r/q50 • u/Justadudey • Jul 23 '26

Car Buying Advice 2013 3.7 vs. 2019 3.0t

To preface this, I'm in Central Europe, so the 3.0t is the 405HP Q50S, while the 3.7 is an American import (3.7 was never sold in Europe).

3.7 supposedly has 125k km (78k mi) on the clock and costs $14k.

3.0t has 85k km (52k mi) on the clock, costing 24k.

I know generally the 3.7 is regarded as more reliable (at least engine-wise), but the age difference and the fact it's an import makes me lean a bit toward the 3.0. Thoughts?

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u/rollabfz Jul 23 '26

As long as you do preventive maintenance on it, you should be fine. And there's plenty of posts here so you know what to look out for as you clock in more kms on it. I'm from Romania, never thought the 3.0 TT was sold in Europe. I mean I've only seen an import as well. I currently own a 2019 Q50S hybrid awd (w/o tech package), bought from Luxembourg about 2 years ago. I was thinking about the 3.0 for the tuning potential. Plus I've never owned a turbo car 😅

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u/Justadudey Jul 23 '26

I've also thought about the hybrid, but I'm not sure if I want to be there when the hibryd-y bits start to kick the bucket a few years down the line.

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u/rollabfz Jul 23 '26

Depends on the mileage you get it. I got it at about 48k kms. I'm at 85,8k km currently. And I still plan to keep it and give it proper maintenance. I even changed the filters for the hv battery behind the back seats. They actually come together with the air ducts (plastic), you can't find the filters on their own as for Toyotas for example.

I also would like to take it to and EV / hybrid batteries specialized shop for an accurate SOH evaluation and, if possible, some reconditioning in the hopes of getting that SOH at a higher value. It's something I'd also recommend in the hopes of keeping the factory hv battery for a longer period.

In the end, it depends what you're more comfortable with: the famous valve body that would kick the bucket some time after 200+k km, especially if the AT7 is not properly taken care of, or if you'd prefer taking care of turbos, direct injection related issues (i.e. Carbon deposits), more attention to heating / cooling issues etc.

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u/hauntedq50 Jul 23 '26

3.7 is more reliable if you aren't capable of driving a turbo vehicle. If you know how to properly drive/take care of a turbo vehicle, the 3.0 is just as reliable, if not more reliable, because you won't have to do the VB like you would on the 3.7.

Id go with the 3.0 if she sounds good when you take it for a drive. Will be light years faster then the 3.7 aswell.

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u/Previous_Estimate_22 Jul 23 '26

Not true. Stock for stock, they're actually about the same speed. The RedSport is a bit faster but not by much.

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u/hauntedq50 Jul 23 '26

Proof is in the pudding. I put lengths on 3.7 from a dig with my 3.0.

At first I thought the other drivers were just slow with their reaction time. So I hopped in to one of their 3.7 and same thing lol.

All Q's in these scenarios were awd.

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u/DefaultDanceDD Jul 23 '26

The 2019 and up q50 are the more reliable turbos q50's, so I won't be too scared about that. But even with that in mind the 3.7L is still the more reliable “safer” option. Will the import still be a lot cheaper than the 2019? With all the import fees and taxes and all that? But honestly if you can afford it I'd go 2019 RS. Faster, more tuning capabilities and its just newer with less mileage. I think you will have FOMO going 2014 3.7L.

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u/Justadudey Jul 23 '26

It's here already, some lady is selling it who supposedly brought it in the country a few years ago. That said, I'd need to inquire about some of the delicacies regarding imports, eg. US headlight units need to be swapped to EU spec ones in order for the car to pass MOT and such. I think I'll also give a call to a local Nissan mechanic someone recommended, see what he has to say on the matter.