I was wondering if someone could help me make up my mine on buying a 96 Q45 for $15,000.0 that has 47,000 miles. My 90 Q45 has about 145,000. I can't decide if it is worth the money to upgrade or just keep what I already have and enjoy. My main concern is dependability. Is the 96 Q45 better built? What are the differences?
Thanks,
Should trade in my 90Q and buy a 96Q
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greg_atlanta
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It depends... how much major work has been done to the '90 Q? Has the transmission ever been replaced? Has their been any engine work on the timing chain guides? A/C been replaced?
The '96 has a redesigned timing chain and a better transmission cooling system. It's a little bit "less aggressive" than the '90 in gearing, ride, steering, etc.
The '96 has a redesigned timing chain and a better transmission cooling system. It's a little bit "less aggressive" than the '90 in gearing, ride, steering, etc.
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Q45tech
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1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
The tradein value of the 96 is $12,100; private sale at $13,500, full dealer retail is $15,300........$1,462 is the premium you are paying for low miles.....even a 7 year old one!Your 90 Q will cost you more than $15,000 over the next 100,000 miles and a 96 Q might only be $9-10,000 plus of course the purchase price.Whether you can maintain your old Q for $3,000 per year depends on how much you did previously and how close to new performance you are satisfied with!Engine failure is usually the hit that sends them to the junkyard and the engine can last 245,000 easily with $6,000 worth of maintenance [$30x4x16=$2,000 in oil/filters plus new guides, plugs x 4, plenum hoses, knock sensors, valve cover reseals, etc etc.The point is, if you haven't spent $15,000 since day one you may be looking at spending another $5,000-$10,000 in short order to get the car prepared for the next 100,000 miles.
But don't think that a 96 Q with 47k won't need work eventually as the AC system, alternator, belts, pullies, 60k service, shocks, suspension parts, brakes, valve covers, o2 sensors x 4, knock sensors, plenum hoses all may fail in the next 100k.What you probably won't have to replace is the transmission, drive shaft or diff.
Something to be said for a nice paint job, newer leather and more air bags, thicker glass, quiteness.
Only you can decide if these are worth the extra $3,000 [NET] per year over and above what keeping your present car will cost......based on the first 5 years.
Same problem I have is it worth $3,000 per year to keep a 90 up when the paint and interior is starting to fail. You get to love the junkyard.
But don't think that a 96 Q with 47k won't need work eventually as the AC system, alternator, belts, pullies, 60k service, shocks, suspension parts, brakes, valve covers, o2 sensors x 4, knock sensors, plenum hoses all may fail in the next 100k.What you probably won't have to replace is the transmission, drive shaft or diff.
Something to be said for a nice paint job, newer leather and more air bags, thicker glass, quiteness.
Only you can decide if these are worth the extra $3,000 [NET] per year over and above what keeping your present car will cost......based on the first 5 years.
Same problem I have is it worth $3,000 per year to keep a 90 up when the paint and interior is starting to fail. You get to love the junkyard.
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maxnix
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1995 Infiniti Q45t
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Drive then decide
With Dennis' quantitative analysis, just drive, then decide. May not be as responsive at WOT as the '90, but I don't drive WOT more than 2% of the time.
Someone else on the old board had a 1996 and quite liked its performance. They may have migrated.
May be down on power from previous G50 models, but I bet it still produces the stated horsepower since Infiniti (Nissan) was always very to somewhat conservative on the other models.
Someone else on the old board had a 1996 and quite liked its performance. They may have migrated.
May be down on power from previous G50 models, but I bet it still produces the stated horsepower since Infiniti (Nissan) was always very to somewhat conservative on the other models.
Even with the low miles, I cannot imagine spending $15K on a 96 or older Q. Regardless of the "book" it seems very difficult to sell one. There is a '94 in the paper with 90K asking price $7500. Purports -- like all of them -- to be in flawless condition. I have seen many in that price range; makes me sick. I guess my point is, expect major depreciation. If you buy it, plan to keep it for a long time or suffer the Inifiniti-slide! In two years regardless of your maintenence efforts, the car could be sold at probably $8500 to $9,000. Also, and I may be wrong, the '96 will be dragged down by the 94-95 prices as it shares the same style -- its a 6 year old car with the 9 year old style (the grilled 94's arrived in mid-late 93). It is great to find a low mileage 96, and it will predictably hold up well, but you need to hammer down that price now!
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Q45tech
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1996 was a short model year only 6 months before the 97 arrived! Less than 8,000 were made/sold
Give or take a thousand, Normal cars [non MB or Lexus] are worth 50% [of New MSRP] after 3 years or 36,000 miles and 28-25% after 6 years or 72,000 and 15-12% after 9 years or 110,000 miles.Each mile adjusts things 12-15 cents +- from average.
You just can't escape the normalized depreciation curve.
"$15K on a 96 or older Q. Regardless of the "book" it seems very difficult to sell one. There is a '94 in the paper with 90K asking price $7500" .................sounds about right subtract 2 years times $2,750 or $5,500 you get $9,500 then the 47k+24=71,000 normalized miles leaving 19,000 x 0.12= $2280 mileage deduction so $7220 would be the correct Private Party Sale price.1994 is an 8.5 year old car so 12.5% of $50,000 is $6250 and $1250 for the half year is $7500.
