Thinking of getting a first gen Q45 (again).

[Beardo]

So back in 2003 I bought a '91 Q45t for $2200 with like 140k miles. The car had been sitting for about 3 years when I bought it, still drove really smooth but I figured I would have to do a fair amount of work. Within a week, the AC went out, can't remember exactly what was wrong, but 2 different shops quoted about $1500 each to fix it. Then a week later, once I hit like 30 MPH any given time driving it, the power steering would turn off, and the HICAS (or whatever the term was) light would go on saying it wasn't working. 6 months later, the engine started not running smooth, so I went ahead and replaced like the injectors, knock sensor MAF sensor over a period of about 2 months (DIY stuff). And then in early 2006, someone did a hit and run in a parking lot, smashed up passenger side door, and then a week later I started getting all sorts of electrical problems, lights going out, etc, eventually traded it into a dealer for $2k.

Anyways, needless to say, I have some experience with the car. Recently, I've been really having an urge to go back and get one of them again. Part of it is probably nostalgia, part of it is I am 6'7" and the first get Q45s fit me better than most other full sized cars I've driven, and part of it was that when it was running decent, I just really loved the car. Anyways, so I am now looking at getting a 94-96 Q. Specifically looking at a 96 with 120k miles for $3200, that has supposedly been well maintained. I have gotten used to using the OBDII scanners for troubleshooting and don't know how I could go back to diagnosing a newer car without one.

I guess my question would be, does my original Q sound like an atypical owner experience? On my 4Runner, I average about $80 a month in maintenance averaged over the life of the car, is that a reasonable value for a 96 in good shape?

[qship96]

more like $200 per month using top quality fluids, filters, and oem parts.

[Beardo]

Is that assuming 12k miles a year? I put about 8k a year on my daily driver. Would that make about $130 a month reasonable or would $200 still be a baseline?

[OwnerCS]

Can you get the maintenance history?

Items that come to mind are:

1) Struts, strut boots, and corresponding strut bushings - base model.

2) Belts and hoses - note under plenum hoses..

3) External Automatic Transmission Fluid filter -- also complete fluid change

4) Power steering rack boots.

5) Fuel pump.

6) Check rocker covers for oil leaking into spark plug well.

[Beardo]

No maintenance records, its from a car lot that a friend of a friend works at. We were hanging out last night, talking about old cars we wished we still had and found out they had one that supposedly is in really good shape. I typically don't buy cars from dealers, but all of the local Qs I have seen in the last month or so I've been looking are 200k+ miles (for 96s).

[Beardo]

Oh, and I guess one other question, are there any critical parts that are no longer available new?

[OwnerCS]

Some of the metal power steering lines are not available. The good news about obsolete parts is the junk yards usually have a few donor vehicles. If you have the time and patience, you can collect a stash of obsolete items.

A 96 Q45 recently arrived at my local pick-n-pull. As it turns out, I'm the only person removing any parts.

Where are you located?

[Beardo]

I am up in Seattle.

Budget wise, I was looking at about $5-6k for getting into it, $3-4k to get the car and then about $2k in some catch up maintenance that I'm sure all of them need outside of ones owned by enthusiasts. I've got enough room to stockpile some parts since I'm single and own my own house.

[Beardo]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ctd/2485600737.html and i think this is the specific one the friend of a friend was telling me about. dont remember the name of the dealership he was working at though.

[OwnerCS]

It looks nice. I bet you could make a sweet deal for cash.. I think we have one or two members in the Seattle area.

[Beardo]

So I checked out the 96. It was alright, but felt slower than my 91 was and just didn't scream buy me.

Found another couple of interesting ones I was hoping I could get an opinion on.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/2521608787.html 85k miles and white interior (which is a big plus for me) but one of the cylinders is not firing. Any common cause for that?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/2514697908.html is the other one, I wasn't originally even considering a 90-93, but would a new motor typically mean the chain guide issue was addressed?

[maxnix]

Offer them $1.5K after you have diagnosed the cylinder problem.

