Bought Busted logo
Dirty silver 2015 Infiniti Q50 strapped to a black car trailer on an auction lot

Project 001

The 2015 Q50

The Car That Started It All

Transmission Swap — Planned / In Progress

Engine
3.7L V6
Drivetrain
RWD
Odometer
~159K mi
Source
Bought at Auction
View the TimelineSee the Real Numbers

Project Summary

An affordable buy, on paper

A silver 2015 Infiniti Q50 Premium with roughly 159,000 miles looked like the ideal first project: rear-wheel drive, a 3.7L V6, and a price that made sense for a teenager's first real car.

The hammer said $2,900. The invoice said $4,168 once the auction fee, broker/service fee and document fee were added — before a trailer ever moved.

Then the mechanical unknowns landed. The car arrived filthy on a trailer, refused to shift past third gear, and started throwing lean codes on both banks — turning an affordable buy into a lesson in what a car actually costs after the bid. Two previous owners, Texas history and a last recorded reading of 155,546 miles in March 2026 came with it.

Vehicle / Auction Invoice
$4,168

Sale $2,900 + auction fee $898 + broker/service fee $295 + document fee $75

Transportation
$618

Confirmed — $600 Austin to McKinney + $18 McKinney to home

Taxes, Title & Registration
$370.25 estimated

Expected at county tax office; emissions-station charge pending

Shop Transmission Estimate
$7K–$8K

Full replacement — declined

Chosen Swap Plan
$2,900

Transmission, parts, labor and fluids

The $4,168 figure is the vehicle-and-auction invoice total only — before transportation, taxes, title and registration, diagnosis, repairs and modifications. Source documents, personal details and account information stay private. Title, tax and registration figures are an estimate based on the $4,168 invoice amount and current Texas/Denton County fees. The county tax office determines the final taxable value and amount due.

The Gap

The listing and the reality were two different cars

What we thought we bought

  • A running silver Q50 Premium with a healthy 3.7L V6
  • An intact exterior with factory wheels
  • A usable interior needing nothing more than a deep clean
  • An affordable first project with room in the budget for modifications

What we actually bought

  • A transmission that would not shift beyond third gear
  • Burnt transmission fluid reported during diagnosis
  • A full replacement recommendation estimated at $7,000–$8,000
  • Active P0171 and P0174 lean codes on both banks, still unconfirmed as a root cause
  • Transportation complications and a car that arrived covered in dirt

As Purchased

Exactly how it showed up

Nothing here has been cleaned up, staged or retouched. These are the auction-arrival photos — dirt included.

Before Us

Before us: the car's history

Before this Q50 became Project 001, it spent more than a decade on Texas roads. Its records show regular dealer service, several major repairs, earlier transmission work and a final front-damage report shortly before it reached auction. This is a plain-language summary of the history we reviewed — not a reproduction of the report.

  • 2 previous owners
  • Texas history
  • 34 service records
  • Personal lease, then personal ownership
  • Last history-report mileage: 155,546
  • No salvage, junk, rebuilt, fire, flood, hail or lemon title brand reported
  • No odometer rollback indicated
  • No airbag deployment reported

Key history — 6 of 24 records shown

  1. Feb 201646 mi

    First owner recorded in Texas

    Registered as a personal lease in Texas. Exterior recorded as silver.

  2. Jul 201959,485 miImportant

    Internal transmission repaired

    Internal transmission repair and transmission service, plus power-steering service, engine service and an oil and filter change.

  3. Jul 2023119,014 miImportant

    Transmission fluid flushed

    Transmission fluid flushed, four-wheel alignment, cabin filter and oil.

  4. Jun 2024132,001 miMajor service

    A/C compressor and front struts replaced

    A/C compressor replaced, front struts replaced, front and rear brake pads replaced, rotors resurfaced and A/C recharged.

  5. Mar 2026155,546 miMajor service

    Radiator replaced

    Radiator replaced and coolant flushed, plus air filter, oil, fluids and a tire inspection. This is the last mileage reading on the history report.

