Test drive in Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!!

Strangely enough, my interest in the VX started with my first look & drive of an Isuzu Amigo 2-3 months ago. Shortly after that test drive I was surfing for info on the Amigo, I came across the VX & this very knowledgeable VX “family”. It was quite honestly your enthusiasm & this forum that caught my interest. My understanding wife can attest to the countless hours that I have searched, read, & reviewed your thoughts, comments, difficulties, & enthusiasm for your beloved VX on this web sight!!!

I thought it worthwhile to contribute to your group, by sharing my test drive experience, as there are folks here in this forum, looking for, & seeking comparisons of VX’s. As a point of reference, I live in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I will try to keep my language to cubic inches & miles, rather than liters & kilometers. I was in Vegas for a couple of days with my brothers & my father Dec 12-17, 2004, & had a blast! If you haven’t been there, ya gotta go!!!

Before leaving for Vegas though, I was aware that there was a VX on a lot at Carmax. [For those looking for a Vehicross, Autotrader.com has listed for sale as many as 79 in the USA, while current totals as of today are at 61]. So I HAD to cut away one evening from the family, & go out to Carmax to get a first look & drive of the VX. I went there after dark, & after rush hour traffic. I gave the car salesman at Carmax a couple hours notice & set up an appointment, so there was plenty of opportunity to warm up the VX before I arrived. It did not appear that he did so. Here is a link to the Ebony VX that I saw there. http://www.carmax.com/dyn/factsheet/factsheet.aspx

Visual Inspection:
The Ebony has 36,000 miles, priced at a Carmax “haggle free” price of $14,988. The paint is in decent shape. There were no surprises there. The lower grey cladding shows running & streaking in spots, but no apparent damage. I don’t have enough experience to say what the problem is with the streaking or water marks, &/or if it’s recoverable. It has the 16” wheels, & has Goodyear Forterra HL Edition, 245/70/R16 rubber. (This is the same tire we have on our current 2000 Dodge Durango, 4.7L V-8 with 80,000+miles). The VX’s tires have plenty of tread depth left before it will get down to the wear bars. The interior has black & red leather seats. The seats don’t appear to have any rips or tears, & the rear seats look as if they have never had a soul back there. The rear cargo space, behind the rear seats, has a floor mat on top of the floor carpet. Both carpet & floor mat are in superb shape. The plastic sidewalls of the rear cargo space, & the inside of the rear door, have no scratches or marks on them at all. This cargo space does not appear to have seen any use as well. I had the cover off the rear spare also, & it does not appear to have ever been out of the rack.

The 3 most prevalent problems that I have heard about on your site are the windows, hood insert, & headlight gaskets. Well, both drivers & passenger windows work without a hitch. Both headlight gaskets are present & on tight, but they appear to have been re-glued. From the outside, the hood insert did not show any cracks. So there were no problems here. As a 1999 model with the 16” wheels, it should not have the tire rim flaking problem. There was no problem apparent with the rims.

Accessories:
-it does not have a trailer hitch, safari bar, or any such accessories;
-it has a roof rack, with “Yakima VehiCross” stamped right into the feet of the roof bars, on the exterior side of the roof rack. I presume that from what I have learned on the site, while the ‘Iron Man’ version of the VX came with the roof rack included, there are others that either had this option installed by the factory or the dealer as an option. This roof rack is not an aftermarket roof rack.

Driving References:

I DO NOT claim to be a know-it-all when it comes to driving & vehicles. I am not a mechanic, nor do I even pretend to be one. I do the drive-through oil/filter/lube thing. Since taking the VX test drive, I have had some time, in addition to the solitary flight back from Vegas, to reflect on my impressions of the VX.

