Value of our VX

Its unfortunate that this stuff happens but its the nature of the beast... they are out to make money... the more, the better... I just picked up an '01 VX from a dealer... 46K miles on it... great condition... they were asking $17,499... I bought it for a price I thought was fair to me... I paid $14,000... obviously, they made money on the deal but who knows how much. I know it was a trade-in so I'm sure the previous owner got hosed too... the dealership has another advantage when it comes to hosing people... they can get pretty much ANYONE financed... its tough to purchase a vehicle from an individual because its tough to get financed... people are willing to pay more for the convenience... and so they don't freak as much... plus, in Florida, you have to trade the vehicle in to get the tax break on the new car... whereas in places like Missouri (where I'm at now) you can sell a vehicle and use the sale price (with a bill of sale) to get a tax break... so some people figure that into the equation... ok, I'm rambling... anyway, yes, you got hosed but your happy with the car you got... its in the past now... sooooo... enjoy that FL sunshine... I know I loved it when I was there!

Coach... I mean Randy (I often forget who I really am) ;)
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Let's not forget that most reputable used car dealerships offer some sort of warranty on the vehicle (sometimes up to a year), whereas an individual seller isn't even required to have it inspected in most states (that responsibility often falls on the buyer). Of course, a dealer is going to try to make as much as possible while doing as little work possible.

I personally will probably buy my next vehicle through a wholesaler. I know a couple of guys from San Diego and Alexandria with wholesale auto businesses that buy at auction and can get some really good deals. They deal with mostly luxury autos like Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.

I paid $12,000 for my 2000 Ironman with 50k, in excellent condition. I thought it was a great price. I sold my Unimog which I bought for $8000 in lousy condition, for $7500 after putting in another $6000. I would look at that as a really bad investment and I could have waited longer to get more money. But when the time came to let the Mog go, I wasn't gonna have her sit in my driveway for six months waiting for one of the many prospects to buy it. I was done, and it was worth the loss to me. And when I decided to get the VX, I wanted her yesterday.

When I bought my VX in May 2001, Don's Isuzu on Rt 22 in NJ almost wouldn't let me leave the lot until I agreed to buy it. It was listed at $31.5 and I actually argued with the sales guy that I didn't want it 'cause it was yellow and an automatic. The manager finally said "how much would you pay for it." After seeing the invoice, which was $28K and change, I said $24.6, with tags, taxes, a zero interest loan and my 1993 Escort GT as a trade.

I am the crappiest wheeler dealer in the world and I tend to get ripped off all the time. So, you know...Don's Isuzu was trying to unload the VX on me at any reasonable price. I think I saw the sales manager jumping up and down for joy when I driving it off the lot 3 hours later. He probably got a $50 commission on the deal. Wow, looking at the used prices they're going for now, I was so fortunate (which I'm usually not) to have purchased it new.

Driving home down Rt 22, the very first comment I got about VX was from a guy in a car yelling out his window... "that's the ugliest THING I've ever seen." Oh great, I thought. I bought a vehicle with fangs and it's not a cookie cutter yuppie SUV to go with my stupid corporate management job.

Bing! Right then and there I knew I loved that little VX! I hope I don't ever have to sell it. As the years go by, I tend to be more protective of it because it draws a lot of attention and there are some wacky people out there that have no respect for other people's property. Last May I officially retired the little proton as my secondary vehicle and got a Wrangler as my daily driver. So it sits in the garage until the weekend. My favorite thing to do is to take my dog Suede (a dog, part Basenji, that sat in a kennel for 3 years and no one wanted until I adopted her from North Carolina) for a ride to the park. I guess I have a tendency to collect things that no one wants. :)

Oh well, that's my short story. Thank you to all the folks that make this web site happen. It's great reading about all your VX experiences.

Bumblebee

You have to want the VX. I had been looking for one for a few years and finally purchased the 2000 green dragon in excellent condition with 38,000 miles. I took some time to find the right VX. Purchased from a private seller and I probably would have paid more if he asked.

Was curious about the fj cruiser, went in to see what I could get for trade of my vx 2001 90,000 m. they offered me 10,000 dollars. this was last week :p not gonna take it though, think i'll keep the VX for awhile longer!

10k for a Proton is a rip. There's a high demand and short supply of them. :)

I bought my foxfire VX 3 years ago for $17,000 from a private owner. It had only 11,000 miles and had been mostly stored in a garage. Now it has 27,000 miles, I imagine it has depreciated a lot.

Depends on what people are willing to spend to get one. I'd be interested in , if you are considering selling.

I just got mine from tampa. $9500 with 34K miles. I think thats pretty good. great shape. now itll be another 5 grand in mods, hope the wife wont mind.

I just recently ordered a new 2006 Jetta TDI from a local VW dealership to replace the VX as my daily driver/4-door family vehicle. I was planning to trade the VX in, but they only offerred me $5000 for her! I'm sure that was their low offer and could have been talked up, but I was thinking I would get about $10k. I guess she's worth more to me than the stealership, so I'll just hang onto'er for a while. :_steering

So sad.... How the dealer got her for that much.... I would have bough it for that much...

My first was a '99 ebony that I saw on the local lot on a Sunday (in '99) - the best day to look - no sales weasels. It stickered at 31k plus $5000 "market adjustment". I knew immediately that I wanted it, but I wasn't about to pay sticker plus. Six months later I was trading a Nissan Sentra SER with a lot of Stillen mods for a neglected new '99 VX with 124 miles at $250 over invoice at 0%. Almost got it paid off when I thought I needed a pickup. Traded the '99 for a Tacoma, hated it, traded that for a Lexus IS300 SportCROSS (sound/look familiar??) Then found an '01 coming off lease with 24k miles - on to VX #2.
Now Ebony #377 is going to Joe_Black to become a rally monster, and his Dragon will soon nest in my garage.
I made some stupid moves with this vehicle when it was still in production, even though I knew it was special. Now that our VX's are downright EXOTIC due to parts availability and general ignorance from dealers, body shops and insurance companies, I worry about every moron around me on the streets.
The secret is to own at least three... ;)

Velvis

i live in cali and bought my vx for $15,000 with 16,500 miles. like a 2 years ago...i see some every now and then still going for $15,500 with 40k+ miles...so they are definitely holding value. if not by kelley blue book then by the consumers... :)

The value of ANY vehicle is what someone is selling it for, but more importantly, what a buyer is willing to pay for it.