Debating on selling Q45T

[Bitsbac]

Hey guys, recently i noticed that i felt the rear suspension going out, so i took it to the mechanic to see what the deal was, heres what he said:

1999 infiniti Q45T 4.1L V8
Miles: 181246
"Over bumbs car seems to shift to the left
Inspect - Rear Subframes bushings
Weak and torn - front ball joints
Very Loose - rear struts weak (right rear leaking)
**** Recommendations ****
Both control arms / Ball Joints loose
L.F Wheel bearing / slight play / no noise
Rear sway links
right rear strut leaking rear subframe bushings weak and torn
Exhaust leak
Check engine light on (knox sencor)
A/C condenser leaking
Left highbeam out"


So its come to the point to where i can't afford fixing it, he gave me a quote to fix the rear would be over 2k just in parts..

My question is, i want to sell it, the engine and trans seem to be in good shape, interior is excellent condition front bumper cracked, hood has a few dents (i rear ended someone about a 3 months ago), rust underneath, in the summer the radiator and AC condenser underneath frame rotted out and had a bracket put in place to hold it,

Besides all that it really is a nice car, always fast and ran smooth until i had the rear end problems

My question is, from what im telling you, is there easier and cheaper ways to fix these problems? or should i just get rid of it. Or if anyone is looking for parts let me know.

Thanks
Andy

[qship96]

Everything on that list is normal wear n tear items- if you cant afford to fix them, how do you plan on buying a NEW car? If your answer is that you are purchasing another old inexpensive to purchase used car.....it will have similar or worse items to repair initially or down the road......there is no free lunch, every car requires money put into it to keep it going.

[Bitsbac]

New/Used wtf does it matter? I'm simply saying i cant afford putting money in this POS. This car is turning out to be a money a pit. say i get a 2004 camery for 4k with 67k miles. Camerys are cheap and easy to fix. And get twice the gas mileage. or an older car, lets say a buick.. I CAN ACTUALLY FIND PARTS FOR THE CAR!

[qship96]

If you got it all figured out, why waste time asking stupid questions here then? Get rid of it, please.

[Bitsbac]

1) im asking for professional opinion on if its worth fixing. The mechanic made it sound like it was the end of the world

2) I'm also offering the NicrClub parts and so on.

3) you're a d!ck, quit posting on my post, troll.

[qship96]

If you got it all figured out, why waste time asking stupid questions here then? Get rid of it, please.

See above


Why would we want to purchase your old worn out un-maintained parts???? Anyone that needs their mechanic to tell them their high beam headlamp bulb is burned out is not bright enough to have maintained their vehicle well enough for most to"want" your old parts.....try craigslist.

PS might want to bring along a more knowledgeable person with you when you go to purchase your next old worn shiny used car, obviously you got in way over your head with this one.....

[Bitsbac]

ouch. fine, i will.

[maxnix]

New/Used wtf does it matter? I'm simply saying i cant afford putting money in this POS.

It's a POS because of your neglect. You are mainly facing these costs because of deferred maintenance. Good luck getting your Buick to the same mileage in as good shape.

But if you can't tell the difference, I am sure it is a better match for you.

[Bitsbac]

Well, its been well maintained from me. Not sure what the previous owners did to it. though i did get into a fender bender . And besides, How do you do maintain a subframe bushing? Or fix a leaking strut? I'm not really a car person, i do IT work.

I was using a buick as an example. You can find parts them everywhere. I guess i'm just annoyed of the rarity and cost. but like the other guy said "there is no free lunch"

After countless hours thinking it through. I do not want another car. I love this Q45T. Iv never owned a car with this many options, or style.

Not gonna lie, its a great car, but it is expensive.

[Bitsbac]

Iv already put new tires, changed the alternator, changed the windshield, and just small stuff. So why quit now i ask myself.

[tfvesquire]

New/Used wtf does it matter? I'm simply saying i cant afford putting money in this POS.

It's a POS because of your neglect. You are mainly facing these costs because of deferred maintenance. Good luck getting your Buick to the same mileage in as good shape.