As a police officer for the past 24+ years, I have had the chance to drive some fine vehicles & some real dogs. Some of them were company vehicles, & some of them were personal vehicles (my own, families, & friends). My work experience includes full time driving in uniform & plainclothes police cars (PC’s) in a variety of small town, highway patrol, & large city environments. Marked PC experience ranges from the sickly 318 cu in Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Volare of the late ‘80s, sandwiched between late 70’s-early ‘80’s 360cu in, 4- barrel 1980 Plymouth Grand Furys, a hot early ’80’s Chev Malibu 305 4-barrel, & the 1990’s 350 LT1 Chev Carpices, 2002 Ford Crown Vic ‘police interceptor’ 351’s, not to mention the Kawasaki 1000 Police Special, Harley Davidson Sportster & FLHTP models. Unmarked PC’s vary from Dodge Caravan’s, Chev Astro van, Blazers, Tahoes, Suburbans, Silvarado 4x4 1/2tons, Nissan Pathfinders, Toyota 4Runners, Dodge Dakota’s, Jeep Grand Cherokee, & the latest GMC Envoy - right through to cars like Camry’s, Altima’s, Grand Am’s, even Chev Corsica’s, & Monte Carlos.

Past personal vehicle experiences include the late 70’s Fiat 128 & Fiat 131, a mint 1969 RS/SS 427 Chev Camaro, 1971 Olds Cutlass 350 v-8 convertible, 1979 Chev Corvette 350, 1981 Dodge Mirada 360 4-barrel, mid ‘80s Porsche 944 Turbo, Dodge 300 convertible, Chev Camaro 350 v-8 4spd & automatics, Pontiac Fiero 2M4, BMW 318, British Leyland’s Rover 3.5L Buick v-8, Toyota Tercel, Celica’s, GTS, ’87 Mazda 626GT turbo inline 4cyl, ’88 Nissan Maxima, ’92 Ford Taurus, 90’s Ford Ranger p/up, & the ’95 Isuzu Rodeo. Most recent personal vehicles include a 94 GMC Sierra, 89 Dodge Ram ½ ton, & a 2000 Durango. Not to be forgotten are a few quick turns behind the wheels of Mom’s 2004 BMW 330i & my brother’s brand new, sweeeeeet 2004 Mercedes AMG SL55 Kompressor (493 HP!!). Woo-hoo !!

VX Driving impressions:

-The test drive was basic, just around the block. In Vegas, it was a big ***** block though!!
-As a 6’, 200 lb-er, I found the seating & headroom no problem.
-when pulling the doors closed, the doors have the lighter feel characteristic of Isuzu’s, as it reminded me immediately of our previous Rodeo.
-I would agree with the removal of the rear headrests to improve rearward views (as someone already mentioned here) & the installation of 1” convex mirror to assist with blind spot coverage for lane changes (again previously mentioned – I have done the same with my pick-up). The VX blind spots may cause some folks concern, but they are not unmanageable. For example, when you find a parking spot at the mall, back into the spot when you can be sure of it’s vacancy, rather than reversing out of the parking spot when departing. Simple solutions with driving habits make the visibility ‘sore spots’ easily manageable.
-Got it up to around 45-50 mph, & that’s when the wind noise thru the roof rack was apparent.
-With smooth pavement street driving, the VX gave a ride way better than any Jeep TJ/YJ!! Translation, I would not expect an unusually bumpy, or intolerable ride from the VX, but I would not also expect a Cadillac type ride from the VX….
-We used to own/lease a first generation Rodeo, v-6, ’95-’97. By way of comparison, the ’99 VX had the same lightweight v-6 sound & feel. Our Rodeo was a 5spd 3.2L v-6, which by reviews had 175 HP. The performance from THIS VX reminded me instantly of our Rodeo’s performance, & felt closer to the Rodeo’s performance than our Durango’s v-8.
-Brakes appeared worn; when coming to a stop, the front brakes had that “close to the calipers”, worn pad feel,
-TOD indicator lights working & active. I would have preferred to take a drive in wet conditions, to get a better feel for the traction in adverse conditions, but alas in Vegas, the desert doesn’t give up much rain. I didn’t press for an off-road excursion style test drive, as I didn’t think the salesman would permit an out-of-towner to do so.