  6. Jul 22, 2026Damage reported

    Front damage reported

    A front-damage report was recorded shortly before the car reached auction.

    The record does not describe severity or cause, and the arrival photos did not show obvious major front-end collision damage.

Issues & Diagnosis

What is known, what is still a theory

DrivetrainDiagnosed / swap planned

It would not shift past third gear

  • Reported symptoms: harsh, delayed engagement and no shift beyond third gear.
  • A diagnostic shop reported burnt transmission fluid and recommended a full transmission replacement estimated around $7,000–$8,000.
  • After research inside the Q50 community, the family chose a 2019+ VR30 transmission swap through an experienced independent specialist quoted at $2,900 including transmission, parts, labor and fluids.
  • Treat this as planned and in progress — the swap is not finished and results are not proven yet.
Codes & DataWorking theory

P0171 and P0174 — both banks lean

  • Both bank-lean codes remain active, which is a symptom rather than a confirmed diagnosis.
  • Current working theory leans toward an intake or vacuum leak rather than a failing fuel pump.
  • A smoke test is planned as the next step to confirm or rule out a leak.
  • Nothing here is confirmed until the test data is in.
Other Codes & SymptomsReported / observed

P0500, P0720 and the way it actually drove

  • P0500 and P0720 were also present, while the speedometer itself kept working.
  • The car would not shift past third gear and ran at elevated RPM as a result.
  • Slight engagement delay into drive and reverse, though shifts otherwise felt smooth.
  • A post-rev RPM stutter/hang and an air-sucking sound at shutdown were also noted — both still unexplained.

Build Timeline

In the order it happened

  1. Step 01Complete

    Auction research

    Watching listings and setting a budget for an affordable first project car that a teenager could learn on.

  2. Step 02CompleteAugust 2026

    Purchased at auction

    The silver Q50 Premium was won largely sight-unseen. The vehicle-and-auction invoice totaled $4,168; source documents stay private.

  3. Step 03Complete

    Transport and arrival

    Delivered on an open trailer, still covered in dirt from the lot, with transportation adding real cost and complication.

  4. Step 04Complete

    Codes and symptoms discovered

    Once scanned and driven, the transmission behavior and the P0171 / P0174 lean codes surfaced.

  5. Step 05Complete

    Shop diagnosis and $7K–$8K recommendation

    A shop reported burnt transmission fluid and recommended a full replacement for roughly $7,000–$8,000.

  6. Step 06Current

    VR30 research and $2,900 swap plan

    A 2019+ VR30 transmission swap with an experienced independent specialist at $2,900 became the chosen direction. Planned / in progress.

  7. Step 07Planned

    Lean-code smoke test

    Up next: a smoke test to check the intake/vacuum-leak theory behind both lean codes.

  8. Step 08Planned

    Roadworthy and reliability work

    Fluids, maintenance items and real road testing before anything cosmetic happens.

  9. Step 09Planned

    Appearance modifications

    Black roof, mirror caps, grille and lower lips, with wheels considered later. Nothing installed yet.

Build Plan

Reliability first. Looks second.

01

Reliability First

  • Transmission direction resolved through the VR30 swap plan
  • Confirm and fix the P0171 / P0174 lean condition
  • Fluids and deferred maintenance
  • Real road testing before any cosmetic work
02

Appearance Second

  • Black roof
  • Black mirror caps
  • Black grille
  • Black front lower lip and side lower lips
  • Wheels and further modifications considered later
03

Content Along the Way

  • Episodes documenting each stage
  • Build-log write-ups with the actual data
  • Cost updates as receipts are confirmed
  • Lessons — including the mistakes

Every item above is planned or in progress — nothing on this list is finished yet.

Related Stories

The write-ups in progress

Diagnosis

The Shop Said It Needed a $7,000 Transmission

Coming soon
Transmission

Why We Chose a VR30 Transmission Swap

Coming soon
Engine & Codes

What P0171 and P0174 Actually Meant

Coming soon

Follow the car that started it all

Episodes, build-log entries and confirmed costs get published as the work actually happens.

Watch From the BeginningTrack Every Dollar