Hiya

G35 ('04 Sedan 6MT) owner here, but my mom is considering a 2002 Q45 with the "sport package" and I'm going to have a look at it on the weekend. It's in Canada but it's a US model imported from Texas. 88,000 miles. There are actually two Q45s for sale locally - The other one has 85,000 more miles and needs a new side-view mirror and front bumper cover, so I'm trying to steer her away from that one.

A little background - my mom just turned 80, and her previous car was one she loved because it was roomy and comfortable. It was a Buick Park Avenue - big, ugly American sedan from the late 1980s. We couldn't convince her to get rid of it, but it finally died last week. Sh's not interested in another American car (thank goodness).

So she's considering a Japanese luxury sedan. We're going to look at the two Qs, a Lexus ES400, and a nice '03 G35 coupe. The G is a bit out of her price-range so it's only an option if the owner will move on the price a bit. I would prefer she get the G because I am familiar with them and it's not as rare as the Q45, but she won't let me pay for any of the purchase - it has to be her money or not at all.

I think the Texas Q45 is going to win-out once she's driven it.

What should I be looking for as far as problem areas? I've done a bit of research here and on Edmunds, but I can't find any real concerns except for the oil consumption and the price of tires.

totally by chance today i saw a Q45 in a parking lot and talked to the owner a bit. he says he's owned it for 7 years and has never had a serious problem. He says the only real issue is that if it needs parts nobody stocks them and they have to be shipped in. I know from having a Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 that sometimes a backordered part can take 4-6 weeks.

Any advice from you experts?

 

What about a G sedan?

 

that VK45 motor did have some oil burning issues, much like how the VQ35 did on our cars. Its hit or miss really.

Aside from that its a solid car with the issues you mention about the parts. Also look into 03-04 M45 as well, they are long boats with the same motor but they are decent cars.

With your mother being 80 this could be the last car buy she ever makes, let her buy whatever the hell she wants tho.

 

That's exactly right. It *will* be her last car. As long as the old bird is happy.

As a matter of fact, she got into a small accident last year and has to do her driving test in December, so it's possible (but not likely) she may not drive after that. But I really need her to move into a car with abs and airbags, and some serious steel around it.

And in any event, it's pretty likely this car is going to end up being mine at some point.

As far as "why not a G sedan, M45, etc..." there aren't any for sale locally at the moment, and she needs to buy fairly quickly. I would rather she buy a G.

 

Well, trigger pulled. It was the first car she looked at and she loved it. I wanted her to pick something a bit newer and not quite so rare, but the Q won the day. Basically because the seats are soft and it's black

It's a 2002 "Sport" model, black on black. One-owner SoCal car. 80,000 miles, totally clean CarFax. Service book for everything. Very well taken care of. Will soon need sway bar end links, and a tranny fluid change but that's all I could find following a 2-hour on-hoist inspection.

I can't really sense any difference in suspension/steering with the different settings, but I guess I might if I really pushed its limits.

It's a pretty nice car, gotta say. Maybe too much car for my octogenarian mom, but she used to race motorcycles, so maybe not.

one question - anyone else have issues with the trunk lid not staying up? Is that what it was like new, or are the jacks just worn-out?

 

Pics please! I like those Qs.

 

I didn't pick it up until after dark, and she's coming down to get it while I'm at work tomorrow. So no pics at this point. maybe later.

it's exactly like the one in this photo. Same wheels, etc.

 

Nice car. You sure don't see those around as much. Hard to beleive they still had that model around til 2006. I wonder how many they sold? 100?

 

I had mom's car for the day while she was getting cataract surgery. Here it is.

Not clean after a 50 mile drive in the rain, but here it is. Pretty nice, I have to say! One owner, very good condition inside and out, with a service book with every possible thing - even windshield wipers and detailing - being done by the dealer.

But I hate, hate, hate the centre multi-console. Everything is integrated in one screen, so ti's not possible to upgrade the head-unit without all kinds of mods to the climate control, navigation, etc.