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Since some are tired of the American cars threads, here are some older imports... All of these were well-built cars when Japan was really cranking out quality, but some of these had their issues... LS400 had power steering leak woes (but otherwise bulletproof - I have owned two of these), Legend had head gasket issues, the Q45 had strange random issues and the 929 also had fuel and head gasket issues and was not as well put together on the inside as the others... lower quality materials, than the others, but were still good. Grandpa has a 1990 929....
Lexus LS400 (1990-94)
1990 shown
Acura Legend (1991-95)
1991 shown
Infiniti Q45 (1990-96)
1990 shown
Mazda 929 (1988-91)
1988 shown
since the Mazda was redesigned admist the middle of when these other designs were out, I am going to add the 1992 929 and list it to the choices...
My mom had a '92 Q45. That thing kicked serious ass back in the day. The day my parents brought that thing home was a huge revelation for them -- it substantially raised their automotive expectations (before then they thought Oldsmobiles were high-end cars) and it has shaped their car-buying decisions to this day. There was just nothing like it in its price range back then except the LS400. But the LS was tuned for more of a luxury ride while the Q45 had a more sporting suspension tune. It really was a sweet car back then. The Legend and 929 were solid, competent cars, but they weren't in the same league as the LS400 and the Q45.
My mom had a '92 Q45. That thing kicked serious ass back in the day. The day my parents brought that thing home was a huge revelation for them -- it substantially raised their expectations and it has affected their car-buying decisions ever since. There was just nothing like it in its price range back then except the LS400. But the LS was tuned for more of a luxury ride while the Q45 had a more sporting suspension tune. It really was a sweet car back then. The Legend and 929 were solid, competent cars, but they weren't in the same league as the LS400 and the Q45.
I agree. I have never been in a Q45, but they seem like nice cars. I have always wanted to drive one. I was passed by one the other day that was bouncing really bad... I guess the shocks were shot.
Yeah, the Legends IMO are in the same class as the Accord. I have owned a 1991 Accord and a 1992 Legend and imo, the Accord was as "well-built" as the Legend, which is not a bad thing, because the Accord was superb, but the Legend just seems like a big Accord to me and to be honest, my Accord had a better ride and a smoother transmission than my Legend. Strange I know.
Yeah, it's hard to find a 1st-gen Q45 that isn't whipped. And that's too bad because IMO it was the best generation of the Q. My FIL has a 2007 Q45 and while it's a nice car, it just isn't the same. It's not as tight, somehow -- more of a boulevard cruiser than a sport sedan. I guess the M45 aims for the more sporting market the original Q was aiming for.
I love early 90's *** cars. From my Maximas to my Accord. I know they're not the same as the LS400 or Q45. I would have to say Q45 for it's sporty feel. After all it was a fancy Nissan. I'm a die hard Nissan/honda guy.
Since some are tired of the American cars threads, here are some older imports... All of these were well-built cars when Japan was really cranking out quality, but some of these had their issues... LS400 had power steering leak woes (but otherwise bulletproof - I have owned two of these), Legend had head gasket issues, the Q45 had strange random issues and the 929 also had fuel and head gasket issues and was not as well put together on the inside as the others... lower quality materials, than the others, but were still good. Grandpa has a 1990 929....
Lexus LS400 (1990-94)
1990 shown
Acura Legend (1991-95)
1991 shown
Infiniti Q45 (1990-96)
1990 shown
Mazda 929 (1988-91)
1988 shown
since the Mazda was redesigned admist the middle of when these other designs were out, I am going to add the 1992 929 and list it to the choices...
Mazda 929 (1992-96)
1992 shown
Definitely the Lexus LS, I absolutely LOVE the first generation Lexus LS's, one of the nicest looking luxury sedans of the past 20 years
Yeah, mine has 223K and still runs like new! Dont leak or burn any oil and the transmission shifts flawlessly!
Here is a pic of mine....
it looks like the one I posted above
I took this of mine three weeks ago...
That is a really sweet car you have, does yours have leather interior? I would love to own a first generation Lexus LS someday, the newer ones look rather BLAH for me compared to the 1990s/early 2000s models
That is a really sweet car you have, does yours have leather interior? I would love to own a first generation Lexus LS someday, the newer ones look rather BLAH for me compared to the 1990s/early 2000s models
Thanks!
Yeah it has leather (photos below)... strange, but cloth was standard on these cars in 1990-92, but it was rare.
My car was made in February 1991 -
another photo...
my steering wheel is crazy now...
instrument panel @ night (pretty "futuristic" for a early 1990s car - I think Lexus was the first to offer this type... now the norm on most newer cars)
that yellow light is for low coolant... its full, but the sensor is bad... I just dont want to pay $81 for a new one. lol.
here is the one I owned in 2004... this was a 1990 - made in March 1990 I think... it had 272K when I sold it! Still ran like new! This was taken in 2005.... almost the same spot as the other photo. I hated the color on this car though. The girl I sold it to wrecked it a month later, then again a month after that and totalled it!
Did you know that in Japan these were called Toyota Celsior? Note the Toyota emblems... (right hand drive too!)
The 1990-1993 Infiniti Q45 had issues with both the transmission and the engine. The transmissions would fail early because they did not have an oil cooler. The engines had plastic timing guides which would crack. The engine was an interference engine, so they would self destruct when the guides broke. In 1994, the car was redesigned, and both these problems were eradicated. I would still love to have one of these cars, so I picked the Q45 for my vote. I would buy the 1994-1996 instead for reliability issues.
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All of these were well-built cars when Japan was really cranking out quality, but some of these had their issues... LS400 had power steering leak woes (but otherwise bulletproof - I have owned two of these), Legend had head gasket issues, the Q45 had strange random issues and the 929 also had fuel and head gasket issues and was not as well put together on the inside as the others... lower quality materials, than the others, but were still good. Grandpa has a 1990 929.... 
