INFINITI, Nissan’s luxury-focused arm, debuted in the United States in 1989 with two offerings in its inaugural 1990 model-year lineup. The first was the Q45, a full-size luxury sedan competing with the standards of the day, including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Acura Legend, and the same-year-debuting Lexus LS 400. The second model in that lineup was the M30 coupe, a slightly smaller two-door that was produced for only three model years. In 1991, a convertible version began to be offered, though only through ASC modification in California, as Nissan did not build a ragtop version from the factory. One of those convertibles is still available today, and you can find it on Facebook Marketplace in Kansas City, Kansas for $2,950.
INFINITI’s (or, for the sake of not wearing out my CAPS lock button today, Infiniti’s) M30 was powered by a 3.0L V6, putting out 162 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. Not sure how many ponies have been lost over the 138,000 miles this car has covered in the last 34 years, but the seller says it was “recently started after sitting and fired right up,” and a brief drive around town showed normal “idling, shifting, steering, and braking.” The seller also mentions that the rear suspension is clunky and needs work, so the sale price is more in line with it being a project.
Overall, the car looks clean and presents well. There appears to be no cracking or major dash issues, and though it could use conditioning, the white leather looks to be in decent shape, aside from the cracks/tears in the driver’s seat the seller noted. Under the hood, the engine bay has far less dirt and grime than I would expect for a car this old, and the single (albeit limited) undercarriage photo doesn’t raise any alarms, save for some typical minor surface rust and maybe evidence of a previously replaced driver’s rear half shaft? The brief video the seller included is also encouraging: the car fires right up and shows no warning lights. (After many replay and pause attempts, the orange light under the temperature gauge appears to be an “Overdrive Off” light and not something more nefarious.)
The only other concerns are the bumper scuff(s) and the fact that the automatic top is faded and doesn’t operate, but can be raised and lowered manually. I’m not sure whether that means it will lock down securely or be completely watertight, so if you buy this car, check the weather before purchase and don’t make your first drive an attempt to outrun a squall line. Finally, between Infiniti’s own parts website, which estimates that only 12,000 M30s were produced (coupe and convertible), and another forum with a supposed email from Nissan stating that 3,112 convertibles were produced in the final year of 1992, you’ll definitely have a rare car for your local cars-and-coffee outing. So, does anyone want to get their workout in by manually raising and lowering this convertible top?
This is a cool car to have. Its rear wheel drive very nice. Notice the rear left side half shaft was replace the right side looks original. Too bad it not closer to me. I would not mind checking it out. So it needs rear shocks and springs . Check the rear itself to make sure the noise it not from that. Make sure all electronics works on the dash, especially the stereo. The top i would go to a place that works on convertible tops. Could be something simple to fix. I have not seen a M30 in mega years. I remember when they were new and they were quick. Rearwheel drive is fun. I hope it goes to a good home to be fixed up and brought to car shows and cruise . 🇺🇸🐻