I started up my car on a 40-degree day. Immediately the exhaust started shaking and popping sharply. The car was idling very rough, so much so that something MAF/fuel injector related must be the culprit. The car was also idling at 2600 rpm. I shut the car off and went back inside. No McDonalds for me that day
I sat down and thought about what all my car needed replaced and decided that I was done. Yes I know, the guy who said he would keep his car forever is now thinking of throwing the towel. Well I wasn’t prepared to spend anymore money on a car that I could take to the dealer and spend over $7,000 on easily. It just wasn’t worth it anymore.
Then I entered into the dark days of looking for new car. I wasn’t too into it at first because I knew how much I would miss my Q. I looked at Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, etc. and found nothing that struck my fancy and came close to my budget. I wistfully began looking at Q45s again and figured out that I was being stupid: I could have my cake and eat it too.
A well-maintained Q45 is worth so much to its owner but can be had for around $5,000-$7,000. I realized that I could find a Q with less than half the miles mine had for about this price. Re-invigorated, I began to look at Q’s again. I made a bunch of calls but kept getting the same message: the car had been sold. I must have called more than 50 people about their Q’s with nothing to show for it but a lot of disappointment.
Just when things looked bleak and I thought I would have to sit in a Toyota Camry for the 5 years, this happened:
After looking all over the nation for Q’s, I decided, “What the hell, I’ll see what kind of cars Lawrence (my city) had to offer.” So I looked on the newspaper’s website in the classified and saw the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time:
1991 Infiniti Q45 79k asking $7,000 mint condition, 1 owner
It was being sold by a placed called Motorsport on 2nd street, which is 6 blocks from my house. Can you believe it? After all this looking, there was a prospect only 6 blocks away!
Excited, I called them to talk about the car. After talking with the dealership, I went down to look at the car. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was amazing. Light Bronze exterior/Tan Interior. I checked out the engine, transmission, suspension, fluids, etc. and everything was great. So I went in to talk to Roger more about the car. I got the surprise of a lifetime…
Here’s the story on the Q45: It was purchased at 126 miles by a rich lady in Kansas City, who just happened to be Roger’s in-law. She only used the car to run errands around town and to go to her country club.
Anytime the car needed repairs, it was ONLY taken to Major Infiniti in Kansas City and got whatever it needed.Awesome huh? But that’s not the best part…
In April of 1997, at 48,000 miles, the chain guides broke and the chains destroyed the engine. As a result, because it was still under warranty, they REPLACED IT WITH A BRAND-NEW MOTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s right, brand-new, off the factory shelf. All the paperwork is there to prove it. Sooo…..This car has a 32,000-mile engine in it. HOLY CRAP!!!! I thought they had to be kidding, but it was true. I couldn’t believe what was happening.After much talk and haggling, we settled on a sale price of $6,100 and I will be getting the car within the next 2 days pending a full inspection by a certified mechanic. Guys, I am on Cloud 9 right now. I have a 32k mile Q in my grasp and very, very soon I will own it. This is by far the best thing that could have happened out of this situation. I will certainly miss my first car, my 90 Q, but this is the best replacement.
Nick
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