Are Infinitis good cars? - Opinions on the FX 35/45 wanted

In My Humble Opinion
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At the start of Fall when the 2004s come out, I am seriously considering buying a 2003 Infiniti FX35 (that’s their cheaper SUV for anyone unclear on the vehicle). The idea being that the dealer will give me a great deal to unload last year’s model. As Nissans hold up pretty well in my experience, I am assuming Infiniti should be even better, but I don’t know this as fact. I don’t actually know anyone who has bought an Infiniti so I’m curious about what I can expect repair wise.

I’ll be honest in saying this is the most expensive car I have ever considered ($40,000) but I’m at a point in my life where I’d like to buy something nice for myself. It’s got all the features I’m looking for in a car, but one reason I like it is because you don’t see a lot of them on the road. Of course, that may be because they are really pieces of crap…I don’t know. This is the first Japanese car I will have ever owned and I don’t want to find out its the one crappy one out there. My experiences with Ford, Dodge and Chevy thus far indicate Detroit can’t build a decent car that lasts more than 5 years/ 75,000 miles without HUGE repairs!

Also, what is the ‘image’ you get when you think of Infiniti drivers? Are they pricks like the Mercedes/ BMW thread would indicate? I can’t bring myself to consider the comparable Lexus RX300/330 SUV because there are a million of them on the road, and everyone I see driving one looks like a lame soccer Mom.

Opinions gratefully requested on this…

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The only person I’ve known to own an Infiniti (QX4 SUV) was the superintendent at the school I work for. He never had a problem with it but then again he only kept it until about 60k miles.

As far as image, Infinitis are upscale and I usually see people in their late 40s early 50s driving them. Whenever I see a younger person driving one I’m most likely inclined to believe it’s their parents vehicle. Not because they’re “Old people’s cars” but because they’re so high priced that no one my age (20) could afford one.

The one thing about these vehicles I would avoid them for is the maintenance costs. I bet it will cost a lot to maintain a vehicle like this. Probably more than it costed for me to maintain the '96 Chevy Blazer I had, that is, until it self-destructed at 77k miles. I tell ya, that car was the first in my family to ever die before 150k miles. Grumble…

Go to google or another search engine and look for forums or something that is specifically about the car you’re interested in. That way you can talk to people who actually own that vehicle.