Surprises:
-Roof Rack wind noise: The best I can figure is that due to the short roof, the rack is pressed up closer to the front of the roof. That means it is closer to the wind as it comes off the top off the windshield, striking the roof bars close behind the driver’s head. This appears to be the cause for the wind noise/friction experienced. The VX’s roof rack, & more importantly it’s roof bars, are certainly closer to the front of the roof than it is for our Dodge Durango, where we experience no wind noise with our roof rack whatsoever.
-Driver seat creases: Our Durango has leather seats, & 50,000+ more miles than the VX as tested. I would not have expected the seat to have the prevalent wear lines or “creases” that this VX had. This is not a problem, but just an observation & comparison. Our Durango by comparison does not show this kind of wear.
-front seats: I expected the leather Recarro seats of the VX to outshine the leather seats of the Durango, but there was no noticeable difference between the two with the use of seatbelts in street conditions.
-Engine Performance: I expected that with the listed power & weight comparisons between the Durango [v-8, 235 hp & 4598 lbs] & the VX [v-8, 215 hp & 3955 lbs], that the VX would have showed better than it did. I have since re-examined their specs, & a review of the torque (Durango=295, VX=230) probably explains my surprise at the failure of the VX to compare better than it did.
-VX Brakes: Certainly they did not compare to that of our Durango’s while in this condition, as I was uncomfortable to even get on them
-There was a 1-2 inch square of paint flaked off the metal that sits between the rear edge of the hood & the start of the windshield glass; passenger side, beneath the windshield wipers.

Due to the location, road surface, & incline access for our property here in Canada, we need 4x4s. I have a Dodge 318 4x4 pickup to use as a workhorse around the property, & my other half has the Durango 4x4. I am looking for something that I could drive to & from work & around the city, with a little better mileage than the pick-up, while I left the p/up at the property. Initially I thought of a Jeep YJ/TJ, & tried several. But I came across an Amigo in my search. It was a 4 banger, but it rode much better than any of the Jeeps. So I started to look for a 6 cylinder Amigo to bring up to Canada. I like the large sunroof, & the rear convertible option, but got captured by your sight & the enthusiasm for the VX. After what I have driven from the TJ/YJ lineup, both the Amigo & the VX are superior in ride & comfort.

I am glad I got to drive the VX, however, this test drive was disappointing for my first experience. If the engine performance of this VX is typical of the VX line, then I can see why several of you have acquired the supercharger from Tone, or desire more horsepower. It has been said by many before, ‘There is no substitute’ for HP & torque - I agree. I hope to try another soon. But I may have to stick to looking in the Pacific Northwest, due to travel costs. Unfortunately, neither the Amigo & the VX were ever imported to Canada. Luck of the draw I guess. So my search continues…

I wish to sincerely thank all of those that have contributed to this site, as it served me well when I started to look for & test drive my first VX. Your gallery photos of the Moab have really caught my interest, & I am certain that we will one day take in such a trip. You folks have quite a strong “family” thing going on here, & it is most admirable. I have surfed more than my share of web sites, & have yet to find anything quite like it ANYWHERE else. I am certain that Vehicross.info will continue to serve current & future VX owners, so keep up the good work. Those that aren’t part of it don’t know what they are missing!!

Panorama Point
PS Hey Sature, check your yahoo mail!!

Wow looks like you gave one heck of a examination, Just one thing you wrote


"Engine Performance: I expected that with the listed power & weight comparisons between the Durango [v-8, 235 hp & 4598 lbs] & the VX [v-8, 215 hp & 3955 lbs], that the VX would have showed better than it did. I have since re-examined their specs, & a review of the torque (Durango=295, VX=230) probably explains my surprise at the failure of the VX to compare better than it did."

