Seriously Need Your Q45 Experience

[knight292]

I have availability to purchase... 1998 Q45 (Not the touring), 59,000 original miles, Garage kept under a cover from 1998-2008, Barn kept under the cover from 2008 - Present. Second owner purchased in 08 replaced the all bushings, shocks and struts from the dealer. Only driven on the weekends. New set tires in 08 as well.

Interior - no blemishes, Leather is perfect condition, no nicks, scratches
Exterior - Dark Green almost black paint, no body work, no scratches, just 2 very smal dimples in the front of the hood cause by hail with the 1st owner.

I only know this year and model from a far and has never been consideration, until now. Car looks and feels right off the showroom floor. Current owner wants $7,000. Want to offer $6,500. Would use as my daily driver.

Is the car worth it at that price? Your thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[elwesso]

The price doesn't sound outrageous to me. Seeing how the struts have been replaced I'd just be concerned about other rubber parts, and obviously replace all the fluids.

Welcome to NICO!

[q45touring]

You have to plan with these cars to eventually need a couple thousand dollars of work at any time. From having to replace the knock sensors (you WILL have to), to replacing coils due to misfiring (another will do). I personally don't think these are good for daily driving, but that's just me. But these two things alone will run you over a thousand dollars, easy, with labor and parts. They are great road cars, but there are many better that probably wouldn't cost as much to repair when the time comes around.

[knight292]

Guy said that all the rubber has been replaced, however I haven't seen the service records to know exactly what has been done. Fluids are all good to go as well, so I am told.

Good for a daily driver??? or biting off too much with the cost of gas lately... but then again, there is a market out there or in here for this model to resell.

[knight292]

Awesome points q45touring... exactly what I am looking for. for those two items you mentioned is there usually a mileage window for those? Or is it when it happens, it happens?

[maxnix]

Put it on a lift and cracking in the rubber or hardening of it will be obvious.

How about the fluids? White paper towel test on the ATF? Brake fluid verifiably new? Old stuff turns acidic and ABS units get expensive. PS fluid? Fuel tank full or is there condensation?

So much to know.

If perfect, maybe $5500.

[OwnerCS]

Welcome to NICO! I have some questions for you about the purchase below.

1) How will the car be driven until it reaches 300,000 miles? Daily, Weekly, or Special Occasion?

2) What type of roads conditions will be found during normal use? Interstate, Citi/Urban, Suburban, Country/Unpaved?

3) Will the car be stored indoors / outdoors?

4) Will you be performing most all of the needed repairs as DIY operatons or use the dealer service departments?

5) Please indicate the state where the car was used by the different owners and where you plan to use it. Something about the original post makes me think it may be located in the Catskill Mtn area of upstate NY state versus Phoenix AZ. For example, if you are the DIY type and the car is in the Altanta GA area, you will have access to many parts at salvage yard prices over the expected service life of the vehicle as compared to a car in Burlington Vermont (where there may be limited salvage yards/used part options) and the owner has all work done by the nearest township dealer. There will be a sizable cost of ownership difference between those locations and mantenance options.

[q45touring]

Generally these two problems could pop up anywhere from 75k miles+ from what I've read on here and testimonial in person with many people and a couple mechanics.
As you mentioned, with gas the way it is, you might be better off looking at something that gets a little bit better mileage, but still as comfy. Maybe a Lexus??? With gas at close to $4 a gal, it's getting pretty tough for lots. I personally drive a Honda Accord 4cyl as my daily. The Q is my weekend, road car, when needed. I just purchased mine about a month ago and love it, but there are many problems that may or may not arise as these vehicles age. I have decided to drive mine a bit and sell it off shortly because of this. I got mine at a good cost, so it won't hurt too bad, but I wouldn't make this choice again. These cars are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but make sure you can afford to fix it if something were to go wrong.
Parts can be hard to find in certain cases, and labor is generally outrageous due to Nissan designing the engine with parts in screwy places....

PS. As you can see, these cars were roughly $50k when new. You can now see you have a near perfect one you are looking at for only $6-7k. What I am saying is, they don't hold there value, AT ALL. Older Nissan/Infiniti's have been known for this, regardless of condition.

[OwnerCS]

These cars are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but make sure you can afford to fix it if something were to go wrong.

One of the best statements that anyone could make is above. Make sure you have some disposable income for entertainment/hobbies that you can toss at it from time to time.

It is like buying a home in an emerging historical preservation district. You better be able to cope with a money pit while you wait for market to recognize a gentrificaiton based price increase that could happen someday. So it is a gamble.

Like Q45touring pointed out, and how I may eventually use mine -- I think these Japanese performance sedans will make a great compliment to an electric car for use on weekends or special occasions when you need to travel ouside of your 50 mile daily electric travel zone.

[elwesso]

One thing that you should remember is that most issues are related to age, not mileage. I think one of the things you shouldn't do is over-pay for low miles (in general).. I don't think that you should consider that this car would be basically "turn key" and be ready to go for 50-100k miles.. You still need to go through it good initally as others have said..

Any comparable Lexus will be about the same to maintain.. Timing belt changes are expensive!

[OwnerCS]

One thing that you should remember is that most issues are related to age, not mileage. I think one of the things you shouldn't do is over-pay for low miles (in general).. I don't think that you should consider that this car would be basically "turn key" and be ready to go for 50-100k miles.. You still need to go through it good initially as others have said..

Any comparable Lexus will be about the same to maintain.. Timing belt changes are expensive!

Wes and to your point, once you address the age related issues (e.g. hoses, and some possible wiring harness restore or replacement, and the usual struts and bushings) the Y33 (second generation), in my opinion, were the most reliable Q produced. After that boundary is crossed you have the car prepared for good run.

I've seen some nice looking Lexus models in the junk yards with a partially removed timing "belt" cover that tells the story as to why that nice looking Lexus landed in a junk yard. It was clear the previous owner though all they needed to do was change the oil and keep the paint waxed and upholstery covered with 303 Protectant. It was easy to see the timing belt broke and thus destroyed the engine.

I went about my Q restoration project like I would have a handled buying a craftsman house that was built in the early 1900s. It came with original pluming and wiring that if still in service should be gutted and replaced in the same overall operation where some cost savings can be realized. You can restore only the pipes and wires that break over time, but it can drive you crazy in the process.

By the same token, whoever makes the repairs needs to understand the original intent of the Nissan Engineers that built the car, correct any build faults that can be corrected with newer materials (e.g. 90-93 guides) and keep it within an original guideline so if you need to sell it at some point in the future, someone familiar with it would interested in paying a premium for it because it was a correctly performed restoration.

So for the good news about these cars -- I've found this is a great club and the neighbors do all they can to help other owners with their restoration projects.

[knight292]

Have to thank you all for your input, recommendations and your overall passion towards this model of Infiniti.

This model does rank high in my "love to have list" of automobiles. The styling, the power and overall luxury of the car is a great combination. Would have to be my daily driver and stored partly outside and garage... Just not at the that point in my life to keep as a weekender road car covered in a garage.

All previous points and comments push me to the direction of not purchasing and at that price. Hate to pass this car up, but is the right thing to do. Thank you for all your comments and knowledge.

[Q451990]

I'm going to disagree here a little, and say that it wouldn't be a bad daily driver, as long as you're comfortable with the price of upkeep and gas...

Mechanical things are expensive to fix, but cosmetics are expensive too! If you're looking for something in good condition that looks nice, $6500 is pretty cheap. Say you got a rough one for $3000 and wanted to restore it to this condition... paint, leather, carpet and you're back to $6500 really quick - and with aftermarket work that may not live up to the factory fit and finish.

Take my free advice for what it's worth... I'm the guy that way overpaid for a 1990 in 2001 and don't get the car out that much because I'm terrified that someone will hit me...

Heath