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First automatic. First V8. (Infiniti Content Within)

18K views 147 replies 56 participants last post by  16volt 
#1 · (Edited)
After all the wonderful feedback I received from the Car Lounge experts, I sold my Allroad at the beginning of January.
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I know you are just going to scroll to the pics so, get on with it.
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Or, I sold the Allroad because frankly I was bored with it and someone offered me a grand less than I paid for it 5yrs ago. The proceeds went to pay down some 930 'expenses' and that was pretty much it. I pressed E24 into daily driver duties. The BMW wears more hats than any car setup the way it is has a right to. That being said, the daily slog in traffic and stoplight to stoplight are not her favorite things. And by proxy, not mine either. Naturally, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a C63. It checked all my boxes for a daily driver.

1. Air conditioning.
2. Automatic.

Kismet. Having stalked C/E63 prices for as long I have 04 Mustang Cobras I knew I was picking a bad time. Over the last 3 years the 2011 up refreshed models have held if not increased in value, not to mention P31 package cars. Pre-refresh cars however continue to depreciate, albeit slowly. But the head bolt issue and 'meh' interior are a let down.

Being a wise, responsible and thrifty adult I plugged a maximum of 3K dollars price into craigslist......ugh.

The one bright ray was a very clean 'detectives' Crown Vic, the old lady however was not going to be swayed on its merits. It went something like this:

Me: Hey, this checks all the boxes. Cheap, dog friendly, automatic, AC.
Her: I am really digging deep right now to find my sense of humor.

So the bench racing/search continued. I hunted 2nd gen Toyota Pre-Runners and Tacoma 4x4s for awhile but they are our generation's VW Cabriolet, totally insane resale value. Granted, they are worth it but still. I carpool sometimes with a friend who has a 2014 VW Golf/Rabbit TDI with a DSG box. I really enjoy driving it, that is a fantastic motor and a decent gearbox. But again, expensive for what you are getting in my opinion. After a chance sighting on the way to work one day I ended up thinking about Infiniti's. I remember ages ago my Mom borrowing a friends J30 and I loved it (long before I knew anything about anything). The car I spotted was a 2nd gen M45 Sport. After some searching I found one I liked, however it was $16K, at a dealership and after a test drive....beat. I bookmarked the idea until Monday of last week when I ran across another.

A test drive and a small amount of negotiation and I brought home a 99% loaded (no rear wheel steer) 2006 M45 Sport with 128K miles for $10k. There are cheaper examples but they are either base cars or beat. This car is pretty clean for the money, thus far its been allot of fun.

IMG_1792.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1793.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

I havent done much yet but the leather was pretty tired/dirty.

IMG_1794.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1796.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

Figured I would give the steam cleaner I bought to clean the 930 motor another shot at redemption today. I have to say....holy mother of god. It annihilated 10years, gallons of Armo-all and two kids worth of stains/grim without skipping a beat. Never again will I clean leather with anything else. The pics really do not do it justice.

Cleaned but untreated
IMG_20160508_154944 by Shannon, on Flickr

Treated -

IMG_1820.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1821.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1823.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1830.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1828.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

A more sober/accurate review will be forth coming. Till then....

IMG_1825.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr
 
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#35 ·
Love these. Great value at this point.
Last car I bought a ticket in was a rental M35. :what:

This is a sharp color combination. I was expecting gray with that exterior color, than brown really looks good. :thumbup:
 
#51 ·
Surprisingly well. It isn't a touch screen.
My dad has a M35X with like 200k mi that he bough new, and it is a damn good car. They drive pretty well and other than the driver's seat having some issues, it has been pretty solid. He'll probably pickup a junkyard seat motor at some point as anything that isn't from a Nissan on these cars gets pricey. Very well built.
Shocks are expensive as **** on the AWD version as there are no aftermarket versions though.

edit: That one isn't 99% loaded. It is also missing the fancy ass rear seat option.
 
