KEEP OR QUIT...1994 Q45T NEWBIE

[nasty001]

just purchased 1994 q45t, i am newbie to this site all help is appreciated..car has 144xxx miles after reading some of the posts on this site i am not sure if i want to keep this car, i will list pros and cons that i know of with my vehicle: cons/needs repair:exhaust leak...passenger seat does not move... was told bad module under seat...heat/ac blower only works on high only...brake pads need replacing...driver rear tail lens is cracked...driver headlight has hole in glass...passenger headlight loose ...wiggling/ bracket broken?...passenger front turn signal also wiggling/bracket broken...slip light on dash is blinking (was told to replace blue relays under battery)...abs light on possibly because of bad brake pads?...front struts might be bad. Pros:i have sourced a set of headlights,.passenger front turn signal,.blower motor resistor,.both blue relays.,driver tail light housing,.and passenger seat module... none of these have been installed yet. all fluids are clean with no funky smells or particles in them, car runs and drives great, no other lights are on, no strange noises, firm transmission shifts (previous owner said he replaced it around 25k ago), struts are tokico blues on factory springs(previous owner said 1 inch of spring was removed), interior is immaculate no cracks or wear marks anywhere, all electrical systems are working 100% except for what is mentioned above. i purchased this car with the hopes of making it my daily with the "vip" look but from what i have read so far about sourcing parts and cost of parts think i may not have looked before i leaped...so to wrap up i guess i am looking for input on keeping or taking offers because since i purchased i have put maybe 80-100 miles on car with 90% of these miles being on highway the ride is very smooth, acceleration on highway is great but i dont want to risk anything going wrong and not being able to find or afford parts to do repairs, again need car as a daily driver... comments, suggestions, offers are all wanted.. thanks in advance. P.S. not sure how to get pics up if send me a cell# i can send pics directly

[AZhitman]

Quick answer...

First, Welcome aboard!

Hope you didn't spend more than $1500 on it. While most of that stuff can be DIY, and we can help, if you're on a budget and need it as a DD, you're gonna get jammed up.

<Dad voice>: "Buy a used Corolla or Civic or Sentra and save your money." Hard to look "VIP" when you're eating ramen.

Pics: how-to-post-pictures-using-photobucket-t521110.html

[nasty001]

not so much as a budget, its road worthy as it sits because there are no major mechanical issues the couple of rides i have been on point towards good things to come , i just do not want replace the things i listed put on the 3piece modular wheels take her out on the maiden voyage and 5min in the "flux capacitor" fries and it take 3mths and $$$$dollars to source get that repaired and another module goes and so on ...

[qship96]

not so much as a budget, its road worthy as it sits because there are no major mechanical issues the couple of rides i have been on point towards good things to come , i just do not want replace the things i listed put on the 3piece modular wheels take her out on the maiden voyage and 5min in the "flux capacitor" fries and it take 3mths and $$$$dollars to source get that repaired and another module goes and so on ...

That is ALWAYS going to be a risk,especially with a 22 year old car......and due to how little of these cars were made compared to say a Accord,Maxima,Civic,etc- parts can and will be harder to obtain.

The key is to always have a few thousand dollars set aside AT ALL TIMES to be prepared to feed the older car to keep it on the road.Spending multi thousands of dollars on shiny wheels,body kits,stereos,etc is never wise on a old car used for daily driving,it leaves less $$$$ available for unexpected repairs which will pop up- and when you decide to dump the car,your return on the add on crap is mostly nill to none.

[sandydennis2326876]

QUIT while you are ahead. I have a 96 Q and have had since new with all scheduled service. The car is great except for appearance.(city car)...
This car will cost you upwards of 10 thousand in the next few years in repairs and towing, especially if you are not a DIY like myself, at least 5 thousand if you do your own work.
Most Parts will have to be shipped across country to you or your service guy and it will take many days without use of your car.
So plan on this car as a weekend fun car not a DD.
Make sure you have a good towing service in your area to get car home or to service center.
I spent 5 grand just in the last few months but not regretting it as I have a flawless 06 Lexus as backup.
Good luck.

