Looking to purchase 2003 q45 any tips?

[wulf69]

Hi all,I'm in the market to upgrade from my 97 i30, i've been looking at the 03 q45 at a dealer for 16500, it has 50k miles.

Can you tell me anything i should expect out of the q, any trouble spots?

any advice you can give would help.

[Infinitiguy19]

Get a Carfax and the Infiniti Service History on the car, make sure the dealer gets you the Carfax if he wants to sell the car.

Some of the 2002-2006 Q45's have been know to burn oil, at least 1/2-1 quart between oil changes.

Make sure you get a Infiniti warranty or a GOOD warranty cause YOU WILL NEED IT.

Look and see if there are any other recalls for the car that have not been addressed.

Also read the stickies at the top of this forum for anything I may have missed.

And I am sure there is more.

Welcome to NICO.

[maxnix]

If you can't estabhlsh the 3,750 mile OCI, walk away. Have a Senior Infiniti Technician read the service history before he does the pre-purchase inspection.

Read the sticky above.

Welcome to NICO!
Modified by maxnix at 2:24 PM 6/29/2009

[wulf69]

Thanks for the reply.

I've been reading the stickies and everything else i can find about the F50 Q45.

From what i read its a great car, but requires constant maintenance to keep running perfectly, I haven't found any recalls for the 03 q45. With the Q being so rare, will the maintenance and repair costs really be worth the value? I'm not really looking to beat/race/dog the car. Just a nice ride for point a to b.

If everything thing checks out the the OCI, and service records. what can i expect to do in terms of maintenance down the road, apart from the standard upkeep, brakes, rotors and oil changes.

I hope to keep this car until the 100k mile mark, i really don't want to make any drastic maintenance to the car until then.

My current 97 I30 has run pretty good up til the 100k mile mark. Then started experiencing issues with my starter, wheel hubs, knock sensor and struts and other issues, bring up the bill to 3k to fix. Can i be expecting the same out of the Q?

[maxnix]

Car should go at least 200K with timely maintenance.

I would say budget 20¢/mile for maintenance after you restore (correct) the deferred maintenance and you should be fine. Between the FSM, the board, and IoS, you should have it covered. Extended warranty backed by Nissan is very nice as there are so many electronics. HID ballasts have proven a slight problem.

[lino]

I'd say if you're not totally in love with the Q45 then maybe consider something else too. Since you mentioned you are concerned about maintenance cost, know that the Q45 is not cheap to maintain compared to many other cars (not necessarily in the same category but for the same amount of money you intend to spend).

How many miles do you plan on driving a year? What size engine do you need/want? Have you considered any other car? Do you have a budget in mind? What will this car be used for? A daily driver, weekend car? etc....

I'd be happy to make some suggestions and or an opinion if you tell me more about what your particular needs are. Most important thing is don't rush into anything. There are plenty of cars to buy and now is a buyer's market.

[loystock]

Infiniti cars are reliable and will definitely last beyond 100Kmiles provided you do additional maintenance over and above the required 30/60/90K. I do 4-month OCI since we're low mileage drivers (<9Kmiles/year).-on each oil change, spray silicon on rubber components under the car, inspect/clean battery connections and inspect/replace air filter.-BG44K and Zaino car polish every 6 months.-ATF and power steering fluid exchange every 2 years + throttle body cleaning.-Brake fluid flush when color turns a shade of dark (tea).

Aside from Carfax, check the car interior, body and engine compartment thoroughly. The car has tri-coat paint and expensive to repair/repaint. Ensure all controls are working. Leather seats are expensive to repair/replace. A set of OEM floor mats is $100+. Check the condition of the cargo net and mat in the trunk and the spare tire (donut or regular). Check the ATF-must be pinkish red. If not, have them flush it + fluid exchange for free. You need a 10mm socket and extension to unlock the ATF dipstick near the firewall. Test drive on city streets and listen for unusual noise/squeak/rattle. Take it to the highway and check basic wheel alignment and for excessive wind noise. Accel/decel must be smooth. When exiting the highway and if safe, perform hi-speed braking, >45 MPH, and watch out for wheel vibration - maybe an indication of warped rotors and/or bad tension rods.

Good luck!Rod

[Victor]

Carfax reports are a starting point, but don't rely souly upon them. They get their data from insurance company accident reports and smog test results, and draw an awfully large number of conclusions from this data or lack of data. If an accident is not reported to an insurance company it doesn't show up on the carfax. Carfax is not allowed to access any DMV records you couldn't access yourself. I bought a 92 G20 that had been in two accidents and had bad registration, and neither showed up on the carfax.

[BadQ45t]

If this car has good history at 50k you should be able to get an extended warranty, if you can get the factory extended warranty I wouldn't lose any sleep over scooping this car up. But know that your gas mileage will be lower than the i30 was and the same stuff is going to break on any car you buy around the 100k mark. My Mom's Camry needed a new alternator, shocks struts and knock sensors aroud the 120k mark, and that is a car that is as bullet-proof as can be.

Run the KBB on the exact equipment that the car has, given the age of $3.00 plus super-unleaded gas I would be looking to buy this at the lowest range of KBB wholesale buy-back price. These cars are so little known that they cannot command a good price.

[mcrews]

I have an 02 Q45 Sport w 175k as of this week. Bought it at 40k and got extended warranteee to 100k. followed service schedules RELIGIOULy!!!!! Replaced differnet 3 electronic units under warr. and the a rear end issue. Best money I spent.

Since 110k I have had NO major issue w/ car. (uotside of those 'self' created!!!) (minor accident at 130k) Have driven to Dallas and back to sacramento 3 times in the last 2 years. 24+ mpg each trip. engine uses same amount of oil between changes as it always has....no better no worse. I will buy another one in a heart beat.

Like Maxnix says....if Infiniti records show adhersen to the service schedules....it will be a good car. If no records found....RUN!!!!

[Infinitiguy19]

I know the Infiniti Service History looks more official, But keeping receipts of everything that is done to the car is just as good in my opinion.

Like me, I keep every receipt that required money to be spent on the car. I have gone as far as keeping ever receipt for ISO-HEET and carwash too. But that's just me thinking about what the next owner will think about this car, Yet I know I will never sell it willingly.

[BadQ45t]

And when you sell it is the the car sold on the price of the pounds of receipts you have for it

I figure my cherry 1997 is crap now and I have a pile of them. Now you want to see the real pile, my 84' Z I have about 75% of the receipts since 1984 and it is three folders (including oils changes, major and minor repairs, upgrades, 2 major stereo upgrades etc.

[seldomseen]

Save your pennies and cop yourself an '05 or '06 Q45...they can be had steeply discounted right now.