What do you think of used Infinity vehicles?

July 6, 2007 10:52 AM

Would I be making a mistake or a great choice to buy a 2002 Inifinity I35 that I only plan to keep and finance for 36 months?

I am considering the purchase of a 2002 Infinity I35 with about 75k miles. Does anyone have any experience with this make/model? Are they expensive to maintain? Lots of problems or relatively few compared to other vehicles you've owned?

I only plan to finace and own it for 3 years (36 months) and then trade in for something else, so my only wish is that I only have to pay for minor repairs in the 3 years I own it - perhaps less than $500/yr. I drive about 15k miles a year, so it will be a little over 105k miles when I get rid of it.

I've only seen really good reviews of this brand, so I'm a bit skeptical.

Your opinions and experiences are appreciated.

posted by jspierre to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

They are great cars. My dad had the first Q45 (which he bought used) and it was smooth as silk, no problems. They're made by Nissan and they do have a very good quality rating. You're usually getting a great deal when you buy these luxury brands because they depreciate so much. I'd say pull Carfax on it, have a mechanic check it out, and then go for it.
posted by mattholomew at 11:35 AM on July 6, 2007

Not exactly on track with this post, but I leased a used Lexus in 2001. It was a 1998 LS400 - best car I ever owned, and a "deal" sort of. Originally a 50k car, my "price" was 35k, with 20k residual value, so I really only paid $15k over 3 years plus finance charges (yes I know it's a lease so money factor, etc).

I probably should have bought it at the end of the lease - I haven't been happy with any other car since.

Back to my point - I think used Luxury cars are the way to go.
posted by thilmony at 12:05 PM on July 6, 2007

I have a QX4 and I love it to pieces. It has nearly 100K miles on it without a repair beyond normal maintenance. I look forward to driving it for another few years - no car payment, no repair bills. Woo Hoo!

The only downside is that it uses the expensive gas and a whole lot of it. I think most of the Infiniti's use the premium gas. If gas economy is a big issue for you, then you should look into that.
posted by 26.2 at 12:10 PM on July 6, 2007

I've got 65K on my G35 and it's not had a single problem yet.
posted by forallmankind at 1:22 PM on July 6, 2007

My personal experience with Nissan/Infiniti products post-2000 is mediocre, but 2000 and earlier is pretty darn good.

It should not surprise you to learn that the first post-Ghosn products started coming out near the end of 2000, and in full force starting in 2001. So there was a transition from overpriced but reliable suppliers to cheaper suppliers with no history of working with the company, and cost-cutting measures designed to get the company back in the black in the short term (which is why 2000 models have door lock cylinders on both passenger doors, but most 2001+ models only have 'em on the driver's side.)

That doesn't mean they were horribly unreliable, but stories of low- and high-end cars needing engine replacements (under warranty) were not uncommon (my 2004 SE-R Spec V got a new engine at 8,000 miles, and my buddy's 2001 350Z got a new engine around the same time; neither of us were abusing the cars, it was a known intake manifold design problem.)

Still, if it's lasted this long (and has no track record of engine replacements and whatnot) it should be fine.
posted by davejay at 2:35 PM on July 6, 2007