Pimpin out the Q? IS IT WORTH IT????

[KU4FIZE]

Ok guys here's the situation. I have a 98 Q with 110,000 milage. So I'm either gona spend alot of money and fix the car up inside and out or I sell the car, put some of the money as down payment and lease a $30,000 car. With my count, the whole body kit, rims, DVD & screens, custom interior, is gonna cost about $8000. So I dont kno if its right to put all that money on that car with mielage. The milage is what I'm afraid of, although it is serviced regularly, however I dont know how long this car go before breaking down. I know there are some of you out there with pimped out Q's. Is it worth it?

P.S. below is the picture of what it's going to look like. It's missing the body kit though.

[AZhitman]

If you're going to make sure all the maintanance items are taken care of before adding ICE and bodykit, then yes, it's well worth it.

Maintaining ANY older car is cheaper than a car payment.

110K miles is not a lot on that car, they're incredibly durable.

It's a good plan, just don't put the "icing" on before the cake is cooked.

[Bwana]

I'd say go for it. But like Greg said, take care of the maintenence first. Then pimp it y0!

[maxnix]

Nope! Sell it to someone who understands what fine engineering and the Q45 are about and get a 'Sclade, please.

[KU4FIZE]

Hell no. Escalade is not worth the Q.

P.S. I smoked the tailights and the freakin cops started harrassing me. They are all over me man. I have to wipe them out but will do it again

[Jesda]

The tail lights look fantastic! As long as theyre easy to see I dont have an issue with it. It doesnt take much to "pimp" the big body Qs. Lower it, get some spacers, quality chrome wheels (preferably off an 02+ Q45/M45), and enjoy the ride.

[HashiriyaS14]

Yeah, 110k on a Y33 Q45 is nothing.

You'll find yourself redoing suspension at some point, but if you're going to be "pimping" the car, you'd be doing suspension anyway. Your engine/drivetrain is tremendously reliable when properly taken care of.

Any word on whether or not the Y33s benefit from a transmission cooler?

There are a LOT of Y33 Q (called "Cima" in Japan) parts out there, you'll have no trouble finding very high-quality stuff.

Here are some nice Y33's, just so you can get an idea of what's out there:









Here's an icon for ya:

[hannibal]

^ You trying to take Rex's title of 'pic master'?

If your decision is between maintaining/hooking up the Q and leasing a car, I'd definitely stick with the Q. Leasing cars is a no-no in my book.

How long ahve you owned the Q? Since new? Knowing the history of the car is very valuable.

[elwesso]

I agree... I like what youve done so far, the grille looks really nice and the tail lights look fabulous......

[Falkdesigns]

Lol, I'm not surprised you get pulled over in L.A. for that! IMO, the tail's look great to begin with they don't need to be smoked, but maybe you could do it real light smoke. I believe you shouldn't give the cops any extra reason to pull you over, like no front plate, it's just one more excuse for them to nab you.

If I was you I would keep the Q, lower it, get a nice set of 19" wheels and you'll already have a bad a$$ car. Anything else yo do is icing on the cake from there.

On the other hand, I like having the only truly hooked up Y33 Q in L.A.

[KU4FIZE]

HashiriyaS14 Thanks for the pics. I tried looking for parts from Japan but all the websties I find are in Japanese Do you know any websites that are in English?

Jordan, as of or the history of the car, I am the second woner. I got this car off ebay for half the price The seller was a dealership, and the agent was pissed off that the auction ended on such a low price They got it from the original owner. He didn't drive it around much. 110k for 7 years is like less than 2000miles a month. I got the service history from the dealership. Turned out the guy took his car to dealership at least once every 30k miles. Also inbetween if there were some kind of problems. All the problems were electronical, like a burned bulb and stuff like that. So the car is in a great shape

Falkdesigns dude soon you won't be the only with fixed up Q. Although I will recognize u as the OG Plus, you will be the first one but I'll be the youngest

Sorry guys if I refer to you by your nicknames. I dont know your real names unless you put it in the message.

P.S. Look at what I found

[Falkdesigns]

That's the same grille I have. Did you get it already or are you looking at it on the web? I'm going to buy about 5 different Cima grilles from Japan to sell but I'm going to keep one so I have 2 Cima grilles to switch between.

[KU4FIZE]

It's up for an auction so I'm thinking to buy it or no. I actually like the ones that there is a vertical divider right in the middle of the grille. Can you post the pics of grilles you are going to buy? I would definately get it from you, plus you are closer I would just pick it up from you if possible. Let me kno.

Right now I am torn into two sides. I cant decide whether to put the mesh grille like the one in the pic above of the horizontal Grand Touring type. ALL Q45 CRITICS!!! WHICH ONE IS NICER?????

