This is for a school project of mine (I chose to do it on Infiniti, and why their sales are the lowest), so I figured I'd ask the very people who bought the cars of their archrival. Do you think Infiniti's cars have any specific strengths, or flaws? Please answer the specific questions:<br><br>1. Between the USA, Japan, and Germany, which country makes the best luxury cars?<br>2. Between performance (i.e. power, handling), comfort (i.e. silence, ride smoothness), styling, prestige, reliability, and price, which do you look for most in a luxury car? Mention up to two qualities.<br>3. For each of the above categories, which of the luxury brands is king? Try to pick among Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Lexus, Infiniti, and Cadillac, and mention TWO (at most) brands.<br><br>You can go off topic if you'd like (any input is constructive) but please try to at least answer the survey, since I'm tabulating each answer. This is largely for my own curiosity, and I'm looking to see how your answers contrast with those of Infiniti owners. I can read your gender and age from your little name tags (if unlisted, please mention them), but if you wouldn't mind, please state your highest completed education level (HS, college, masters, doctorate).<br>Thanks to anyone who replies.

I DID buy an Infiniti.<br><br>I bought a 92 Q45 second-hand in 98 with 48K miles. Through my experience with this car, it appears that the Infiniti Q`s weren`t built for the long haul: past the 100K mile mark.<br><br>Infiniti STRENGTHS: (Power, acceleration, aesthetics) The Q45 took off the line like a rocket. (1993-2001 Q`s shouldve been called Q41s. They only had a 4.1L V8 instead of the 4.5L that mine had).The low end torque was amazing. Even at 8 to 9 years old, people couldnt believe my Q wasn`t a late model vehicle.<br><br>FLAW #1: When I bought the car, I purchased an after market warranty. Good thing I did. Appears that there was a design flaw with the pre-93 Q`s concerning the chain guides. After 7 years, the plastic guides would become brittle, break, and would undoubtedly wreak havoc on everything the little pieces fell on. Luckily, I got this fixed before anything happened. <br><br>FLAW #2: The transmission is not at the level of robustness that one would expect of a luxury car. My FIRST torque converter failed at 88K replaced with OEM part. Then the tranny had to be rebuilt at 95K miles. <br><br>In all, I think over $15K was put into the Q45 to keep it in working order. One point to take into account: Cars depreciate over time. Replacement parts, however, are based on the car`s value when bought new. Replacement parts never depreciate. Remember, we`re talking luxury cars here, not mom`s Taurus.<br><br>From the time I bought the Q45, I took it to an Infiniti/Lexus Specialty Repair Shop. It is here that the Technicians recommended the Lexus brand for my next vehicle.<br><br>In addition, of this automotive-line, in my tech`s experience, the GS is the least problematic of the Japanese Luxo-Sports. In specific, the tranmission is particularly robust. <br><br>I ended up buying a 2000 GS300 Platinum Edition in Nov 2001. I`m loving the ride.<br><br>I still regard my time with the 92 Q45 as a great experience. People who own Infiniti Q45s don`t particularly buy them as "basic transportation".<br>They develop a certain passion for the Q. If you visit the yahoo infiniti club web site you will see that owning an Infiniti Q45 has developed a tremendous following by true car enthusiasts. <br><br>Answers to your questions, (in my opinion):<br>1)Japan leads the race in luxury. German cars like the MB are over styled & overpriced. <br><br>2)I look for a good blend between luxury and sport. That`s why I bought the Q and the GS<br><br>3)Lexus & BMW are my 2 top picks for leading luxo-sport brands. <br><br>Jaguar is Ford: nuff said. MB: see above. Audi: anything other than the 4.2 A6 or A8 is a waste of money. Cadillac: the STS, for example, is front wheel drive. What true driving enthusiast drives anything but rear wheel drive cars?<br><br>Hope this is what you what looking for...

Hmm, never known reliability to be a Q45 sore spot. But the Q41 thing applies to 97-01 models, not 93-01. The first Q45 went from 90-96, though they ruined it for 94 (grille, softer suspension, slower steering, though at least the tranny was reprogrammed to take off in 1st gear).<br>Thanks for answering question 1 and 2, but<br>3. For each of the above categories -- performance (i.e. power, handling), comfort (i.e. silence, ride smoothness), styling, prestige, reliability, and price -- which of the luxury brands is king? Try to pick among Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Lexus, Infiniti, and Cadillac, and mention up to two brands.