Hello Fellow VX'rs!!!!
Here is my story. I am one of the many that fell in love with the VW when they first came out, even to a point a purchased a 99 Amigo due to I could not afford a VX at the time and thier was no such thing as a used VX in 99. The 99 Amigo suffered from what I believe now to be a faulty intake gasket, the engine would die in idle, The dealership could not figure out the problem after 4 attempts so I traded the Amigo in for a 4Runner due to I did not want to own a vehicle with a problem that the dealer couldn't figure out.
Eight years later, I live in Phoenix, AZ and I am doing nothing of importance on the internet and see a 99 VX posted for sale at a local Stealership. I go down to the dealership to find this poor astral VX in very bad shap, the interior was horrible, every body panels had dents the engine bay was covered in rusted antifreeze spray. I had to pass due to the amount of money that would be needed to restore this one on top of the inflated dealership price. My wife, knowing how dissapointed I was, found a 99 ebony with 79k on the odo for about the same price in San Diego. 10k, a plane ride and a drive from San Diego to Phoenix later, my dream of owning a VX had come true. This happened in July 2007.
So I have the vehicle I have always wanted sitting in my garage. the body is about 98% perfect, the interior only has wear on the driver seat, and it drove home from San Diego without any issues. Here was my delima, This vehicle is a toy for me, my daily driver is a 05 Nissan Titan, I am an avid reader of this forum and I start to read about the engine problems and tranny problems and start to doubt the reliability of the vehicle I just purchased. I would drive it around town on short trips, one to keep the fluids moving and to also try to enjoy the vehicle without being to far from home in the event of a breakdown. I have had the following done to it since I have bought it all for preventative measures only,
New timing belt
New water Pump
Front Wheel bearings repacked
transmission filter changed
The engine has always started right up and has ran strong, the transmission has always performed well. The transmission service was the most recent work and I asked my mechanic how the old fluid looked, he said it looked ok which leads me to believe the fluid had been changed by the prior owner at some point in time. Oh a note to all, the transmission bolts have a copper washer, I do recommend changing them out anytime you undo the plugs, Autozone has the copper washer M14 for about 3 bucks for a set of 3 to prevent leaks from the bolts, I had a leak after the trans service, a new copper washer fixed the leak. So, after all that, here is the story of why I am a born again beliver in my VX.
My parents live in Cedar City, Utah(southern Part of the state) and My dad's 71st Bday was on 2/13. My wife thought it would be a great suprise if her and I and a couple we are friends with drove up to see my dad for his birthday. I would normally take the Titan for this drive, but the Titan is only 2 wheel drive and the forcast called for snow during our travel days for northern Arizona and southern Utah. I told my wife that with the chance of hitting bad weather, we really should take the VX. The drive takes us up through Flagstaff AZ, then up towards the northern rim of the Grand Canyon and into southern Utah, This includes driving through some pretty remote and very sparsly populated areas, but I was determined to take the VX for the weather and to once and for all put the VX through it's paces. I figured if anything was going to go wrong with the vehicle, this trip should do it.
So with the back 3 cubic feet of space, just kidding, loaded to the roof with small suitcases and other belongngs and 4 good size adults, the trip begins. I first noticed the weight of the people and the back did not really affect the drive and handling of the VX. In between Phoenix and Flagstaff, there are several long steep climbs, the VX handled the hills very well, I was very impressed how well the engine and trans worked together to find the right rpms to keep the vehicle up to speed during the inclines. After getting passed Flagstaff, in an area called Jacobs Lake, I was in a mountinous area with mountain grades and curves, again I was very impressed on how well the VX handled the curves at speed, even with the weight it was carrying. We hit a little snow, but not enough to what I would call a real test for the TOD. The VX did great the entire trip and got us home with no issues at all. I did burn a quart of oil over the 1K trip which I kept an eye on the oil level every fill up. I averaged about 17 mpg with my speeds usually about 70-80mph. The VX has about 83k on the odo after this trip and I feel confident enough that I will be driving it more frequently and further away from home.
Sorry so long, but it was needed to develop the story
I do believe with the engine and transmision, its all about maintenance for longevity.
Thanks for reading.....Derek
