Need advice on what I should do w/94 Q45t

[qtrhorse4me]

Gentlemen, I’m a long time lurker but 1st time poster. I have a CA Q45t (Ivory Quartz/tan interior) purchased new in 1994, currently with 132K miles. A little background info… this car is my BABY, has always been pampered, maintained and garaged. So here’s my dilemma - I’m moving to Hawaii and trying to decide what would be best for me and the car… do I sell (not worth much per KBB), give the car to a charitable organization for the tax write-off or do I spend $1,200 to ship it to HI?

Pros:1) Great car! Still runs strong, interior and exterior are immaculate for it’s age (i.e., no rust, typical stone chips and small passenger seat cracks from the sun). 2) Mechanically, it’s been dealer serviced and maintained since new. It’s probably not up to current NICO standards as far as you guys are concerned but I’ve not felt the need to change things that are still functioning properly. 3) The only thing that doesn’t work at this moment is the windshield washer - doesn’t spray; dealer said it was just dirty and needed to be cleaned but when I picked it up from service it still didn’t work.

Cons:1) Premium gas is expensive and even more so in HI than CA (although not much more at this moment in time).2) Leather seats are a little warm for the climate.3) NO Infinity dealers or mechanics on-island (this is my biggest fear; what the heck do I do when something breaks and I can’t get someone competent to fix it?) I’m beyond wanting to get my hands dirty and besides, my condo complex forbids anyone working on their cars in the parking lot.

So my question to you guys… What do you think I should do with the car?? Any responses would be appreciated.

[captainluigi]

I think you should sell it. To me. My 96t is same color & appx. same mileage @ 124k. Would like to have a matching 94t.

A cruise thru the lower us would be a hoot. Socal to Soflo in a week or two w/stops in Phoenix, Dallas, Nola, Destin, Tampa then on to the Fabulous Florida Keys.

[Q45man1]

Let me know when you decide to sell and post pics. I'm tempted to buy another Q.

[elwesso]

In my opinion, a Q with 100% known history in good shape is worth its weight in gold. Look at it this way, you're not gonna get what its worth, you will end up spending more money on buying a new car than shipping it AND paying for gas... Despite higher prices, premium still only costs about $2-4 more per fillup. it adds up, but its not really a big deal.

Not having an infiniti dealer is kinda like not having a strip club nearby. You can still get what you want taken care of, you just have to do it some other way. more often than not infiniti dealers are USELESS when it comes to G50s anyway, so finding an independent import mechanic is probably better than the dealer anyway. Parts are still easy to get and all you'll be paying for is the extra shipping to HI, which if you keep the car maintained you shouldnt have too many parts to buy!

[maxnix]

Another thing to consider is if you are not going to the Oahu, driving opportunities for a Q45 may be limited.

[qtrhorse4me]

You raise some good points that I've already mulled over in my mind (and on paper). We're moving to Kona on the Big Island and it's still pretty rural; most import mechanics deal in Honda's, Toyotas etc so I'm not sure I'd even be able to find someone to fix even a minor problem if I encountered one. I'd think that any so-so Infiniti-trained dealer mechanic here on the mainland would still be better than what I could find there. If I was moving to Oahu I wouldn't be quite so concerned since (I believe) there is an Infiniti dealership there. I'm leaning toward selling her knowing full well that I'd never get much for her but maybe I can find the right "next owner".

[maxnix]

Either that or take a chance on storing it. I feel for you, but maybe the big island will make up for it.

[96Qowner]

We have a few Hawaiian NICO members. Here are some past posts of theirs. If you click on their names, you can get an email address. You might try checking with them about a good Q45 technician.

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