[goody90q45]

.....Found another couple of interesting ones I was hoping I could get an opinion on.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/2521608787.html 85k miles and white interior (which is a big plus for me) but one of the cylinders is not firing. Any common cause for that?

This one looks like a nice Q. I'll bet you a buck that the only thing wrong with the cylinder is a dead injector. Other than that, the couple of repairs it needs are cheap and it has low mileage.

Bring a voltmeter with you when you look at it and ohm test the injectors yourself. All 8 FI are tested from one connector on the passenger side of the plenum and it will take less than 5 minutes. If you're lucky it will be #1, #2 or #8 that's dead and you can replace the FI without removing the intake.

[Beardo]

Thanks for the input. It's about an hour away, so I asked the guy if he could try it out since it looks easy. Hopefully he doesn't think he can increase the price if that is the fix. Assuming that is the issue, what do you think would be the fair value on it, assuming everything else is functioning.

[goody90q45]

A shop is probably going to charge 6-8 hours labor to replace 1 injector. They cost about $200 new from the stealership, $100-150 for aftermarket new, $60-80 for used, cleaned and tested, and $20-40 used in the parts forum. Injectors that have been replaced will usually have a different color plastic top so with a flashlight you can see how many have been replaced to get an idea of how many you may need to eventually replace.

If any of the injectors ohm out of spec I think $1500-2000 is a fair price. If one or both of the knock sensors ohm out of spec you're looking at close to $1000 with a few hose replacements to have the work done. More important is how the transmission shifts and the color of the fluid. Ask for maintenance receipts and hopefully you can verify that the car has been well taken care of.

[Infinitiguy19]

Thanks for the input. It's about an hour away, so I asked the guy if he could try it out since it looks easy. Hopefully he doesn't think he can increase the price if that is the fix. Assuming that is the issue, what do you think would be the fair value on it, assuming everything else is functioning.

If he fixes the problem because you told him what it may be I don't see why he can't raise the price because of your help. Its is a running (On all 8 cylinders) car. Thats why if your buying a used car for a daily driver or parts its best to say as little as you can. The latter usually work very well in life.

I am currently thinking about getting a 1991-1992 Q45 and stripping it dry. It runs and drives and the guy bought it to replace the broken engine (70K) on a 1990 Q45 with a silver exterior and the rare blue interior.

[Beardo]

Thanks for the input. It's about an hour away, so I asked the guy if he could try it out since it looks easy. Hopefully he doesn't think he can increase the price if that is the fix. Assuming that is the issue, what do you think would be the fair value on it, assuming everything else is functioning.

If he fixes the problem because you told him what it may be I don't see why he can't raise the price because of your help. Its is a running (On all 8 cylinders) car. Thats why if your buying a used car for a daily driver or parts its best to say as little as you can. The latter usually work very well in life.

I am currently thinking about getting a 1991-1992 Q45 and stripping it dry. It runs and drives and the guy bought it to replace the broken engine (70K) on a 1990 Q45 with a silver exterior and the rare blue interior.

Typically I wouldn't spill the beans on something like this, but finding the truth before buying it or making a long trip to do so is worth the possibility. The guy did get back to me today, injector 8 is bad (no signal) and 3 was getting a poor signal. He has provided me a bunch of info on the maintenance records, one thing concerning is it doesn't appear the transmission fluid has ever been changed, though he said its possible it was done at a oil change type place and that record was just misplaced. Good news is injectors 1, 5 and 7 are newish and the knock sensors work fine.

Based on that, I am thinking an offer of about $2k would be reasonable if everything else checks out. Since its been about 5 years and I've gone through a number of cars since then, how hard is it to remove the plenum on these again? I remember some of the maintenance i did was a real PITA, but can't remember if it was the injectors or what.

[OwnerCS]

Here's a thread on plenum removal to give an idea below.

post4015619.html?hilit=plenum%20removal ... d#p4015619

[LEMHEAD16]

Buy my Q of doom.

[jonsey007]

Heres mine if your are interested, I'm just down I-5
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/2541583775.html

Sam
360-566-7476