Newbie here! '05 Q45 or '06 M45?

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Jwicke4
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:53 pm
Car: '05 Q45 Premium
'00 Nissan Sentra GXE

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I'm coming t you from the bimmer forum e46fanatics. I totaled my '01 330ci and although I've owned two nissans this will be my first Infiniti.
I'm Going to purchase a q45 or M45. I'm hoping someone can provide some wisdom here.
I like the technology of the navi/Bluetooth in the M but really want a sedan ride and feel. The M doesn't feel like a smooth ride.

Any opinions on the pro/cons of these two rides?

Also, is there any major difference from the '04 and '05 Q45 other than the minor change to the rear lights?

Thanks all!


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Q451990
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:welcome: to NICO!

I don't think the '04 Q has many differences vs. the '05. Most of the glitches were worked out by then. I think '05 was just a refresh of the styling, like you said.

The main disadvantage to that series of Q45 is that it's rare. Kind of nice because you won't pass yourself driving down the road - but there isn't a huge pool of internet forum support, aftermarket parts, etc. The M is slightly better in this regard.

For the Q, I would have long term concerns about parts availibility, but in the short term you should be ok.

If you get close to buying either car, check the dealer service history - they can run it by VIN.

Good luck!

Heath

Jwicke4
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:53 pm
Car: '05 Q45 Premium
'00 Nissan Sentra GXE

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Thank you! I'm talking with these guys about buying this specific car. They are asking too much of course. He's at 15,900 now. I don't think I should pay a penny over 15k. Yeah it has low miles but I worry that I'm still overpaying for a car that is essentially going away or already gone. It has premium package to include a/c seats and adaptive cruise control. Would 15k be worth it in your opinion?

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.js ... f=national

qship96
Posts: 6624
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:31 am
Car: 1996 Q45

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the Q is a dead buick compared to the M. Resale will be much higher for the M, and future parts availability much better also.

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BCC93QT
Posts: 1285
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:20 am
Car: 1990 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45
Location: Western MA

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For once I agree with qship. Even know the M45 has little aftermarket support over the M35 the Q has even less, the 04-06 Q is a rare beast itself and as much as I love the color combo on that one... Have to include that a PF50 president in the US with that combo may be a goldmine if you do a conversion in the correct way. BUT, go for an M it will be easier to maintain, less expensive, and "cheaper"... My 2

BadQ45t
Posts: 3249
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2002 7:54 am
Car: 21' Leaf SL Plus (wife's car)
05' X-Terra S 4x4
97' Q45t SOLD! Miss the old girl
84 300ZX (Original Owner)
2016 Mercedes Benz S550e V8 Power and 35 MPG
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA

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For two of us agreeing with qship, wow what a rare moment. Get the M.

Jwicke4
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:53 pm
Car: '05 Q45 Premium
'00 Nissan Sentra GXE

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WOW!! I guess I wasn't expecting these replies given I though the Q was considered great quality and ride for the money. But I definitely respect what real owners think. I have now driven 3 M's. '06 M35 sport, '06 M35, and '07 M45. All of them seem to have a very stiff ride and I never felt comfortable in the seats. I'm really looking for comfort and it seems the options like adaptive cruise and voice controls were already available for the '05 Q45 making it a great blend. The only thing I see missing from the Q is bluetooth and I'm not sure if I can use my phone with the car?
How much does parts availability affect the car? Are we saying a trim piece may be hard to find or some major component?
As a side note this is my first sedan. I'm coming away from BMW and enjoyed the performance and working on the car myself but have wife now and baby on the way. Need a smooth ride and perhaps I will actually slow down! :woot:

eonat80
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:35 am
Car: 2005 q45
Location: Brooklyn NY

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Hey newbie i am a q45 owner and i have that 05 q45 black over black and i must agree that parts are a little hard to find but everything is working great i have no problems even with 95k miles on it engine is very quiet and reactive i maintain service regularly so i don't give anything a chance to go wrong. The dealer has a majority of the parts but as you know dealerships charge alot especially for cars not being made anymore but theirs a website called discountsinfinitiparts.com where they also have the parts at a discounted price. I also thought about an M but like you already know the Q is a much better ride.

BadQ45t
Posts: 3249
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2002 7:54 am
Car: 21' Leaf SL Plus (wife's car)
05' X-Terra S 4x4
97' Q45t SOLD! Miss the old girl
84 300ZX (Original Owner)
2016 Mercedes Benz S550e V8 Power and 35 MPG
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA

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well if you like the ride and the car, go for it. What you will not get are aftermarket parts as the 3rd Gen Q45 sold so poorly that there will be little or no support for parts like struts and shocks etc. But there is nothing WRONG with that car. Infiniti did a good job building the car but just totally missed the market with an odd exterior styling and sold so few it killed the model. Other than oil consumption issues the 05' should be a good car for many years to come...both cars have essentially the same engine and tranny.

Jwicke4
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:53 pm
Car: '05 Q45 Premium
'00 Nissan Sentra GXE

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So the Q it is!
'05 Q45 Luxury with heated and A/C seats (I live in FL!) with 63,000 miles for $12,800. Had one of the best carfax reports I've seen where it appears the owner believed the old "oil change every 3k miles" propaganda but in this case I"m glad they did. I'll read the manuals of course but coming over from German I wasn't aware anyone changed oil so often anymore. I will do what mfg. suggests though.

I'm excited and look forward to enjoying the smooth ride for at least a few years. Now to figure out how to get my phone to sync and whether I will need blue tooth or not (I've yet to be able to get the answer to what its voice dialing capabilities are-if any?)

I look forward to starting with the basic maintenance and allowing this car remain in great shape. :woot:

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Q451990
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Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
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Welcome to the Q club! Did it come with the owner's manual? If not you can view or download it here:

http://www.infiniti-techinfo.com/find.aspx?dept_id=10

Heath

raven69david
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Feb 29, 2020 9:28 pm
Car: 2002 Infiniti Q45

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Just wanted to chime in 7 years later to let you al know that you were ALL WRONG. :biggrin: Plenty of parts for this car as I just purchased a MINT Q45.

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Q451990
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:dblthumb: It's good to be wrong sometimes.

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PalmerWMD
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raven69david wrote:
Thu May 28, 2020 5:29 pm
:biggrin: Plenty of parts for this car as I just purchased a MINT Q45.
Pics or it didnt happen :wavey:

cbird805
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:54 pm
Car: 2003 Infiniti M45
1995 Infiniti Q45 Base
(prev) 1994 Infiniti Q45 Base
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Another thing you should be aware of is the F50 Q45's had the older style exhaust manifold, almost identical to the Y34 M45. The have a tendency to crack, and replacing them can be expensive. The Y50 M45 has the re-designed ones, which were less prone to cracking. I would opt for the Y50 M45, as well.


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