Since 2006 I have leased a 2006 M35X, then leased a 2009 M35X and bought that lease out and have driven that car 265,000 miles with barely any major issues. Above and beyond mileage related maintenance I probably put in $5000 fixing other issues and the car still runs great. I’m done tempting the car gods and now that the market has come back to normal I’m looking for a new or CPO car with lower mileage.

I like bigger sedans (AWD) or a mid size SUV but I want similar reliability and cost of maintenance that gets me to 150K miles. The above caveat probably eliminates the following:

-Vehicles with CVT
-Vehicles with turbo
-Most American, German or British cars
-I’d like to avoid the run flat tire scam as well if possible
-Timing chain vs belt also a plus

Any suggestions?

Why not get a newer M or Q70? I've had barely any issues outside of the AC condenser (2x) and power steering rack (1x) on my '11 M56x. It now has 140kmi on it.

A lot of M owners went to Genesis because of the similar upscale styling and ride quality, with the side of sportiness. Similar price points too
https://www.genesis.com/us/en/2023/genesis-g90.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1KSl9SihHA
I actually like the real wood trim that my car has more than the new semi-wood the 2023 has. But the marble style look is kinda cool. Wish mine had the massage seats though like the new one.


Sad that Infiniti discontinued the M/Q70 lineup. Understandable though since they have been selling so few cars and the lexury sedan line for them was selling something like under 1000 units a year. I love Infiniti and hate to steer people away, but the cars just arent what they used to be and they currently dont have a line of vehicles anymore for those of us in the M line. I really love the syling of the coming EV Infiniti's, but again they wont be releasing a full size sedan model EV at least in the first few years, which means minimum of 2028 before we can even have a hope to see one.

The problem with buying a Q70 is that there aren’t many around with low mileage. I’m not interested in a car that hasn’t been well maintained.

Update:

I purchased a very clean, certified 2021 Lexus ES 350 last week. It was off lease with a 10/20 delivery date with 9500 miles. Initial impressions vs the M35.

Pros:
-slightly smaller and quicker even with front wheel drive
-ability to use regular gas

Cons:
-No AWD which I rarely use anyway in NJ
-Because of the Lexus trackpad the cup holders aren’t side by side
-No sunglasses holder near mirror
-the base sound system in the M seems better than the ES350 but I might not have it dialed in correctly yet

Final thoughts:

I don’t think there will ever be a better bang for the buck luxury car than the M35. It’s tech and standard engine features were way ahead of its time. The reliability was simply amazing. No German or American luxury car could have lasted 14 years without huge $$$ invested. My only major complaint was Nissan should have recalled the roof leak which was in many models. Mine only leaked in super heavy rain but I’ve heard worse stories.

Thanks to everyone on this forum who posted similar issues or answered my questions. You probably saved me thousands of $$$ from your knowledge.

The final chapter of my farewell is that I donated my car to the Kars for Kids charity thinking that my car would sell for scrap value and to my amazement it sold for $3100 at auction

The car had 265,000 miles and needed a new steering rack, exhaust and shocks. What I didn’t realize is that one owner cars with a valid inspection sticker, no check engine light and very nice interior are desirable cars. None of the problems present itself unless you get the car on a lift or drive on a bumpy road. It even had both keys!

We had an immaculate but broken '05 Altima 2.5 SL go through the shop and auction out for $4000, blown tranny and all. The used car market is not back to normal.