. Unfortunately you have to go see it to make an intelligent offer and negotiate. Have you tried putting an ad in the Dallas paper under vehicles wanted? That's when the beauties come out of the woodwork!

[getatu]

AS A PROUD OWNER OF A 97Q45T OF THE SAME COLOR HUE IT IS A GREAT CAR NOT MANY PROBLEMS...THERE IS A RECALL ON THE ALTERNATOR FOR THAT YR JUST HAD MINE DONE...ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT END TENSION RODS AND BRUSHINGS BUT OTHER THAN THAT GAS TUNE-UPS AND REGULAR GOOD CARE AND THE CAR IS A DREAM

[maxnix]

I'm with 911/Q45.

getatu: YOUR CAPS LOCK KEY IS STUCK.

[airman]

thanks guys, I'll wait

[PalmerWMD]

A 97t for 11k?

Sounds great.If I had had that offer 8 weeks ago I might have bought that instead of my 94.

Fred...

[airman]

A 97t for 11k?

Sounds great.If I had had that offer 8 weeks ago I might have bought that instead of my 94.

Fred...

So... you think it's good price?Dennis quoted $600 for brakes job up to specs. And good new tires are $600 for set.

[PalmerWMD]

I think its a good price.Yes there are cheaper ones out there (not too many tho) but this is a "t" and that is a reliable model year.Also one of the lightest model years.Performance is pretty good.

Yes brakes cost money, but then you'll have fresh brakes, nothing to sneeze at.

90-96 owners somtimes gruble a bit about maintanance costs, even while ebing very enthusiastic about their cars (as am I).

But I dont remember <ever> having heard a 97-01 owner on this board complain about his Q.Generally those guys gush only with praise...

Fred...

[airman]

I think its a good price.Yes there are cheaper ones out there (not too many tho) but this is a "t" and that is a reliable model year.Also one of the lightest model years.Performance is pretty good.

Yes brakes cost money, but then you'll have fresh brakes, nothing to sneeze at.

90-96 owners somtimes gruble a bit about maintanance costs, even while ebing very enthusiastic about their cars (as am I).

But I dont remember <ever> having heard a 97-01 owner on this board complain about his Q.Generally those guys gush only with praise...

Fred...

Good. Another thing seems to me that 97-01 Qs are more family oriented cars, don't you think? Especially I like rear AC vent (texas!), heated seats (my *** hate cold leather), more space on the back, quieter interior. If only they left that graceful streamline body style and that awesome 4.5L engine - it'd be a super car.

[BadQ45t]

I score that car, I lhave the exact same car and to find a 95 or 96 I don't think the performance difference will be noticeable. In fact I drove a 96 and I'm pretty sure my 97 is faster, and VERY relaible and soooo smooth.

I have the dark greent T also and the looks (sorry first gen guys, remember I have a 92 as well) is far better IMHO.

[maxnix]

I have the dark greent T also and the looks (sorry first gen guys, remember I have a 92 as well) is far better IMHO.

Esthetically, I find the G50 Q45s classic, and the second generation Cima (Y32?), while excellently constructed, more derivative. Where the second generation really loses it for me esthtically is in the dash, especially the passenger side. Very 60s GM. That being said, it is still a very underrated luxury car.

This Fresh Alloy article comparing a 1996 Q45 to a 2000 Q45(41?) accurately reflects the esthetic differences.

Between these two, I would buy the one with the best service record and in the best condition. Or just wait for the exactly right one, as you have done so far.

[BadQ45t]

Esthetically, I find the G50 Q45s classic, and the second generation Cima (Y32?), while excellently constructed, more derivative.

That is your opinion, in my opinion what you call derivative I call luxury. But we can agree to disagree. I don't agree with Fresh Alloy's review at all, those were all 1st gen people doing that review and I totaly expected it to come out that way....plus a 96 is no faster than my 97.

[maxnix]

I don't agree with Fresh Alloy's review at all, those were all 1st gen people doing that review and I totaly expected it to come out that way....plus a 96 is no faster than my 97.

How is that? They are just Nissan product fans. I detected no bias. And you may be right, a 1996 is regarded as the slowest G50 Q45, so it wasn't the performance that impressed them. The 2000 is the next to last model of the second generation, so it was well developed and should have walked away in all aspects, but didn't. This is because the G50 President is the superior platform, and the VH45DE the more over engineered engine.

Nissan didn't sell stretched Cimas in the Japanese market, but they may have to soon as there is no President and no replacement. Against the Toyota V12 Century, I predict it will make the 3rd generation Q45 look like a runaway best seller.

[BadQ45t]

I drove a 96 and my 97 back to back and there was no contest. The 96 didn't have any additional real power and the layout of the 97 was far better. The Fresh Alloy crowd are anti-97-01 to begin with (witness bashing messages about Q41's). Why wait for a first gen that is going to be a huge list of stuff to fix when the 97 is bullet proof and he found a killer one.

Again, I took that article with a grain of salt, from my back-to-back the 97 won. Now I also have a 92 and it is faster than 97, but the 96 wasn't.

[PalmerWMD]

NICO is the 97-01 friendly community!!

Fred..:thumbup

[airman]

Wow, I smell a flame here I appreciate your input, guys.

Of course, design is pretty subjective thing, and personally I prefer the look and feel of the 94-96 model. It's just has more integrity and grace to my taste. And while my heart is with those model years guess I should go for 97 one. It's just make more practical and economical sense in my situation. We've got to have a reliable and ready to run car before the heat hits (and it's very soon here). Also, I've got to have an option to sell it in case of urgent move (I'm a contractor on working visa). I think with the newer Q this is more feasible.

We agreed on $11,250 and he'll help to change front rotors and pads. I have no garage nor instruments.

