Hey All,
I am happy to report in as a new member to this forum and am pleased to announce that I am the proud owner of an (almost new) 1998 Q45t!
I just picked up my one previous owner, mint condition, 30Kmile, Q45t on 11/29/11. My father had a 1994 Q45 which would still be in the family if it wasn't in a write-off fender bender about 3 years ago. Needless to say there has always been a soft spot in our family for the Q - quality.
Here is my story and a quick background on this exceptional find!
For the last 10 years - I was the proud owner of a Mitsubishi 3000gt base 5-speed manual. The car had serious character and was a lot of fun - but at 117K miles (keep in mind the 120K mile tune-up on the way) it was becoming expensive to maintain. The kicker was the fact that I recently took a new sales position which will require me to continuously cart clients around - something which was impossible in the 3000gt.
When searching for cars I stuck to a budget of 12K my hot buttons were 1) RWD 2) V8 3) Leather, Sunroof, Premium Sound 4) Character / Individuality / Rarity.
I initially went to the dealership to look at a 2001 Infiniti i30. That car was very nice and a great value @ 34K mikes - but I couldn't take my eye off the Q45t parked in the middle of the showroom among the new 2011 models. I knew it was there - but with a window sticker price above my budget I tried to look the other way. Fortunately I couldn't! The Q looked amazing, drove amazing and at 30,000 K miles was a significant find!
After two days of test driving, inspecting the undercarriage on the lift, researching everything I could find on this beast on the internet (including this helpful forum as well as kbb.com) I made a deal and traded in one 1998 for another - albeit a much better 1998 IMHO
I am amazed at how quick my Q is off the line, how powerful and smooth this car is - 80 MPH seems like I'm going 50 MPH. The turning radius is impressive (it basically turns on itself / dime) - this auto is very comfortable overall - yet still has a serious performance edge (car does not 'float' at all - perhaps because of the t suspension?). I drove it about 80 miles today with a big smile on my face...watch out Chicago - POC's 98 Q45t is on the loose!
Special thanks to my Dad for helping me with the hunt and every step of the way!
Details of my Q:
1998 Q45t @ 30 K miles (lowest mileage second generation Y33 for sale in the U.S. at time of writing 12/1/2011)
Grey leather interior
Color Code: #KR5 = Pewter Pearl Metallic Clearcoat (Greenish Gray)
1 owner, garage kept, but still 14 years old and lived in a downtown Chicago garage but there are some very small very minimal dings and dents (overall the car is MINT)
Photos of my Q: