Looking at a Q45 tomorrow...

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X6StringerX
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:01 pm
Car: Currently - '97 Ford Explorer XLT

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Hey guys, let me first introduce myself. My name is Jordan and I'm a 19-year-old college student. I've formerly owned a 1994 G20 (138,000 miles) and I'm now looking to snag a 1996 Q45 (124,000 miles). I'm going to look at it tomorrow. The guy wants my 1997 Ford Explorer (147,000 miles). The asking price on the Q is $4500. I currently have my Explorer up for sale at $5000, but if the Q is in good shape, I'll swap him even. (I believe that's what he's wanting to do and the book value on both vehicles is within a few hundred dollars.) Anyways, I was wondering if any of you guys have any good advice and/or good pictures of the metallic brown that was offered on the Q's. I've found some poor internet photos that just appear to be gray. Also, with the Q being a luxury sedan, should I assume that there will be little or no performance bolt-ons in the "affordable" price range that are readily available through mail-order? I know my post is getting winded and I'm a forum noob here... I hope all the questions don't get on any of the vets' nerves. Thanks.

~Jordan


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elwesso
Posts: 34280
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Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
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Hey jordan welcome to NICO..

96Q really IMHO isnt the most desireable of the G50 lineup, but if you can trade him thats fine..

Metallic brown??? IS that the color of poop after eating some metal shavings? I dont think ive seen that color before.....

There are a lot of threads that you can search through to find stuff to look for but heres a few things.....

1. Look under the oil filler cap... It should be light golden to a darker golden and nothing else.. Look inside the hole, take a flashlight and look around in there.. Should be fairly clean...2. Check the fluids.. AT fluid and PS fluid should be reddish (ATF), brake fluid shouldnt be too terribly dark, and so on..3. Ask for maintenance records.4. Make sure it idles quiet and SMOOTH. At warm idle, should idle at 650 and you should hardly feel the engine at all..5. Make sure everything works and no weird noises... Make sure AC works and is cold..6. Anything else that looks iffy be suspect...7. Take the car to autozone and have them scan the codes (should do it free).. 96 is OBDII so it should be easy.

Take pictures and let us know how it goes, and we can tell you if its worth giving up your explorer for..

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Jesda
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Welcome!

I agree, a straight swap would be about right. A lot of well-maintained high-mileage Explorers are going for barely over $4k.

The 1996 Q45 is lacking variable valve timing (available on all other Q45s from 1989-1995). On the plus side, its easier to diagnose certain problems thanks to OBD II. Most of the strange reliability quirks from 1990 onward have been worked out.

Metallic brown is an old fashioned but very elegant color. I dont have any photos of it handy, maybe there's some in http://q.spilky.com/random. In some angles or certain kinds of light, it looks maroon or burgundy.

There's ECU upgrades, but I don't know if the 1996 Q45 can utilize them.

Install a transmission cooler ASAP, drain/fill or flush the tranny fluid, change the tranny filter, use OEM air filters (to protect MAF), and fix things early. You'll be good for 250k. Enjoy the ride!

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Jeff Williams
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Car: 1994 Q45t, 2000 I30t, 2004 M45, 71, 72, 73, 82 & 2000 Corvettes
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The key to ownership in a used Q45, is:

1. What kind of service has been performed, and by who.2. How much money do you have, in reserve, for upkeep.3. Can you handle all the chicks you will get with a 4-door sedan.4. Don't try to mod the car, until it is performing as well as it did new, or better.

I would rather drive a Q than a Ford.

Read through the posts here and in Infiniti Online Mechanic. You will learn alot about the car, and what kind of issues it has.

X6StringerX
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:01 pm
Car: Currently - '97 Ford Explorer XLT

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Thanks for the replies guys. I know a fairly good bit about automobiles and I do all maintence myself. My best friend owns a garage, so I have access to lifts, etc. whenever I need them. I read through all of the good/bad things about the first gens before I posted, so I think I know what to look out for other than the obvious. When I talked to the owner, he said the car almost appeared to be black, but in some angles, it has a touch of purple through it, so I guess we'll see. Thanks again.

~Jordan

EDIT: Here's a link to some pics of my Explorer on the G20.net forum:

http://www.g20.net/forum/showt...34110

nuQ
Posts: 1661
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2003 1:39 pm
Car: 2003 M45.
2009 Dodge Caliber SXT
Location: Bethlehem PA

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Dump the Explorer and drive something that is actually fun to DRIVE!!!!! LOL just kidding,,,,,,just make sure all the maintenance has been up to date with the Q!!!! sure you'll love it!

X6StringerX
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:01 pm
Car: Currently - '97 Ford Explorer XLT

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If the car is in good shape (guy says excellent), approximately how much is it per year to maintain properly? I probably put somewhere between 12,000-16,000 miles on a vehicle a year.

DominickJ30
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Depending on what it needs done(ie chain guides) maintenance should be somewhere around the value of the car the first year and smaller each year.

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Q451990
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Count on $.50/mile for everything... including insurance (assumes good driving record), property taxes, etc.

That's with someone else maintainting the car. You'll save $$ with DIY.

Most used Q's need $3-5K (parts+labor) to get to as newperformance. That's plenum hoses, new shocks, new suspension rubber, fluid flushes, etc. If you're not looking for as new performance adjust accordingly. Here again, your DIY will help a lot. The parts are more expensive that Ford, but you'll buy less of them since the Q is far more reliable.

Welcome to NICO!

Heath

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Jesda
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Depends entirely on how much the previous owner left for you to fix.

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Q451990
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DominickJ30 wrote:Depending on what it needs done(ie chain guides)
Guides aren't an issue on the 96.

Heath

X6StringerX
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Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 3:01 pm
Car: Currently - '97 Ford Explorer XLT

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No dice with the Q... a few things grabbed my attention.

1.) The driver's side door panel was messed up pretty bad.

2.) It looked like an ashtray inside.

3.) The owner bragged about taking the car up to 145mph on the interstate in Ohio.

BTW, it wasn't metallic brown like he said. It was more of a dark plum/blackberry or something.

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Rex
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X6StringerX wrote:No dice with the Q... a few things grabbed my attention.

1.) The driver's side door panel was messed up pretty bad.

2.) It looked like an ashtray inside.

3.) The owner bragged about taking the car up to 145mph on the interstate in Ohio.

BTW, it wasn't metallic brown like he said. It was more of a dark plum/blackberry or something.
Well, don't stop looking just because one soured you, and point #3 isn't really a bad thing in a Q .

96Qowner
Posts: 2720
Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 12:11 pm
Car: 1996 Q45

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"and point #3 isn't really a bad thing in a Q"

Heheh, yeah, some conscientious owners might have done the same thing:

zerothread?id=100

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elwesso
Posts: 34280
Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2003 4:52 pm
Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT
Location: Indiana
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Theres some STELLAR Qs for sale inour BST forum.. Check into those

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szh
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Car: 2018 Tesla Model 3.

Unfortunately, no longer a Nissan or Infiniti, but continuing here at NICO!
Location: San Jose, CA

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96Qowner wrote:"and point #3 isn't really a bad thing in a Q"

Heheh, yeah, some conscientious owners might have done the same thing:

zerothread?id=100
We sure did!

Z


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