Now if you could find a 94 with only 47,000 miles it might be worth $9-10,000 in perfect condition.
We have a customer with a 94 Q and 243,000 miles what do you think the car is worth -- a replacement engine, transmission, diff, driveshaft , plus misc things it will need VERY soon will cost $14,000 ........maybe $2,500 for parts is its value EXCEPT to the owner.
Give or take a thousand, Normal cars [non MB or Lexus] are worth 50% [of New MSRP] after 3 years or 36,000 miles and 28-25% after 6 years or 72,000 and 15-12% after 9 years or 110,000 miles.Each mile adjusts things 12-15 cents +- from average.
You just can't escape the normalized depreciation curve.
"$15K on a 96 or older Q. Regardless of the "book" it seems very difficult to sell one. There is a '94 in the paper with 90K asking price $7500" .................sounds about right subtract 2 years times $2,750 or $5,500 you get $9,500 then the 47k+24=71,000 normalized miles leaving 19,000 x 0.12= $2280 mileage deduction so $7220 would be the correct Private Party Sale price.1994 is an 8.5 year old car so 12.5% of $50,000 is $6250 and $1250 for the half year is $7500.
Now if you could find a 94 with only 47,000 miles it might be worth $9-10,000 in perfect condition.
We have a customer with a 94 Q and 243,000 miles what do you think the car is worth -- a replacement engine, transmission, diff, driveshaft , plus misc things it will need VERY soon will cost $14,000 ........maybe $2,500 for parts is its value EXCEPT to the owner.
Just last week there were two 96 Qs close by my house for sale. One with 45K and the other with 62k. They were priced at 12'999 and 13'600 respectively. Heck, a few months ago there was a gold 94 Q45a at the dealer with 68k for around 9'500 (very low for the dealer, with or without suspension ailments). Just chiming in on the price issue. I bought mine (94Qt) with 55k about a year ago and paid 10K. It has 64k on it now and I'm afraid to see what its worth (I plan to keep it until my son graduates college and he is 8 months old).
I agree with all of the above. However, check the going rate for a Lexus 96 LS with 47K -- its a little higher. I paid 15.8K for my 94 in 1998 with 59K mi. I thought that was a great deal at the time and over the last four years still think so. The problem is that few used buyers want a 9 year old lux/sports car and its just hard to sell. Thus, when you buy one, expect to hang on to it for many years to make it reasonable. Mine is in great shape for a car its age -- not like new -- but obviously well kept and maintained. At 15.8K in, plus the 5K I have spent on repairs and maintenence (very conservative and lucky to date!), I now have $20.8K on the table. If I could sell it for $7500 (and I hope I could), I net out at $13.3 or $277 mo. Not bad so far! However, within the next year, I will have to spend another $3k on known maintenence and repairs, pus I bet $1K more for some unknown demon. Using the basic $3K per year upkeep figure (which I now believe in its truth), I will sink another $12K in over the next four years. Looking ahead I sink $32.8K and the value of the car in 4 more years will be the default figure of $3,500 - $4K that you get for well kept old-used cars. Net spent goes to $29,300 or $305 per month (8years of ownership or 96 mos). The car will be 12 or 13 years old -- the paint will start to show its age and the leather likely will be on its last leg. Over all it is cheaper than most rides in its class, but it does take patience and persistence at maintenence and care to make it work. You may pay $100 to $150 more to lease a new G35 coupe with full warranty and no repair worries. Turn it in at the end of the lease and go about your merry way. Some times it makes us all think. . . . . but you just gotta love that big Q with the V-8 ! Its why we are here!
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greg_atlanta
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I'd make the deal. Make sure you buy an extended warranty on the 96 Q (there's something to be said for peace of mind), shouldn't cost you more than $1300 for 4 years/30K miles.
Sell the 90 Q outright, perhaps to one of the NICO members who can give it a good home (don't trade it!).
That'd be MY course of action. The 96 is a bit slower than the 94-95, but it's a beautiful car, and really reliable.
Sell the 90 Q outright, perhaps to one of the NICO members who can give it a good home (don't trade it!).
That'd be MY course of action. The 96 is a bit slower than the 94-95, but it's a beautiful car, and really reliable.
Au contraire, mon frere! (Hi, Greg!) The questions which were posed have been central all along. To summarize quickly, a well maintained '90 is significantly cheaper. A relatively new '96 is likely more reliable and probably better looking. You pay gobs of depreciation on the newer car, expensive upkeep on the older one. Neither one, compared to an econo-box or public transportation, is a rational choice.
Now, as long as we're making irrational choices, how irrational do we want to get?
If reliability is the single major concern, as the original question posed, I don't think anyone will suggest that the car with 100,000 more miles is the better choice. Anyone? I would suggest driving the older car until it became unreliable, but utter reliability is not my chief concern.
If reliability were the only concern, there would be no question -- go buy a brand new Lexus. Ah, but instanly, price and performance appear to be concerns also. No need to ask the question otherwise.