[3Q Jay]

The 'problems' you mentioned seem minor in nature.
the mechanicals may or may not be as orderly as they seem. If you have detailed service records from day one, then you can at least predict and budget for pending failures. many things on the Q are predictable, but some are not.
94s had much higher electrical demand-- if your alternator has EVER been shot or a po EVER drove around on a weak battery your electronics are stressed.
95 /96 were a bit more forgiving (not much) in that regard as there were some mid-run enhancements on the kouki's electrical bits.
I did retire both G50s from daily status. As they sit they are ready to drive 3000 miles on a moment's notice. But that is only what I can predict and pre-emptively take care of. there are always random failures on a 22 yo car.
Drove the 94 about 75 miles today. for all but a minute of that time I kept thinking, man---this is STILL such a nice car. the one minute was a 'new' relay clicking issue that i need to figure out.
that pretty well sums it up. Great if you have another car in a pinch. Be prepared to wait for parts and plan your mx downtimes in advance.

[nasty001]

so i have made my decision to keep the car i am sourcing parts to do full engine and trans swap so that i can eliminate any possible drive train issues... planning on "GM LS3 with 6 speed manual trans" supercharger or twin turbo will be the first hp upgrade if i feel that stock hp is not enough

[3Q Jay]

thats fine and your decision of course. but be sure you understand that the issues of the car are not engine and trans for the most part---in fact all the issues you mentioned were nothing to do with the drivetrain. the hulk that you are keeping for the GM drivetrain will possibly have the worst case of issues both with the 22 yo hulk and adapting your drivetrian to the chassis.

[qship96]

so i have made my decision to keep the car i am sourcing parts to do full engine and trans swap so that i can eliminate any possible drive train issues... planning on "GM LS3 with 6 speed manual trans" supercharger or twin turbo will be the first hp upgrade if i feel that stock hp is not enough

Not to be rude,but that idea is just dumb.First off,you have yourself a 22 year old car,and live in an area that uses tons of road salt to deal with the winter snow and ice,which leads to severe rust issues on the Q,which is already prone to rust in many spots around the car.......trust me,I know,That is the ONLY reason I got rid of mine after having owned and expertly maintained it for 20 years and 315,000 miles while living in Baltimore County.Structural rust and rot killed it.The engine,transmission,and the rest of the original drivetrain were strong,with zero rebuilding or major issues at burial due to rust.To invest the time and money to swap drivetrains will buy you no additional reliability nor life for that car operated in that environment,zero.

[nasty001]

thanks for the input.. i might just go with a 5speed swap and call it day as i just stumbled across a z32 manual trans for $125 while i was fishing at the local "u pick it yard" which from what i have seen here is fairly strait forward and practically bolt on with not as much fab work and a lot cheaper.

[nasty001]

ok ...i think im done; been reviewing posts and pics of mods and i think im going to get out of this and go a different route all together... meaning if anyone i looking to buy my car send me you cell or email and i will send pics and info thanks

[sheikhnbake]

Yes, quite while ahead. I love all the features on my '03 Q45; it's like new with 79K miles but is worth only $8600 according to Barretts and Bue Book. Love the heated and cooled seats, rear seats reclineable with all sorts of independent controls in the arm rest; six-CD changer; backup cam, navigation, a/c port, power trunk lid; power rear window shade plus rear passenger shades; adaptive cruise control. My '97 Q45 was a great car but didn't have any of those features.

[HansCC]

Quick answer...

First, Welcome aboard!

Hope you didn't spend more than $1500 on it. While most of that stuff can be DIY, and we can help, if you're on a budget and need it as a DD, you're gonna get jammed up.

<Dad voice>: "Buy a used Corolla or Civic or Sentra and save your money." Hard to look "VIP" when you're eating ramen.

Pics: how-to-post-pictures-using-photobucket-t521110.html

LOLZ

[HansCC]

Yes, quite while ahead. I love all the features on my '03 Q45; it's like new with 79K miles but is worth only $8600 according to Barretts and Bue Book. Love the heated and cooled seats, rear seats reclineable with all sorts of independent controls in the arm rest; six-CD changer; backup cam, navigation, a/c port, power trunk lid; power rear window shade plus rear passenger shades; adaptive cruise control. My '97 Q45 was a great car but didn't have any of those features.

I just saw some guy drive up while I was at the junk yard with a 96Q with 76k on it - Purple factory paint - It had some bad spots on the back bumper but the paint was still 5 out of 10 and they guy did not even keep up the paint on it - He said he paid 2500 dollars - ( Do I know if he was fibbing? nope - but he probably did pay that cause he said his friend sold him the car). First thing I ask him if he got the timing chain done - answer - YES -