1994 Infiniti Q45 a 4.5L DOHC variable value timing from North America

Summary:

The pinnacle of Japanese luxury sport sedans

Faults:

All I've had to due to date is preventive maintenance things: belts, fan/fan clutch, water pump, and brakes.

General Comments:

I found this gem for $750. One owner, all service records from dealer. Working and healthy active suspension. I was going to buy it as a beater because my G35 got totaled. There was no picture on the advertisement, so thought it would be beat up and only get me through a few months. Once I saw it I paid the money before even starting it up. I know that this is a rare find in this condition, but if these cars have been properly maintained, they are great and reliable transport. If they haven't, they are money pits. Especially the active suspension models.

I have one issue with this car and that is that my local Infiniti dealer doesn't have equipment to diagnose and is unwilling to maintain a car this old. Luckily we have a local shop who was trained by Mr.K himself.

I would say this is not a car for everyone. The lack of cupholders bothers me. Also as others have said, parts can be hard to find. I wouldn't buy this car if I was a student or on a tight budget. I do believe that this is a future classic that will be lusted after in about 10 years and classic car auctions. It's so overbuilt and was way before its time. The active suspension is the most advanced suspension put into a mass-production car.

I love this car and it will run forever with proper maintenance.

The trans can be a bit touchy; I had a inline trans cooler added to mine and I would recommend anyone living in a warmer climate do the same.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st November, 2016

1994 Infiniti Q45 4.5 DOHC V8 VH45DE from North America

Summary:

Best car ever built by Nissan, bar none

Faults:

All age related and all broken when I bought it. It has been dead reliable since.

- Fuel pump (I installed an aftermarket unit and bypassed the fuel pump controller).

- #2 fuel injector.

- Replaced kingpin bearings, brake hoses, and upper control arm bushings.

- Replaced tension compression bushings.

- New thermostat.

- New alternator.

- New water pump.

- New tires.

- Passenger side window regulator.

- Ash tray assembly.

General Comments:

Best deal ever for $800.

I have about $1800 in it so far since I do all my own work.

I prefer driving this to my newer car; it's that nice.

Very solidly built car, if not the best car ever built; certainly the best car Nissan ever built.

Weighs over 4,000 lbs, but you would never know it. It's like Nissan bought a fullsize American sedan from the 60's and did a modern take on it; it has that anvil-like solidity, you feel as if you could drive through a brick wall and not even slow down. Yet it drives and handles like a modern car.

The engine (OMG that engine!) so smooth, powerful, and aurally pleasing.

When I bought it, it was running on 7 cylinders and was still smooth enough you could barely feel it running.

A muscle car in a business suit.

My only dislikes are the automatic trans (works well but I hate automatics), and the front seats are too hard.

Did I mention how well-built it is?

Despite Nissan only selling about 58,000 of these from 1990-1996, I still see them on the road.

Interior shows hardly any wear, looks like a 5-10 year old car.

Paint is amazing, still looks new. This is not a fluke, I have yet to see one of these with bad paint... Nissan built these to last.

This car has zero rust. In fact, I have yet to see one of these with terminal rust. Possibly one of the most rust-resistant cars ever made.

I plan to keep it and see how long it lasts.

I had one years ago, same color and trim, and regret getting rid of it. This one is the replacement.

Highly recommend getting one while you still can; there can't be many left, as these have got to be the most under appreciated cars ever made, and people really don't care about them.

Upside is you can find a nice one dirt cheap.

Only drawback is parts are hard to find.

As a mechanic, it is my personal opinion that this car could easily last 50 years with proper repair and maintenance, it is that well built.

Has no rattles or squeaks, and despite the weather strips starting to shrink with age, it's still a very, very quiet car. It makes my Buick Roadmaster seem like a noisy car. This is despite me making the exhaust loud by straight piping it (still have cats and resonators); it is now loud outside, but still tomb quiet inside.

I am eventually convert it to a manual transmission and make it into the Japanese BMW it was always meant to be.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th January, 2016