Everyone,

I recently bought a 96 Q and found out that you cannot upgrade the ecu or much else for that matter. I was very disapointed and was talking to my neighbor who is in love with my new car so I sold it to her. I am now going to look for a 95 or 94 in perfect shape. How reliable are the higher mileage Q's once they exceed 100,000. What should I look for when purchasing this vehichle. I have read the articles on this site and that has been very helpful. How Reliable are these cars once you add the ECU upgrade and TCM upgrade? I would like to get rid of my 03 Diamante and drive the Q I purchase full time. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

If I were you, I'd take a look at Nick's 91. He is 90q45blue. Chain guides not an issue. approx 48k on dealer installed engine. zerothread?id=133031

They're very "reliable". Hardly anyone has been stranded by their Q. But you have to put aside 20 cents per mile for maintenance. Once past about 120,000 you'll need to start thinking about brittle hoses under the plenum, MAF failure, sensor failure, fuel pump failure, suspension rubber, etc.

If you get one that has been steadily maintained like Nick's, you'll have a good jump on future expenses.

The engines are VERY strong - transmissions need to be well taken care of - mine is at 170,000 and going strong, but that's a bit unusual.

FYI, Nick's mentioned above is now on ebay.

There's also this early production 90 available in CA zerothread?id=133545

The only reason to not look at pre-94's is the chain guides, and both of these eliminate that as a concern.

Service history and condition as determined by inspection performed by a senior Infiniti tech are the determining factors for me, model year is third.

I love my 2 Q's. I drive one of them every day, about 150 miles (usually Layla). Gas mileage has become an issue, lately. I have been driving between 73 and 77, and I get 21 MPG on the highway. Neither is highly modified, but both have been meticulously maintained. I may invest in a JWT ECU and some exhaust mods on Layla soon.

Don't pay too much for low mileage. Usually all the suspension needs to be replaced, anyway. The engines are good for a lot of miles. The tranny is good for 120K or so, but is relatively cheap to replace.

I expect 300K out of Layla, then I will give her away, and start driving Lola daily.

Jeff Williams wrote:
Don't pay too much for low mileage. Usually all the suspension needs to be replaced, anyway. The engines are good for a lot of miles. The tranny is good for 120K or so, but is relatively cheap to replace.

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Very good advice there!!!!

It all depends on maintenance habits earlier... Just assume, no matter how nice the car is, that youll need to look into replacing suspension parts, brakes, plenum hoses, etc right from the get go... have that money set aside for surprises...

The only time ive even been stranded with my Q is when the engine went out . Pretty rare for the engine to die like that.

Other than that, the main reasons to get a 94 or 95 vs 9093 would be for the injectors too, besides the guides... The injectors on the eariler ones are much more sensitive...

If I were in your position id keep your mitsu for a month or 2 after you get the Q, once you get used to how the Q will treat you.....

ONe thing I like doing is having replacement spares on hand that way your never worrying about downtime... Go ahead and have your spare known good MAF ready and things like that... I have a slew of extra parts so i never have to wait.

Personally, i think the Q is the best because by and large you just worry about maintenance related items, and it hardly gives you trouble without ample warning... Ignoring those warning signs is not the cars fault!

dont forget about the fast Q rsiwicki's

Its hard to kill a Q, but its easy to sink it with neglect. Stay on top of regular maintenance and fix problems early before they damage something else. Ownership costs fall dramatically if you take care of problems quickly.

Compared to the Mitsu, expect fewer expensive/weird problems. For example, the Diamante has a nasty heater core issue known to put people in the hospital. The Q is solidly reliable, but expect to replace hoses, suspension, and other wear-and-tear hardware around 120-150k. Lots of threads on how to extend transmission life. I've got 160k on my tranny and there isnt a hint of a problem.