Anybody suggests to take car to the dealer for inspection before buying? It's got all records an 90K service recently as well so may be it's not required. I have no idea who else can do qualified diagnostic on the Q in DFW.

[maxnix]

See if you can get him to perform the next scheduled maintenance. If not, you really should spend the extra $200 or so to get it inspected for upcoming or presently needed attention items.

Sounds like a great car.

[EWT]

I drove a 96 and my 97 back to back and there was no contest. The 96 didn't have any additional real power and the layout of the 97 was far better. The Fresh Alloy crowd are anti-97-01 to begin with (witness bashing messages about Q41's). Why wait for a first gen that is going to be a huge list of stuff to fix when the 97 is bullet proof and he found a killer one.

Again, I took that article with a grain of salt, from my back-to-back the 97 won. Now I also have a 92 and it is faster than 97, but the 96 wasn't.

I think it's because there aren't many 97-01 owners who are very passionate about their cars, and there are quite a few 90-95 owners who are. Owners of "earlier" cars almost invariably dislike "later" cars of the same model. mkIII Supra owners dislike mkIV Supras, even though mkIVs are better in just about any aspect you can name. 1G DSM guys usually dislike 2G DSMs and actively hate 3G DSMs. I personally like 90-95 Q45s, and am waiting for 2003 Q45s to depreciate to 50% of new, which should happen by about December at the rate they're depreciating.

I drove a 98ish touring when I was shopping for a car, and didn't dislike it (I actually liked it more than I expected), but it didn't do a whole lot for me either. It was just too sterile and went too far in the luxury direction, and away from the sport direction. My 95 is definitely a step in that direction from the 90-93 cars, but the 98 was a lot more so. I would have spent the extra money necessary to buy a GS400 if I had really wanted a "newer" used car.

A 97-01 Q is probably a better car for most people since even the newest first generation cars are 7 years old now and are likely to need quite a bit of service to bring them back to good condition. Buying a neglected and/or high mileage 90-96 requires a lot of time and money to bring it back to good condition, which most people aren't willing to do on a 6K car. I looked for 6 months+ trying to find one in good condition without a lot of miles and never found what I was looking for (late 93), so I settled on a 95. Even with mine, I spent a significant amount of time and money replacing shocks, belts, hoses, tension rods, dropping the transmission pan etc. after I bought it.

[BadQ45t]

Well put, for me I have the best of both worlds, my 97 when I want more luxury and smoothness and my 92 to get down and dirty. I think there will be more passionate 97-01 owners here as the get cheaper and tuners see these as cheap transpo (much like our community of 90-96 is now).

Both great cars, but the 97 is a very nice car, has nice performance, and handles well in Touring garb.

[airman]

My observations from test drives: 2nd gen Q touring handles better than 1st gen non-touring. But I've never test drove properly maintained 1st gen Q.

[airman]

See if you can get him to perform the next scheduled maintenance. If not, you really should spend the extra $200 or so to get it inspected for upcoming or presently needed attention items.

Sounds like a great car.

Got it inspected at the Grubbs Infiniti. Resume: Tires are wornNeeds alignmentTransmission flush recommended (last was at 60K)BG-1 service recommended

Brakes condition: Front 7mm, Rear 6mm.

hm... they did not find anything I haven't found. Whether I'm good or they are bad

Should I go for it or not?

[maxnix]

Sounds good. You might check the Yahoo board as someone posted a 1996 with 88K miles in Dallas. Black.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/...38163

I thought you had already bought the 1997 Q45t.

[airman]

Sounds good. You might check the Yahoo board as someone posted a 1996 with 88K miles in Dallas. Black.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/...38163

I thought you had already bought the 1997 Q45t.

Didn't you say to stay away from 96 :-) Well, I wish it were 95t.

[maxnix]

No, not at all. They have OBDII, no VVT on intake, and reprofiled cams with a little less duration than 1994-1995. Assumed to be slowest of the G50s, but my theory is the OBDII compensates by its more preceise monitoring of engine/fuel/air dynamics, so the performance drop-off is not as severe if it were OBDI. While this theory is not an established fact, the performance does not degrade that much from 1994-1995 standards. Owners of 1996 Q45s on this forum seem to appreciate their performance, which is certainly more than adequate as a family car and for long highway trips.

I have never driven a 1996, but you might look at it and see how it drives in comparison to the 1997 you are considering. It should seal the deal one way or the other.

[airman]

Yeap, I'm loosing patience...

It's just my current car is not the best transportation for the family with a newborn. It's getting hot over here, and my AC is not great at all, transmission doesn't have syncronization between 1st and 2nd, rotors are warped, gas tank is leaking is you fill it more than half... etc. No abs, no bags. And I will have to teach my wife to drive this summer in this car...

I don't fix things since the transmission will go out at any moment, and I paid for this car $1200 two years ago. Don't make sense to keep it in shape.

I like this one, but guy is asking too much (9K) for the mileage IMHO:

http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/...5&ck=

"1994 Q45t Beige with Tan Leather, Sunroof, Heated memory seats and wheel. Runs and Drives as new. All Books and Records since new, New Shocks, Alternator, Battery, tires, transmission cooler, belts, hoses, CD changer. Over Maintained, all synthetic fluids flushed religiously. BBS wheels. No dings, dents or chips anywhere, great sedan. Better than excellent condtion 9 1/2 out of 10 inside and out. 127K. If you are seriously looking for luxury sedan with history, this is it. T3 in Atlanta Serviced."

he's going to go down to 7,800... opinions?

[PalmerWMD]

I like it quite a bit.

Fred...

PS: I just picked up a 94 "t" 36 hours ago.