VX Repairing

[curtains]

I want to buy a VX but I don't want to do the repairs myself so how hard is it to get work done on these cars? and can a foreign car shop work on them I just don't have the resources to do it myself. One more thing, these cars are liked by a lot of people why did they stop making them? I really don't understand that with such a big market for them.

[Ldub]

We're not really that big of a market...we just look bigger when we're all in one place. ;)

Same principle as a school of fish.

As I understand it, they were accepting any reasonable offer towards the end (2002 ?) when there were still some left on showroom floors.

The 30,000.00++ pricetag for new & the fact that they're almost totally impractical, had poeple staying away in droves.

Also, Isuzu isn't a "prestige" brand (ala s-calade, hummer, navigator, & so on) among the "drive what will impress others", soccer mom crowd.
That'll also keep'em out of the showroom.

[thedutchguy]

you love it or you hate it, there's no inbetween with the VX.

[curtains]

We're not really that big of a market...we just look bigger when we're all in one place. ;)

Same principle as a school of fish.

As I understand it, they were accepting any reasonable offer towards the end (2002 ?) when there were still some left on showroom floors.

The 30,000.00++ pricetag for new & the fact that they're almost totally impractical, had poeple staying away in droves.

Also, Isuzu isn't a "prestige" brand (ala s-calade, hummer, navigator, & so on) among the "drive what will impress others", soccer mom crowd.
That'll also keep'em out of the showroom.

That sounds about right. Thanks

[rowhard]

I see everyone hit on why there isn't more VX's, but back to your question. Underneath, it is basicly, 'Isuzu'. So just find someone that you trust to work on it, no matter what make it is. And if they happen to be a Isuzu trained mechanic, all the better, so go check one out. It's not a very good grocery getter unless you shop daily, Forget getting in the backseat if your old and fat, wouldn't want to even try a kids car seat back there. But damn it's a fun, cool car

[WyrreJ]

Hey, it is a great grocery-getter!

If you take out the back seat.

[WILLY]

yeah the back seat is quite useless i had taken it out of mine also.

[jacobus]

The engine mechanics of a VX is the same as a Isuzu Trooper, if you can find an Isuzu dealer or mechanic you are all set, the problems that you run into is the body,headlights, windows to get parts for.
Good Luck

[BOSSKE]

I guess they stopped with VX production becuse of $$$. For $30k ++ you can buy really good vehicle. I'm Not trying to say VX is piece of s..., But "some" people would rather drive Benz or BMW.
I'll rather drive my VX though!

[etlsport]

i was under the impression the VX was never intended to be a production vehicle.. i mean assembly was finished by hand if i remember correctly.. if youve ever taken it apart, definately seems probable given the relative ease to take everything apart and put it back together and what production car is hand built?, i also seem to remember reading that our cladding was pressed in a ceramic mold that was only designed to make 5k i think the fact that some VXs were sitting on lots in 02 had little to do with the stoppage of production

[nfpgasmask]

Here! Here! I took out my back seats, added rubber matting, threw down some bungies and hooked them to the tie downs, now I can haul anything! (except maybe sheets of plywood) :)

Bart


Hey, it is a great grocery-getter!

If you take out the back seat.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, I would say the fact that it was 30-31k new was probably the issue. I mean, I bought my Xterra for 24k new in 2000, and I thought that was alot. I probably would have not bought a VX because of this very reason. But then again, I didn't even know about them until like 2003, so had I taken one for a test drive in 2000, I probably would have squeezed myself to spent the 30k....but that IS a lot of money, especially for 1999-2001. Hell, its still a good chunk of change today!

Bart


i was under the impression the VX was never intended to be a production vehicle.. i mean assembly was finished by hand if i remember correctly.. if youve ever taken it apart, definately seems probable given the relative ease to take everything apart and put it back together and what production car is hand built?, i also seem to remember reading that our cladding was pressed in a ceramic mold that was only designed to make 5k i think the fact that some VXs were sitting on lots in 02 had little to do with the stoppage of production

[SPAZZ]

just basically learn Isuzu,crossed with GM,but VX specific, and if you do not mind getting greasy messy and learn to maintain lots of knowledge, numbers, differences, keep an open mind, do lots of repairs, change lots of things out regulary for no reason, learn to deal with having lots of weird things happen for no reason, bad gas mileage, Isuzu will not honor warranty, buy lots of tools, go to junkyard regulary & learn what parts fit from what vehicles & what years & what models.

