True cost of a Q45?

Just a quick question, can anyone tell me the true cost of owning an older Q45?
How are are the parts to find/how expensive are they generally for maintenance?
Is it feasible to own one as a DD and only car i.e. if something goes wrong with it am I going to be waiting 2 months for a part or are they readily available?

The reason I ask is I'm pretty much set on selling the E class I have now for a true platform car as well as everything on a Mercedes seems to be priced 3x-4x more then it should simply because its a Mercedes.  Its between an early model GS or a early model Q45, I would really love the Q45 but this will be my DD and I can't afford to have it be sitting around 2-3 months every time I need to do a maintenance or repair something as it will be my only car. I know the Lexus parts aren't hard to come by or overly expensive.

As much as I love the Q45 there really isn't any point in getting one if it's going to put me in the same situation as the benz but with a different car ya know?

Any advice would be appericated and thanks for your time.


P.S. yes I am looking at the Q45 in the for sale section, I just wanna make sure I can afford to drive it before making the decision =)

If you're looking at a Y33 Q (2nd gen) they're extremely reliable cars, parts are readily available online and at local dealerships.  Parts sometimes cost more cause it's Infiniti, but they're not priced like Benz / BMW parts.  everythinginfiniti.com (Scottsdale Infiniti) will be your friend if you do get one, air filters, cabin air filters, are like 1/2 the cost of local dealers, even with shipping, and all their parts are typically a good 30% less than local dealers.  Unless you already live in Scottsdale.

when you say early model do you mean like 94 or like 2000?

94ish Really looking into the Y33's

A  million dollars!

No, the only cost I have gotten during my one year of ownership is the oil changes. I have just had to replace my tires. And I might need to do rotors and an EGR valve. Nothing major yet!

So I would say not that bad as long as you don't beat on it.

94'ish really depends on the owner and the vehicle, not all vehicles have the same problems

G50's have issues with the fuel pump, leaky valve cover gaskets, and bushings.
All which can be purchased (as stated) from Scottsdale Infiniti. Good peoples over there too. Motor wise, if you take care of the vehicle they can be very solid. My 94 is pushing 200k miles on it. and I have never had to fix anything motor wise.
I personally have replaced.
Fuel pump (and re-inforced FPCU)
Brake Booster
TC Rod Bushings
Hood Dampers
Sun roof switch (plastic broke)
AC condenser fan.
Valve cover gaskets (both).
The chassi is falling apart more than the motor at this point. heheheh

But so you know, 
G50=90-96
Y33=97-01?

Welcome to the forums and keep up the g50.

I meant 97 not 94 my bad

yeah the Y33 went to 2001

I've found that parts are harder to find than similar vehicles, like the LS400. Having had both, the Y33 has a higher cost and more difficult availability of local parts so you do end up buying most parts online and waiting for them to arrive. You can buy shocks from anywhere for a Lexus, but there is no aftermarket manufacturer of Y33 shocks in the united states - think I'm joking? Call Napa, Autozone, Kragen, Pep Boys, Sears... nobody has them, dealer item only. I had to buy mine from Japan because running stock shocks with lowered coils is a bad idea. Coilovers? Double the price of the LS400 because the spindle is incorporated into the strut itself. Some coilovers dont allow the ABS sensor so you get a christmas tree of lights on your dash. This is just one example, but you get the idea. The Y33 didnt sell nearly as well as the LS400 so US manufacturers didnt bother making replacement parts on some items, they are dealer only and thats more expensive, albeit more reliable. That said, the car is dependable when maintained correctly, and I believe its exclusivity makes it more desirable because when I had my LS400 everyone would comment "nice Lexus", but drive the Q45 and people come up and say "thats a cool car, what is it, I've never seen one of those before", I believe mostly because its shaved of emblems & the Cima grille has a Nissan logo. The one thing I dont like is the Y33 has noticably less headroom, so I have to sell mine and will be going to a LS430 next, my tall ass just doesnt fit comfortably in the Y33 even though I like it a lot better.

I don't get your height thing, I'm 6'2 and have no issues at all, I have at least a good 2" above my head to the roof, and I don't "gangsta lean" when I drive.

I beat up my Q, I push it hard, fast acceleration all the time and I love seeing how well mine handles w/ the suspension, tires and brake system I have. Maybe cause I've hardly had to replace anything, but I haven't ever had a problem getting parts. 

4.5 years ownership, bought with 76k, now with 108k:
2 O2 sens' (1 for each side, only 1 was out, but always best to change in pairs)
1 alternator
1 spark plugs
1 valve cover gaskets
1 MAP/BAR switch (CA models only)
1 Fuel filter (as part of 90k service)

I plan to have it another 5 years, no reason to dump it and loose money, I'll just get something else eventually and still have the Q.

It cost me about 100,500,000$ and my soul...but really it's not that bad if you get one that has been taken care of , it's just reqular up keep

[QUOTE=F.L.S.;199554]I don't get your height thing, I'm 6'2 and have no issues at all, I have at least a good 2" above my head to the roof, and I don't "gangsta lean" when I drive.

I beat up my Q, I push it hard, fast acceleration all the time and I love seeing how well mine handles w/ the suspension, tires and brake system I have. Maybe cause I've hardly had to replace anything, but I haven't ever had a problem getting parts. 

4.5 years ownership, bought with 76k, now with 108k:
2 O2 sens' (1 for each side, only 1 was out, but always best to change in pairs)
1 alternator
1 spark plugs
1 valve cover gaskets
1 MAP/BAR switch (CA models only)
1 Fuel filter (as part of 90k service)

I plan to have it another 5 years, no reason to dump it and loose money, I'll just get something else eventually and still have the Q.[/QUOTE]

wow only 30k in 4.5 years

i did that in like 1.5.............obviously i drive too much.

Yeah, I drive mostly local. I did a nice run to a vendor today though, about 50 miles each way. It's nice to take her out, and let her run at 85-90 for a good 45 minutes straight though.  This car is made for high speed road trips :biggthumpup:

honestly it will be harder to build an older Q45 (if you care about oem or better performance) than a newer one.

Same can be said of any car.  Main thing is if you can find one with relatively low miles, documented maintenance history and owned by an older person (90% of them were owned by older people from new) than you should be Ok.  But I would never buy one with over 100k, so that makes the search much harder.  Even though w/ 108k on mine it's still mint, at least I got it w/ only 76k, from an Infiniti dealership, and not only that, the original Infiniti dealer that sold the car new, & I have the service history print out from them, plus CarFax, so I knew my cars history.

I bought mine at 117k, sight unseen. Was a hell of a gamble, but some of these vehicles are not easy to find. Mine being a black on black touring with almost every option, I couldn't sleep on it. I currently have 127k on it and it is still running just like when I got it.

I have replaced the battery, tires, alignment next week as well as an EGR valve. Thats it.

Treat it good and it will treat you good.

maintenance im not sure about, but finding a older one, 92? ish, that one is cheap, as for finding parts, i was going to import a whole president over and transfer all the stuff over. bam! u got a president