#50 ·
I had a 2007 M45- kept it for 60k. Great car, no issues. Only items missing were a 6th gear for highway cruising and self leveling rear suspension. While M35 is a great car as well, the V8 makes a ton more torque, is considerably smoother and sounds better and for that you give up a few mpg. Several road trips over 1500 miles to NM and back, just wish it had a taller final drive or a 6th gear. Almost bought a 2010 V6 with the 7 speed and updated vq, they were tough to find. In the end just couldn't give up the v8,
Great rig. Congrats.
 
#66 ·
And no pics yet (because its stupid) but I got the sport badge (that later cars had) and put it on. First mod done. Remember when listing every single thing in your signature was thing? The people who used to list oil brands/weight etc, I am old.
 
#68 ·
The stock brakes are meh. The PO recently did pads but I think it needs discs in the front, little warpage. I have looked at those G37S upgrade kits, there are a couple reviews on them and people seem pleased. No one however is saying 'wow'.

In mixed, probably more city and traffic driving, it thinks its getting 19mpg. I think thats optimistic.
 
#75 ·
Sweet choice. I was thinking about a V8 Infiniti but I have a thing for the slightly older version of yours...



..but I haven't found an example I liked yet. But as usual I'll follow your thread to see how it goes 👍🏽
It really is a pretty sweet motor, at least in my guise. There are a few Y45's (look how JDM I am bro!) for sale around here. It's sort of like a Japanese ur-S4.
 
#79 ·
Spent a couple of hours on the M today. The engine bay was really bugging me.

IMG_1885.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1886.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1887.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

Not bad for 130K but not great either.

I think I found the vaguely funky smell when first kicking the AC on. I am sure it needs a cabin filter but this probably isnt helping.

IMG_1889.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1893.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

Someone is missing a shoelace and a Little Ceasers wrapper etc.

Off came 90% of the plastic, I was too tired to deal with the rain tray piece.

IMG_1894.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1895.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

A bunch of vacuuming, scrubbing etc later...

IMG_1897.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1898.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1899.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

And some steel wool and Aerospace 303 later....

IMG_1900.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1901.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1905.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

IMG_1907.jpg by Shannon, on Flickr

Next up is a bunch of random maintenance items.
 
#81 ·
I didn't cover anything since I just used the hose and not the pressure washer. The plastics and rubber I scrubbed and then finished with Aerospace 303, which I am really coming to like. Im curious to see how it holds up and how it is with dust.

 
#83 ·
Looks good, sir.

FYI, I just ordered some of this:



And, assuming I can get the Box functional again, I'd be down to try it out. It's allegedly an all in one product that does a nice job.
Youre welcome to my driveway and verbal support.
 
#86 ·
as a jeep owner, I should purchase stock in 303. I love the stuff, although I find it to be a touch too shiny on certain plastics. I think it holds up and protects very well and only wish it was a bit cheaper. A little goes a long way, but I have a loooong way to go on the JKU :)
 
#93 ·
wow amazing work... jealous of all you detailer types, where does one even get started with that? also, no steam cleaner under the hood? is it possible to speed that cleaning along using the steam cleaner?
I thought about it but the cleaner I have doesnt make allot of pressure so its not really suited to it.

wanna come to portland and clean up a w124 :p
wanna come to seattle and I will help you clean up your w124?
 
#96 ·
Forgot to mention I took care of another big annoyance.
I wonder if the PO used to use a lot of hand lotion. That tends to wear labels prematurely, and it's not like that's a high-use item.

I do wonder how easy it'd be to retrofit ass vents from the M into my car. I really wish it had them. The switch size looks to be the same as my seat heater switches, and I could probably wire up some CPU cooling fans under the seats... hmmm. That might just be a bit too ghetto though, even for my car. :laugh:

I've never steamed leather before, but the passenger seat base is a bit flat/rough looking. Would that help?
 
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