But if you can't tell the difference, I am sure it is a better match for you.

**************************************************************************************************

Eye, yeye, yeye. Has the holiday season made members on this forum cranky and judgmental? Maybe his car was a POS when he bought it and only had a few of the above listed repairs needed at that time and the list got longer due to some Duke's of Hazzard driving sessions. Maybe it was driven on bad roads on a daily basis and everything was working fine at the time of purchase. Did the exhaust spring a leak due to rust-out or owner negligect? I have not heard of anyone causing enough damage to the rear subframe mounts on these cars due to hard driving that it would cause the car to be unsafe. I've heard of lots of annoying sounds from the rear suspension, mine included, but nothing that made the rear end move that much out of place to make it unsafe for the driver or others. We have no info on what repairs he has done or tried to do and/or how much the purchase price was. He didn't post how long he owned it and how many miles were on it at the time of purchase so we can only assume at this point. These are the questions that should have been addressed from the beginning.

I think someone pissed him off early on when they started in on him after the second or third post and that made other members chime in and give him a poke in the eye. If the guy honestly wanted to get some member's opinions about whether he should keep it or sell it, then there are were other ways to approach it. Now that everyone is upset with everyone, any proposed "suggestions", IMO, will be met with criticism and/or sarcasm instead of one member trying to help out another member.

I have no idea how this post went from selling it vs repairing it, to buying a Camry or a Buick. I have had my share of problems with my car and despite my recent trans issues, I still want to keep my car because I have been able to do a majority of the repairs myself even if it gave me a headache along the way. If this guy does not have the ability and/or the proper tools to repair his car, then the cost of the parts coupled with the amount of labor will definitely burst most people's wallets to repair his list of problems. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and help those in need if they ask politely. Just my $.02. I hope the guy figures out the best route fo his situation. These cars can be great when they are running and looknig right, but a real b*tch when things go wrong on them. Most if not all Q owners have been there at one point or another.

Take care all.

Ted

[BadQ45t]

I agree with this last poster......how do we know why this car became a POS. How many original owners out there?? I have one car that I'm the Original and I'll take 100% responsbility for her. My Q had one or two original owner issues that were cosmetic (it was only 2 1/2 years old)....but Bitsbac given this is a 99' I would look seriousl at fixing it. The engine will last a long time and start to change all fluids with excellent quality sythetic fluids and it will last a long time.

Your suspension issues are probably that you've got orginal shocks/struts and springs. You need to be at the very least replacement shocks/struts on your shopping list. About $600 to get them from MemoryFab (call them) in the KYB SR Specials which are the best and only non OEM option for the car. This is now cheaper then OEM replacement.

[elwesso]

Most of what you listed there, as others alluded to, are wear items...

Heres what you have to consider.. Yes, there are other cars that are cheaper to maintain.. You could get a moped or a ford festiva, get 5x the gas mileage and have really cheap repairs.. But its not the same!!

Also, when you buy another car, you're going to start over from scratch.. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you dont!

Lets say you need to replace $1500-$2000 worth of suspension components.. That would get you pretty much rehabbed to a very nice handling car.. You will LOVE driving the car again once you have it driving the way its supposed to! Note also that delaying suspension issues will only make OTHER parts wear out faster...

Heres my point: Lets say you just get rid of the Q and get nothing out of it. I know, worst case scenario. You then go and get another car for $4000, with the possibility of having to put in extra money on initial repairs.. You could instead put that $4000 into your Q and have a MUCH nicer car to drive for the same money, but probably less...

The good news is that once these cars are well sorted, the basic maintenance is almost the same as any other car.. In the last 50k miles of driving my Q (which is how long Ive owned it), I have only done upgrades and basic maintenance. Some of the things i did were a 2fer, IE I had a worn out suspension part that I upgraded with a better than OEM part.

[Bitsbac]

Turns out its all caused by rust.. sadly the car is literally no longer stable. Interior is in mint condition, engine is in great shape, but the under carriage is rusted out. Somehow I have to find a way to weld new frame supports. I'll post pictures. But it is nasty.