The VX turns into somewhat a groundshog day after awhile. Like that movie where the guy keeps reliving day after day over and over. After awhile you learn the VX almost like the back of your hand, but it still manages to surprise me...still.

[curtains]

Well thats all good advice so I'm gonna buy one, now I was talking to a guy that owns a 1999 VX and we were looking his car over and I was kind of drawn to the spark plug units, I never seen them set up like that with red flat connectors on them and he said they were a Ferrari design. Is that true? and that the body is Stainless Steel?

[SPAZZ]

the VX has a coil over each spark plug. Makes starting alot better, eliminates the need for a destribiter and the need for sparkplug wires.

[Zorak]

Well thats all good advice so I'm gonna buy one, now I was talking to a guy that owns a 1999 VX and we were looking his car over and I was kind of drawn to the spark plug units, I never seen them set up like that with red flat connectors on them and he said they were a Ferrari design. Is that true? and that the body is Stainless Steel?
Ferrari design spark plugs? stainless steel body? :eek:

Hope the "guy" is not a member of this board...

[curtains]

Ferrari design spark plugs? stainless steel body? :eek:

Hope the "guy" is not a member of this board...

Yea, I think he was kinda strecthing the facts a little........

[Kenny]

I want to buy a VX but I don't want to do the repairs myself .....

I hope you're not set in stone on that ;) , you might find getting underneath and getting greasy, banged-up, shaved skin, etc... is half the fun with the VX. Comparatively it's quite an easy vehicle to work on, I think.

Cheers!

[tbigity]

i wonder if the guy trying to sell to curtains is the guy that posted that one for sale a while back that was rediculously priced and then he started lambasting all of us when we told him what we thought...talking about how rare of a vehicle it was, and all this and that blah blah blah. Trying to educate/sell the largest repository of knowledge (this forum) on the vehicle with some of the basic "neatos" of it.

Sounds like it could be the same guy to me. I'd watch out. If you (curtains) give us more info (VIN, mileage, shape) the group here could give a realistic idea of what to pay.

[curtains]

i was under the impression the VX was never intended to be a production vehicle.. i mean assembly was finished by hand if i remember correctly.. if youve ever taken it apart, definately seems probable given the relative ease to take everything apart and put it back together and what production car is hand built?, i also seem to remember reading that our cladding was pressed in a ceramic mold that was only designed to make 5k i think the fact that some VXs were sitting on lots in 02 had little to do with the stoppage of production

Thats unbelievable. hand built, if thats true I used to work on my opel manta when I was a kid I changed the radiator, water pump everything so it sounds like its not as complicated as I thought.

[curtains]

i wonder if the guy trying to sell to curtains is the guy that posted that one for sale a while back that was rediculously priced and then he started lambasting all of us when we told him what we thought...talking about how rare of a vehicle it was, and all this and that blah blah blah. Trying to educate/sell the largest repository of knowledge (this forum) on the vehicle with some of the basic "neatos" of it.

Sounds like it could be the same guy to me. I'd watch out. If you (curtains) give us more info (VIN, mileage, shape) the group here could give a realistic idea of what to pay.

Yea The VX I'm talking about is a silver one with about 77,000 miles on it and the vin# is jaccn57x4x7991458 his name is scott he couldn't sell it for 14,000 so he put it back on e-bay you can see it but there is only 10 hrs left. :)

[etlsport]

of course he couldnt sell it for 14k! its a 99 and had almost 80k miles on it... almost any search you do for a VX will turn up a newer vx with lower mileage or lower price.. or both

i bought mine from a dealer for under 14k and its an 01 w/ (at the time) 39k miles

[tbigity]

i gotta say...they are the best vehicles out there, no doubt about that...but some people just get it. Especially supply and demand. While they may be hot little rigs, the only people that would pay what they are technically worth (to enthusiasts) are the enthusiasts...who already have them and are prolly not in the market for another. Cheeky monkey

[vrsvx]

So SPAZZ are these coilovers hard to take off? This is my first VX and even though I have 63k on mine I wanted to know how hard it is to take off and change plugs?

[Triathlete]

Just as easy as changing any other plugs.

[nfpgasmask]

Changing the plugs isn't bad but the back right hand side one is a bugger...

Bart


So SPAZZ are these coilovers hard to take off? This is my first VX and even though I have 63k on mine I wanted to know how hard it is to take off and change plugs?

[vrsvx]

Thanks guy's...................