What car does your Q45 often get mistaken for?

[98_Q45]

I get this most everytime I go to a mechanic or auto parts store. Or even at gas stations. Guys never know what I'm driving. It's Kinda funny because that's the whole point: to throw people off and not have the same Ford fusion/Honda civic/Chevy f150 that everybody has (don’t get me wrong, the Ford Fusion Titanium (has to be titanium, or you’re missing out) is an impressive car...I put 8,000 miles on one a few years ago lol.)

Most times, I've gotten confused for a Lexus. But today, I felt wholeheartedly insulted when a couple guys at auto parts store were trying to guess if it was a Daewoo or Mitsubishi (granted Mitsubishi did make a lot of electrical parts for infiniti).

I had to correct them, ever so politely: it's an Infiniti. The design is more tailored to the BMW and Mercedes style. Ain't nothing Daewoo or Mitsubishi about it lol. Even though I have seen some like I think there's a Kia or Hyundai that copies the prison grill style...but it's not the same.

I be like, y'all better recognize when you see this Q45 pull up lol. It's actually pretty similar in style to the Rolls Royce Silver Spur in my opinion:

[raven69david]

Nissan Sentra

[PalmerWMD]

Back in the day when I had one it was Lexus, BMW or Crown Vic.

[raven69david]

Q45.jpeg (72.46 KiB) Viewed 1450 times

My "Sentra"

[MowgliCSM]

Always a Mercedes. I have the JDM hood ornament so I guess to people who don't know cars, that means Benz.

[98_Q45]

Always a Mercedes. I have the JDM hood ornament so I guess to people who don't know cars, that means Benz.

Lol, yours definitely looks like a Benz...What country are you in? I ask because I see a lot of the German lettered front plates. Idk if yours is actual Asian or for decoration lol. Can’t do that in front plate-states (me).

It’s the prison cell grill that just really makes an entrance. Obviously in the 90s, the biggest grill you can get was a navigator or Escalade. But even now, I still feel the Q has a fairly impressive grill.

And if anyone hasn’t polished their headlights, that also makes a big difference. I usually replace them with aftermarkets, but have had no luck finding. Fortunately my OEMs aren’t too bad from a distance. Meguirs plastiX does a good job without scratching or stripping.

[98_Q45]

Back in the day when I had one it was Lexus, BMW or Crown Vic.

Gack, definitely not crown Vic and definitely not Sentra, eww lol. Even though, I did use to think of it as a Japanese Lincoln Car. But whenever I see those on the road, their not the same. I have seen some Altimas with identical body as the M45.

Whenever I go salvage yard hunting, I’ve looked at the engines of Mercedes and BMW, and Q45 had it very similar. That’s why the first time I seen one in a junkyard before I had one, I was like WTF kinda infiniti is THIS lol. (I have the maxima and usually look for i30 parts, in fact my whole interior has been switched to i30 except the dashboard.)

I was always like, I’ll never get a q45 because it has a fan belt, forward engine, and RWD isn’t good in snow. But turns out having a forward facing engine is a good thing (trying to get a water pump and power steering belt off the 97 Maxima is a PITA). And RWD is actually more stable when braking in the snow, versus FWD that tends to swing. Downside is, if your rear tires/shocks/bushings aren’t up to par, RWD in snow will be a frightening trip lol.

[EdBwoy]

2002 and 2003 Q45
I get a lot of "what is that?" There's no confusion with anything else. They charted their own path and were pretty curvy for the day and no car on the road today looks like them.
I suppose I can see the soft edges like on a 2000s Sentra...only because someone mentioned it here.

2001 Q45t with the raccoon eyes
It was confused for an Infiniti i30 from the front; and from the side, an 80s/early 90s Benz or Bimmer.
I thought the non touring models did really look like i30s with Grand Marquis wheels

[MowgliCSM]

Lol, yours definitely looks like a Benz...What country are you in? I ask because I see a lot of the German lettered front plates. Idk if yours is actual Asian or for decoration lol. Can’t do that in front plate-states (me).

I am in South Carolina. No front plate required here. It's not a real Japanese plate. I wanted one of the illuminated ones, but didn't want to pay the JDM tax.

[Q451990]

The early Qs used to get confused with the Crown Vic of the same era, mostly at night based on the shape of the headlights. It was useful if they'd move out of the way, but sometimes they'd just slow down and creep along in front - presumably chanting the "please no lights" prayer.

[98_Q45]

The early Qs used to get confused with the Crown Vic of the same era, mostly at night based on the shape of the headlights. It was useful if they'd move out of the way, but sometimes they'd just slow down and creep along in front - presumably chanting the "please no lights" prayer

Ahhh, I never noticed that! And the headlight shape does resemble, even on the 97-98’s. That’s the one thing that doesn’t stand out with this car, was the headlight design. I mean, they look real nice when cleaned up and de-fogged, but at night they do look a little subtle. Sometimes I’ll turn on my fog lights to make it stand out a little more.


Oh...and I went to a different auto parts store the other day in my Maxima, and the clerk asked if I got a different car. He was like, didn’t you have like a BMW, or some kinda Lexus or Mercedes or something. I’m like, yeah it’s Infiniti my other car lol.

[98_Q45]

2002 and 2003 Q45
I get a lot of "what is that?" There's no confusion with anything else. They charted their own path and were pretty curvy for the day and no car on the road today looks like them.
I suppose I can see the soft edges like on a 2000s Sentra...only because someone mentioned it here.

2001 Q45t with the raccoon eyes
It was confused for an Infiniti i30 from the front; and from the side, an 80s/early 90s Benz or Bimmer.
I thought the non touring models did really look like i30s with Grand Marquis wheels

I still can’t see how anyone would confuse the 02’s with a Sentra. Sentras are quite small. I think Infiniti was going for the frog eyed look of Benz at the time, but the overall body shape gave it a different appearance

Yeah my grandma had got the 2001-03 i30 when it was new. When she first got it, it was something else. What’s funny is, the 97-01 q45s actually resembled the new 2000s i30 in the front.

I kinda feel like the i30 dashboard interior, is a little bit nicer than what the Q got.