Also iv owned the car for a year, iv done all the maintenance possible. It has been garage kept iv probably put about 2k just in parts and maintenance.

I found it funny, about a week ago I got my windshield replaced, insurance would take care of it, cost = $250, my deductible = 250 Lolz!!!

And than this happened. I downloaded a pdf manual. But I can't find anything about the subframe.

[BadQ45t]

dude, mother rust, very sad. See, the poor guy only has the car for one year. I wouldn't try to do anything, mother rust in the frame is fatal. I would part her out or donate to charity and start again. Make sure no matter what you buy next time that the car is checked out completely for rust issues.

Just my two cents, but unless you catch rust really early it is fatal. I had a bit on my old 300ZX, the 1st Gen Z's were notorious rust buckets, but I caught it and had it all cut out. She has been garaged ever since. It still cost me a grand and the rust was isolated in the rear, so I wouldn't even try it.....part out or charity sale and start over. check out used cars in desert areas with lots of elderly people like Phoenix or Palm Springs if you opt for something older.

[elwesso]

I tend to agree with that.. Rust is something you can contain, but you can never cure it... Having it on body panels is one thing, but the structure of the car is really bad and usually not worth it.. Yes it CAN be fixed but the money you would have into it would not be worth it on a car like a Q.

I used to have an old BMW E28 and I remember reading that many owners after 300k+ miles would still be running strong, but their cars were so rusted they had to retire them.. Truly a depressing way to end a cars life!

[Bitsbac]

Thank you guys for replying. I'm checking out that website Memorfab, first i lol'd because it looked like memoryfap. haha

But thank you so much for the suggestions. Most appreciated!

[Rex]

Rust is reason enough to stop trying to save the car .

[BCC93QT]

Shoulda caught such suspension issues before you let it get this out of hand. All this is preventable if you have a decent eye/mechanic or are even somewhat mechanically inclined. If you caught this at time of sale from previous owner, then you coulda taken some money off the purchase price to FIX said issues. I agree, rust is terrible and usually is not worth the time money and effort to fix unless its a classic or valuable car. Like Qship said, no one really buys used suspension parts. Especially with such high mileage. So with an estimate of parts only of what YOU said is wrong i would say your in about 3k in parts. another 2k labor. ATLEAST..... But then again, there is almost a 100% chance that there is something else wrong that no one has caught, let alone you probably have no clue waht your fluids look like. Also the fact that putting brand new parts together with half worn parts is NOT cost effective. So...... replace 99% of all suspension pieces.... or...... I think You should find another Q in better shape. 1997-01 Q's can be had for 4k in better shape. OR, get the camry grandpa! thats just my opinion, rag on it all ya want.

[Bitsbac]

Just seems after i got it, its just been downhill. I got the car for 1.3k, i feel iv gotten my moneys worth though.
And besides, i found a 01 I30 with 67k miles for 3.5k. I think that works out better for me, stylish, same options, 6 cylinder, and it was owned by an old lady garage kept. I'm going to inspect it tonight.

yes, i totally let it get out of hand. I did this purposely Muahaha! I made my car rust!!
And i do know "waht" my fluids look like. I came here for advice, not to wrestle trolls such as yourself. So, your blows to my intellect are futile, moron. And grandpa? wtf.

Why did you even bother to post if you're going to bash?

[BCC93QT]

Meh, wasn't bashing you just giving you my two cents.... seeing how you need every penny. Seems as if its downhill for the I30 as well. At 67k miles and pushing 10 years old you are in for some suspension rehab. Atleast the small things (bushings, rubber odds and ends, boots) the little things that if are not taken care of, will lead to the same route you have just taken with the Y. Probably still on the stock struts. But anyhow, Good health!

[BadQ45t]

Bits, keep coming back, I know you took some pain and it wasn't your fault either.....too bad your Q didn't work out but you know for the $1,300 you couldn't expect a while lot. If you decide to part it out you will probably get your money back.

Post up here if you decided to part it, I'm looking for a cup holder as my flap broke so let us know.