2015 - A potential new vehicross OWNER.

Greetings..

Simple question that I'm sure plenty will chime in on - and I'm interested in any and all responses.

I am gentle on my vehicles.. Current is a 2007 Silverado with nearly 200k miles on it.. Barely any maintenance other than normal service stuff done. I have pulled a boat with it - but outside of that, babied.

I understand completely that if I buy a beater that I cannot expect it to live long being a daily driver, or towing or etc..

With that disclaimer being made.. What are the thoughts of this forum in regards to buying a VX *in good shape* with the average number of miles for the vehicle (which seems to be around 100k) and using it as a 120 mile a day commuter..?

Am I going to regret the decision? Is it something I should consider "just as reliable" as the silverado - which I expect to get another 50k out of without any kind of serious maintenance costs as long as I continue as I have thus far.

And yes, I would tow during the summers with the VX.. 2000lb boat, but only about 5 miles to the ramp and back.

One other question... It looks like the cladding holds up TONS better than the cladding chevy put on the Avalanche.. Is this true, or are all the VX's I see equipped with aftermarket/replacement cladding? (I know this is speculative, but I don't know any owners first hand to ask..)

Thoughts?

doc

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Originally Posted by doctor_x

Greetings..

Simple question that I'm sure plenty will chime in on - and I'm interested in any and all responses.

I am gentle on my vehicles.. Current is a 2007 Silverado with nearly 200k miles on it.. Barely any maintenance other than normal service stuff done. I have pulled a boat with it - but outside of that, babied.

I understand completely that if I buy a beater that I cannot expect it to live long being a daily driver, or towing or etc..

With that disclaimer being made.. What are the thoughts of this forum in regards to buying a VX *in good shape* with the average number of miles for the vehicle (which seems to be around 100k) and using it as a 120 mile a day commuter..?

Am I going to regret the decision? Is it something I should consider "just as reliable" as the silverado - which I expect to get another 50k out of without any kind of serious maintenance costs as long as I continue as I have thus far.

And yes, I would tow during the summers with the VX.. 2000lb boat, but only about 5 miles to the ramp and back.

One other question... It looks like the cladding holds up TONS better than the cladding chevy put on the Avalanche.. Is this true, or are all the VX's I see equipped with aftermarket/replacement cladding? (I know this is speculative, but I don't know any owners first hand to ask..)

Thoughts?

doc

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Buy a good one and it will last as long or longer. Not great on gas but I don't think the Avalanche is any better. It is reliable but getting parts can be a pain. Not equipped to tow but several members do use it for towing small loads.

Im getting about 17mpg in my silverado.. I would never consider an avalanche.. I think they are disgusting. I was simply comparing the cladding... always looks TERRIBLE on the chevy - but always looks relatively new on the VX.

Thank you for your reply... They are really coming down in price.. Maybe even low enough for me to consider as a second vehicle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by doctor_x

Im getting about 17mpg in my silverado.. I would never consider an avalanche.. I think they are disgusting. I was simply comparing the cladding... always looks TERRIBLE on the chevy - but always looks relatively new on the VX.

Thank you for your reply... They are really coming down in price.. Maybe even low enough for me to consider as a second vehicle.

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The cladding does require regular cleaning and treatment, mpg around 15

Sure it can be done but really, REALLY check the VX you're thinking about buying for oil burning. Most Isuzu 3.5L engines develop a oil burning issue... and I can go on and on about it but there's already hundreds of threads on this that you can research. Anyways, it seems more oil burning happens on the highway. If you get a oil thirsty VX, you'll not only get sick of putting a quart in it every other day, but you'll be risking running the oil low and ruining the engine.

My personal experience has been very good with Isuzu and the Vehicross. Fairly low maintenance all around. I took it on a 2K mile road trip last year without any concern about reliability... but I did check that oil every other stop for gas. :cool:

The VX is not as nice of a commuter as the Silverado. But, I would much rather drive a vehicle with the character of the VX. I drive as little as 30 miles a day up to 400 when I have to commute out of state. The ride on my VX reminds me of my 97 Tacoma 4x4. You know you're in a 4wd when your driving it.

As others have said, and as with ANY used car purchase, it'll come down to "the luck of the draw". I bought close to six years ago from an original high desert owner with 58K miles on the clock, and a non-op driver's side window. My buddy took the door panel off, "tweaked" the OEM brackets, and put the door panel back on - it's been working PERFECTLY ever since! I've put 51K miles on mine, with boringly consistent oil consumption of 1 quart every 4K miles; other than the timing belt/water pump replacement at 100K, a power steering pump, and a radiator (which it didn't even NEED), mine has run like a Swiss watch - hell, it still has the original shocks & brake pads! It's my daily driver for six years now, and I would not hesitate to drive it cross country TOMORROW; having said that, I realize that my VX has been "the exception to the rule" - negligible oil consumption, no window issues, no TOD issues, no ABS module issues...

Don't forget too - Isuzu is an "orphan" here in the USA now; before *I* would consider buying one, I would be CERTAIN that I had a competent local "wrench" that I felt confident about working on same first. Good luck w/your decision!

I'm an original owner with almost 140k on mine. The transmission went at 113k (under warranty... woo hoo!), and I also needed to have the transfer case rebuilt. There have been other issues (mostly minor) as well, but I love my VX and hope to have it for many more years. I don't have the oil burning issue, but it happens on road trips over the mountains going to and from Moab... keep on it! The cladding holds up great, as does the whole VX. Keep taking care of it, and you should be fine.

TheGanzman, well put, "the luck of the draw", sums it up. I'm fortunate as well.

if you can find one that doesnt burn oil you should get about the same or slightly better gas mileage - if mine didnt burn oil i would have kept it forever