[KU4FIZE]

Oh yea, forgot to ask. Your grille looks like its chrome. Is it? This one is not chrome, but I think will match the silver color of the car.

[HashiriyaS14]

HashiriyaS14 Thanks for the pics. I tried looking for parts from Japan but all the websties I find are in Japanese Do you know any websites that are in English?

http://www.raretrick.com

http://www.bulletproofautomotive.com

Neither of these sites will keep anything for your car in stock, but they can get you ANYTHING. Email them links to the parts you want, and they can get them for you. Be prepared for long waits and big bills, but the good stuff is worth the trouble.

[KU4FIZE]

Thanks for the links

[gniknave]

Just to let you know, you're already driving a car that cost way more than 30k

As far as the bling, don't go overboard. I'd say go with Falks idea and just keep it a nice sleeper. You just don't realize how nice of a car you have man... you really don't.

[KU4FIZE]

Bro I know that the car costed more than 30 back in the day. But right now it's like 8. Anyhow I do appreciate the car man. I have the smoothest ride and the most luxurious car. Thanks for the post tho;

[PoorManQ45]

My $0.02:

Sell the Q, get a G50 Q. Then pimp it. I can't get past the oversized c-pillars and the squarish booty. The booty needs curves man!

I don't like how the c-pillar continues all the way to the end of the trunk! IMO that line is extremely ugly. They could have smoothed that out and curved that hard edge and it'd look alot better

[zinkie13]

My 2 cents.....sell it...and put all of your money towards a car that is better and faster and doesn't weight 5000 lbs w/ passengers haha

[MinisterofDOOM]

I wholeheartedly agree with PMQ about the C-pillars. Worst part of the car, and they're so huge you can't ignore them.

HOWEVER:It's still a great looking car, and ideal for pimpification.And if I owned one, no power on earth could stop me from doing just that to it.

[Jesda]

I personally like how thick the c-pillar is. I'm fond of the Eldorado for the same reason. You get that enclosed carriage look. I agree that it would be a bit sharper if the back of the pillar was straight instead of arched, but oh well. Minor detail on a beautiful car.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I don't mean to rag on the Y33 at all, but I got to thinking about just why that C-pillar style bothers me, and it inspired a MSPaint-O-chop.

But first:It's not the thickness of the c-pillars, or even the curve that bothers me. It's those two things combined with the fact that the trunk deck is raised above the beltline of the car. Those three attributes combine to make it look like they designed a station wagon, but then decided to cut a chunk off the back and turn it into a sedan.

So...Just for fun I decided to see what a Y33 wagon would look like (I love wagons...not sure why, exactly, but I love them!).Here's the product of 5 minutes in MS paint:the Y33 Hearse

The point of this?Someone with PS abilities...Please make me a decent looking Y33 Hearse?

[Jesda]

Kevin... now you can be buried in your car.

[PoorManQ45]

So...Just for fun I decided to see what a Y33 wagon would look like (I love wagons...not sure why, exactly, but I love them!).Here's the product of 5 minutes in MS paint:the Y33 Hearse

Wow, amazingly enough that picture conveys exactly what you're tlaking about. It does indeed look like a chopped off station wagon

[Falkdesigns]

No, it looks like an elegant luxury sedan. I love the thick C-pillars, it gives the vip's in the back even more privacy, and as far as I recall, most luxury cars ever, have thick C-pillars.

My grille is chrome around the edge, and the center is smoked, pretty dark. I gurantee that one you posted is the same, it's just washed out in the photo. There is a Grand Touring grille from the later ones that has mesh, chrome center bar, and the same Grand Touring logo like mine.

[PoorManQ45]

...and as far as I recall, most luxury cars ever, have thick C-pillars.

Take a look at the G50 again

The c-pillars are integrated into the fenders much nicer

[KU4FIZE]

C-pillars do look nice on the Y33. I don't like the G50 much because it has narrow headlights and small grille. 97-01 Y33's look nicer.

Falk I saw a pic of the white Y33 with the chrome grille in your gallery. Is it the grille u r talking about?

[Jesda]

BMWs, Jaguars, and Audis use a thin c-pillar to emphasize a large greenhouse. Gives the car a sporty artsy look -- I always believed that the A8 was the stylistic successor to the G50

Thick pillars, however, have the classic carriage look. Take a look at Cadillacs and Rolls Royces.

[jyejye]

holy! thanks falk for referring me to this forum. i have been trying to find a decent Q45 forum for years. KU4FIZE, where the hell can i find a mesh grille like that for my 99' Q. it is sooo nice. i MUST have one! haha anybody know of a place where i could get some mesh grilles?