Q45 or M45?

[discoganya]

I'm a long time Maxima owner. I've put close to 400k miles on two Maximas and love those cars.

I'm thinking about getting a 2003-2006 (F50) Q45 or a 2003-2004 (Y34) M45. My priorities are comfort, reliability and ease of maintenance.

How do these cars do with high mileage? I usually buy them at 70-80k miles and run them till 250k.

How expensive are they to maintain? I'm guessing not very different from my Maxima?

Anybody here own both the F50 and the Y34 and care to compare? Thank you!

[BCC93QT]

I have driven all Q45 models and the Y50 & Y51 M models but not the Y34/gloria m45. I prefer a rarer vehicle so I would lean to the M. Both models are going to be difficult to maintain unless you do it with your own hands which essentially makes it even more difficult but cheaper and educational. Honestly, both will absolutely suck to maintain given the produced numbers and difficulty of maintenance. Go with the one makes you smile more when in the driver seat?

Both of these cars are not for you. Stick to your maxis

[BadQ45t]

Both will be hard to find parts for and DIY stuff isn't easy on either of them. That said they can both be great cars, you need to check to see about oil consumption as they are notorious for burning oil, this was a known issue and you can expect to burn a quart of oil every 3k regardless of oil brand.

I would be concerned about buying one at 80k and running it to 250k, this will be much more $$ to keep in good shape than a Maxi, but than again both are far more car. If you could find the lastest model q45 or find a 06 or 07' M45 there are far more of those on the road and way more aftermarket support.

[discoganya]

Thanks for the info guys.

So I guess the big daddy Q45 or big momma M45 are not reliable as the I30/35 beaters ?

I am mostly a part changer, not a DIY mechanic. I've replaced mildly complicated stuff on cars (water pump on a Porsche 996) and bikes, but I prefer to stay away from big repair jobs (engine, transmission, drive train, suspension).

[OwnerCS]

I can say from owning (DSC4 - 4th generation) 2 Maximas (95 and 99) and 1 I30 (99). With the 99 models still in ownership that the DSC4 is one of the most reliable Nissans produced since 1990. Generally the DSC4 is more reliable than a DSC5. One of the most reliable Q45 years is the 2nd generation Y33 (97 - 2000)

[discoganya]

How much would you guys pay for a MY 2000 Q45 with about 100k miles on it? Good condition, some normal wear and tear.

[Skibane]

Tree fiddy

[BCC93QT]

Possible to get $2500-3500 I think

[discoganya]

I was looking around Craigslist, eBay, Autotrader etc.

Seems like the low mileage Qs are high priced. Not cheap for sure. See e.g. http://goo.gl/HsIGQz

[BCC93QT]

"high priced" I do check on some ebay cars for sale. I have dealt cars for some time. If you get anything north of 4k you have done well

[BadQ45t]

Yup, if you can get someone to give you north of 5k take it quickly. My 97' is clean as hell, runs like a top and is worth 5k MAX on a great day.