If you go the beater route, I would not get an Infiniti of any kind. Or any luxury marque for that matter. The more mechanically simple, the better. When I think beater, I dont think of power windows with $200+ motors to burn out. I think crank windows. Nothing with climate control fits the bill for a beater. More like cable or vacuum operated heater blend doors. Less parts, less problems. This is why you see high end cars go for cheap after a decade. They are just not feasible to keep on the road when worn out luxury stuff costs more than an engine or transmission. If you insist on a luxury beater, Lexus RX's are some of the most reliable cars on the road today. As to the Infiniti, I'm not a fan of the VQ engines. They can be troublesome depending on the year.