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Infiniti Q45
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Comments
97 and 98 Q's are great cars and can be had at a teriffic price. Only weakness is how much better the 2002 is than the previous generation. 28 definatly sounds a bit strong for a '97.
I'm interested in a 1997 regular black sedan, with 50k that a local Toyota dealer purchased at an Infinite auction several states away. The in is jnkby31a6vm304023. I would very much appreciate any assistance folks could give me as to the service history of the car, in addition to any advice any of you may want to give. The dealer has been paying interest on it since October, and the price has dropped from 25k in Oct, to 19995 today. It has a few scratches, but otherwise seems in good condition. My ax is 515-292-7106. I really appreciate all the knowledge this club provides!
Mike
Thanks
Congrats on the new Q - that is one sharp car.
As for myself, I am considering a 98 Q45T (I think there's not much difference between 98 and 99 Q).
Can you tell me a little about your 99 Q? I am trying to decide between that and a Lexus.
Any comments would be useful.
Thanks.
Mike
At normal urban driving situations it feels like a silky, quiet luxo cruiser---even with it's sport suspension and 18 inch wheels. But, when you push it, it is just exhilerating! The engine is powerful and smooth. For a big car, it handles well too. I am also impressed by the fit and finish. The materials and details are flawless. As for the seemingly controversial looks, I like them. Most people are impressed with it. I have received much positive comment about the car....and most of the time it is people driving BMW's, Mercedes, and Jags that notice it.
I think Nissan has come a long way since the slump they were in several years ago. It will take a while for this new Q to get some traction and sell the units it is capable of.
The Lexus line up has the RX300 and the GS300/430. Infinity has the QX4 which I compare to the 4runner and small suv.
The Q and I30 and QX4 will do well, but Infinity needs to catch up with a car like suv and a smaller sedan to compete with the IS300.
I will consider the new Q as my next purchase as well as Lexus.
By the way, Lexus dealers also have good inventory of basic LS430's right now. There is also no shortage of 740's and XJ's in dealer lots this week. There are simply not many new buyers in this high-end market segment right now. That makes it even tougher for Infiniti. As good as the new car is, it will be hard for them to get conquest buyers from loyal owners of BMW's, Mercedes, and Lexus. They need new buyers, entering this market segment, who are intrigued by the new car and the value that it represents. There are not very many of them right now! Infiniti cannot avoid making deals if they want to get the car out on the road.
Why spend more on LS430 or 740IL when Q45 has all the latest bells and whistles for a whole lot less $$?
In my opinion, I think Lexus vehicles are grossly overpriced compared to their Japanese counterparts.
I would pick a BMW, Mercedes, Audi over the LS but will have to test drive the Q45..
As some have suggested, looking solely at price, the new Q45 compares very favorably to BMW or Mercedes. However, unless one commits up front to keeping the car for 10-12+ years, resale value has to be considered. One of my business associates just opted for a E-55, and claims that, in spite of a $72k price tag, it will have cost him less to own than his previous J30 when he sells it in 3-4 years (he liked the J30, it just killed him on resale).
I'll probably go for a 5-series for other reasons (my size preference, crisper handling, manual transmission), but I wonder how many other potential buyers would automatically write off the new Q based upon depreciation fears (especially in a "tighter" economy)?
I also had the 95 Maxima ES and it was a great car. Great acceleration that left both the Accord and the Camry far in its dust. Not to mention it looks a beck of a lot sexier.
Regarding Infiniti depreciation, you have a good point. I am now looking to buy a used Q45 (1998) and I have seen a lot of great deals. These cars originally sold for almost $50k and just 3 1/2 years later are selling for $23k. Good for me as a used car buyer, bad for the original owner. The same cannot be said for similar class Mercedes or BMW, which retain their value much better.
As much as I love my new Q, I cannot deny that depreciation might be a problem. Of course, I would also like to think that the new car, with its overwhelming content and performance edge, is a great value, and will develop an enthusiastic following. I also got a significant discount and did not start out by paying window sticker or more for mine. I also rationalized that I have a 2002 model that I will drive for 18 months before it takes a model year's depreciation in the Blue Book.
The fact is: the new car really is nice....It is hard to drive one and not appreciate it. One of my car enthusiast pals who owns a few exotics, including a Ferrari Mondial, and drives an M series BMW as his "daily driver", drove my car last night and was blown away. This is not the reaction people got from the last generation of Q45's.....although they are still nice cars and are great used car buys.
Catherine Heins is looking for people to interview who have switched from American to Japanese cars in the past few years-- especially folks who wouldn't have given a Toyota or Honda the time of day in the 1970s.
She's a business reporter at the Yomiuri Shimbun, which is the biggest daily paper in Japan with a circulation of 14 million. They are writing a feature story about Japanese automakers' continuing success in expanding production in the U.S. and snatching market share from the Big Three even on their former home turf of light trucks.
If you fit this description and are willing to be interviewed, please call her directly at 212-582-5827 or e-mail her at catheins@yahoo.com. As always, you can contact me at jfallon@edmunds.com if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
The Infiniti was given high marks for technological content, and judged competitive in ride and handling vs the others. Two small nits were having the cassette featured on the console instead of the CD changer, and the size of the trunk. The optional stereo got rave reviews, though.
Interestingly, the cars were not ranked against each other, but the seven journalists were asked which they would buy if it were "their money". Four selected the Benz, two the Audi, and one the Lexus. It was a little surprising since the Audi and Benz were not that strongly endorsed throughout the article.
Denny
Marketing a full size luxury vehicle based on it 0-60 time? I think Nissan/Infiniti should think more luxurious for a lower price and a little more conservative design.
We'll see how the Q does in the long run. But their ideas and their target audience don't seem to agree.
It's interesting because R&T recorded a 6.5 0-60 too. I think it must be something wrong with the gearing because the LS430 recorded a 6.4 and it weighs more and is a luxury car, not sport luxury.
It certainly can't claim to be more posh then the Lexus LS430, it's chief rival. But now that tests show that it's slower than the Lexus, which is supposed to be primarily a luxury car.. it's quite embarrasing to say the least. No wonder why the sales numbers are what they are.
Just when you think Infiniti has it all together... another blooper. It's really a shame because the Q45 is a very nice car that's packaged very, very nicely. But like my dad used to say, you better do what you say you can do, or else you lose your credibility.
Well, the new Z is claimed to have 0-60 time under 6 seconds as well...we'll see about that one too.
Road and Track would have tested the same pre-production vehicles that MT did so one would expect the same discrepency in the 0-60 times. Not that it really matters, because no one actually drives their $55,000 car in a way that produces drag race starts.
Infiniti is pushing the performance and handleing of this car because they are getting back to their roots as a performance first luxury second automaker.
I really like this car, but couldn't wait for Infiniti to get it to market and bought a competitor. I will say that the trunk is a big improvement over the previous models, but it's still fairly small for that category of car. Like the journalists in MT, I was also enamoured with the voice activation system. It should impress a lot of potential buyers...
Denny