Dennis said it well: "As Only you can decide if these [advantages of the newer car -ed.] are worth the extra $3,000 [NET] per year over and above what keeping your present car will cost......based on the first 5 years."
To me, $3,000/year is a stunning figure for better cosmetics and the *possibility* of more reliable service.
Of course, you can get by spending less on the older car at the risk of reliability and continued serviceability, but that's not in the spirit of the question. However, I would point out that you don't have the option to defer costs when you're making payments -- they come take your car.
Now, as long as we're making irrational choices, how irrational do we want to get?
If reliability is the single major concern, as the original question posed, I don't think anyone will suggest that the car with 100,000 more miles is the better choice. Anyone? I would suggest driving the older car until it became unreliable, but utter reliability is not my chief concern.
If reliability were the only concern, there would be no question -- go buy a brand new Lexus. Ah, but instanly, price and performance appear to be concerns also. No need to ask the question otherwise.
Dennis said it well: "As Only you can decide if these [advantages of the newer car -ed.] are worth the extra $3,000 [NET] per year over and above what keeping your present car will cost......based on the first 5 years."
To me, $3,000/year is a stunning figure for better cosmetics and the *possibility* of more reliable service.
Of course, you can get by spending less on the older car at the risk of reliability and continued serviceability, but that's not in the spirit of the question. However, I would point out that you don't have the option to defer costs when you're making payments -- they come take your car.
96Q
I have a 96Q and I have only good things to say about it. I bought it three years ago with 40k miles and it just turned 92k. I have never had a problem with this car (strict maintainance/total synthetic). I did have a scare that the engine got hydrolocked but it didn't. The extended warranty took care of a major engine flush ,total fluid changes radiator included, Fuel injection,plenum cleaning, new starter,battery,new plugs and more the car runs better than ever. In other words get a good extended warranty.
This is a high performance luxury automobile faster than 90% of the cars on the road, compared to a 90Q, your talking about a few tenths of a second, that makes a difference on the drag strip but not that much in every day road driving. It is still a powerful car, faster than a BMW 740IL, I know because I played with a couple of them. You won't be dissapointed with a 96Q.
I really like Infiniti cars (I'm on my 3rd one) I think they are as good as a car can be made, I just purchased a 2000 Anniversary model for my wife. It's a beautiful car, not as fast as the 96 but still an exceptional car.
This is a high performance luxury automobile faster than 90% of the cars on the road, compared to a 90Q, your talking about a few tenths of a second, that makes a difference on the drag strip but not that much in every day road driving. It is still a powerful car, faster than a BMW 740IL, I know because I played with a couple of them. You won't be dissapointed with a 96Q.
I really like Infiniti cars (I'm on my 3rd one) I think they are as good as a car can be made, I just purchased a 2000 Anniversary model for my wife. It's a beautiful car, not as fast as the 96 but still an exceptional car.
2000 Anniversary Q45
Hi Fred...
Yes it's a nice car, totally different than the 96 but still a great car, I think it's got everything you can put on a Q. A lot of wood in the interior,more luxurious than the previous model. Drives and handles nicely but I won't be challenging to many cars with this one.
Ed :ylsuper
Yes it's a nice car, totally different than the 96 but still a great car, I think it's got everything you can put on a Q. A lot of wood in the interior,more luxurious than the previous model. Drives and handles nicely but I won't be challenging to many cars with this one.
Ed :ylsuper
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greg_atlanta
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Re: 2000 Anniversary Q45
Fastlane wrote:Hi Fred...
Yes it's a nice car, totally different than the 96 but still a great car, I think it's got everything you can put on a Q. A lot of wood in the interior,more luxurious than the previous model. Drives and handles nicely but I won't be challenging to many cars with this one.
Ed :ylsuper
What do you think if the ergonomics? I test drove a '99 T model a few months ago and the dash is just so busy-busy-busy with little buttons and switches and whatnot. Also, I wonder what it costs to replace the adjustable struts/shocks when the time comes?
I could live with a '97-'01 Q if I could find one in black/black with extended warranty for around $20K.... guess I should wait!
ergonomics
Like most new cars the controls seem foreign but in short time you get used to it.
The difference in handling very obvious, whereas my 96 with multilink front end seems to absorb the road, the new one reacts to it. The suspension is much stiffer and 17" wheels with low profile Michelin Tires, front and rear anti sway bars, and front tower brace keep the car very flat and responsive. I think I'm ready for tokicos and a 20mm rear sway bar for the 96.
The car only has 37K on it and before I need to replace struts I plan on using this one to get me into a 2001 or an M45.
The black ones are a hard sell here in S. Fla, They are really nice and you can work a deal on them easier.
The difference in handling very obvious, whereas my 96 with multilink front end seems to absorb the road, the new one reacts to it. The suspension is much stiffer and 17" wheels with low profile Michelin Tires, front and rear anti sway bars, and front tower brace keep the car very flat and responsive. I think I'm ready for tokicos and a 20mm rear sway bar for the 96.
The car only has 37K on it and before I need to replace struts I plan on using this one to get me into a 2001 or an M45.
The black ones are a hard sell here in S. Fla, They are really nice and you can work a deal on them easier.