The VX is only a v-6. Other than that it looks like you sure did your homework

adam

oops; yes I know the VX is a v-6; thought I got rid of all the typos... Sorry!!

Did ya leave your "foot in it" past 3800 r's?,thats where the power of the stock engine shows itself.That spike in the power band is the only thing I kinda miss since the s/c install.
Hope you find "the one".

Ldub

Can't say that I did 'hammer' it past 3800 rev's, didn't feel like unnecessarily abusing someone else's truck, even if it was just a dealer's...

I have been looking for info, such as performance specs, for the supercharger, & haven't found anything.

How much horsepower does the supercharger add to the VX?

Has anyone documented performance increases, such as 0-60 times?

Why is the 3800 rev power 'spike' eliminated by the supercharger?

pp

I've been looking for a VX myself, and have been perusing this site the same as you. I was thinking of going to lookat that very same truck at that very same carmax too. You saved me the time! Very thorough. I hate the "no-haggle" price thing though...does that mean carmax won't do *any* horse-trading?

Great review though...it's like an inspection by proxy :)

Panoramapoint,
You lose the "spike" in the powerband because the stock intake has a vacuum operated set of butterfly valves that lengthen the intake runner, which increases the velocity of the incoming air.
The supercharger kit replaces everything from the heads up, with the exception of the throttle body,injectors,EGR & fuel press. reg.
If you want to see some dyno. charts, use the search function on this site(dyno charts). Keep in mind these numbers are at the wheels,which is less than the same engine measured at the crank.
The s/c flattens out the spike in the powerband because as soon as you drop the leadfoot, it is increasing the velocity of the incoming air all across the powerband.
S/C kit adds 40+ - 50 hp. depending on which intake system you use.
Hope this helps, Ldub

Ldub,

thanks for the info & the search tip for the right keyword. I was not having much success with the keywords I used.

SpaceCadet,

Glad my review helped. Ther are quite a few out there. Last week there were 79 listed on Autotrader.com, but with x-mas approaching, the numbers have dropped down to 61 nationwide, not including what Ebay & Carmax have listed.

As for the haggle free price point, I didn't ask the salesman about it, missed that. Meant to ask .....

Over the last year though, I spent quite a bit of time going through used truck lots looking for a working pickup, one I could use without worrying about hauling wood, gravel, rock, etc...

I first got a 1994 GMC Sierra 5 spd 350 Xtra cab short box. Then after a few months decided it wasn't for me & got a reg cab long box '89 Dodge 1/ton automatic, complete with a 8000lb winch.

All in all, I must have driven between 20-30 trucks, & spoken with countless salespersons & lot managers. When I sold my GMC privately, I asked a truck lot sales person what the prices are for it. He said the GMC was worth $5000 privately, & would list on a used lot at $10,000. [NOTE: THESE ARE CANADIAN $$ figures]. At several other places, I got the same feel. I ended up selling it privately for $5500. That was after advertising it at several pricepoints from $8500 down to $5500.

One salesperson said that "NObody ever gets what they ask" for their vehicles. As long as you are not looking at a beater for $1000-1500, my best guess is that ANY car lot will list a vehicle for at leats $5000 more than they brought it on the lot for [given a price point for a vehicle in the range between $5000 - $20,000.] That would be consistant with the price discounts on New VX's that went "on sale" after the line was discontinued, as has been mentioned by others on this site.

***Ultimately, what they let it goes for depends on WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT!!!

I don't think there is such a thing as a haggle free price when it comes to used car sales. Haggle Free means "dummy" price. In my mind, "Haggle free" is a gimic that gets people on the lot, under the guise that they won't be pestered for MORE than the advertised price. My best suggestion is to go to EBay & drag off the completed listings ACTUAL sales prices, & that will give you the best average price for what any used car is going for.

Feel free to correct me anyone!! Any folks out there in the auto sales industry that can give us all a better handle on this??

P/point