1st gen. Q45 issues?

csieminski · 04-02-2002, 08:57 AM

I have a friend who is looking to buy an early '90-'93 (-'96) Q45. He has a $6,000 limit on price, but I believe some good Q45's are available for that amount. What are some of the common problems with these cars? How high are maintenance costs? With such a powerful V8, what kind of mileage can he expect?

Also, I know the '94's got a new grille and the addition of wood interior trim. Are there any other advantages/disadvantages to choosing one of these over an earlier model?

I greatly appreciate any input.

jpalm · 04-04-2002, 11:17 AM

Go to nissaninfinitiowners.com and look at the infiniti forum. It has search funtion to look up all the info you would need!

jeff

igor@af · 04-04-2002, 11:30 AM

We have a '94 in our family and it runs great, it now has almost 100k miles. We have never had any major problems whatsoever and all the tech still works very nicely. Even the leather is in mint condition.

The maintenance costs include just the usual stuff, tire rotation, oil change, etc. Nothing 'interesting' to talk about. So it's not expensive

Besides the grille, I do not think there is much difference between the '94 and the earlier models. What I have heard is that the 1st gen. actually accelerates a little bit faster.

Looks like '91 is the newest model he will be able to get with $6k -

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1991/inf...q45/index.html

But, since the '91 IS 3 years older than the '94 that we have, I really can not say much about it. If things do begin to break down, it will be pretty costly I imagine.

csieminski · 04-04-2002, 05:17 PM

Thanks both of you. He's also looking at 2nd gen. Legends, Mazda 626's, and Toyota Avalons/Camrys. The Q45 is his first choice though (would be mine too). I'll let you know how this turns out.

chiller670 · 04-06-2002, 02:30 AM

actually my friend has a 91 Q45 and he has fuel injector problems. The dealer at the auto show said that the earlier infinites fuel injectors weren't the best, they are going to cost him about 2 grand to replace about 4 i believe (other wise the car shakes like crazy).

wenneson · 08-07-2002, 08:14 PM

I've a '91 Q45, bought 3 years a go for $7500 at an auction with 138,000 miles.

It now has 179,000 miles and the engine and drivetrain still seem solid.

Repairs are expensive.

We've had the following issues:

Alternator failed, fuel pump failed, Radio failed, active suspension strut seal failed, (latest problem).

I suspect that after we deal with this latest issue, the car should be solid for another couple of years (most of the big stuff has already been replaced

Hope this helps.

Tom

reggiegsd · 08-08-2002, 04:37 PM

Here is the short list.

Do's
Do look for COMPLETE maintenance records.
Do look for a car with updated timing chain guides (on '90 through '93).
Do look for replaced transmission (on '90 through '92).
Do look for aftermarket transmission cooler.
Do budget $5000 the first year in maintenance and recovery costs.
Do budget $3000 per year in maintenance costs from second year on.

Don't's
DO NOT buy a "pig-in-a-poke". Have the car CHECKED OUT!!
DO NOT buy an Active Suspension car. Very expensive maintenance.
DO NOT expect an Accord or Maxima. This is a high end luxury car (equivalent to Lexus LS400 or BMW 740) and Nissan expected the owner to maintain it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my '94 Q with only minor problems. If you spend the time and search, you will be impressed with how much car your money will buy.

csieminski · 08-11-2002, 08:00 PM

Thanks all!

My friend has postponed his car purchase, and while I've always liked and thought of buying a Q45, I'm currently having horrendous maintenance experiences with my almost 300K mile '86 BMW 528e, so I'll probably look for maybe a Maxima or 1st gen. Acura Legend to replace it. Doesn't sound like I could afford to maintain a Q right now.

Thanks for all your comments and I'd love to read any more you may have. I'll take your thoughts to heart in case my situation changes!

2Q45 · 08-23-2003, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wenneson

I've a '91 Q45, bought 3 years a go for $7500 at an auction with 138,000 miles.

It now has 179,000 miles and the engine and drivetrain still seem solid.

Repairs are expensive.

We've had the following issues:

Alternator failed, fuel pump failed, Radio failed, active suspension strut seal failed, (latest problem).

I suspect that after we deal with this latest issue, the car should be solid for another couple of years (most of the big stuff has already been replaced

Hope this helps.

Tom

Hay Tom did your Active sus make a knocking noise and did the actsus light stay on?

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD