Soon to be VX owner, looking for troubles?

First time post here, so forgive if its in the wrong forum.

I took a 1999 VX for a test drive yesterday. The typical things were wrong, passenger side window wont open,, interrior trim loose etc. What concerns me most was a severe pull to the right while driving. Carfax has told me that this vehicle has been in two front end collisions, though you cant really tell from the exterior. What is the chance that the frame/body is irreversibly bent?

Also, at very low speed turns, there is a very pronounced vibration, seems to come from the tires or suspension somehow. I wonder about the state of the tires as they appear to have a significant amount of "cupping". Its almost as if the left front tire is spinning too fast for the low speed turn. At least the ones up front.

Thirdly, when bringing up the RPMs to get up to speed, there is a pronounced rattle from the engine. I cant quite place it, but it gets louder as I increase the load. I barely wanted to get it up to 70mph quick enough for my satisfation as the rattle was disconcerting, and got louder as I increased RPmS.


Any ideas? I really love the vehicle, and doubt I'll ever get an opportunity to buy one again. The price is very reasonable, but I dont want to have to sink 100% more money into it to get it up to my expectations.

Also, whom do you trust to propery inspect/ fix a VX? Local garages? Import specialty shops? Isuzu truck authorized centers? IFAIK there are no authorized consumer vehicle centers left in the USA, just the commercial truck centers.

Please help, and be gentle, the search functions of the forums are far from ideal.

Hi GRIF !

The pulling can be caused by lack of alignment/balancing.
Also the steering can be bent due the accidents,CV joints,axles all plays a a role in the tilt/pull the VX is suffering.

The engine vibration you are relating off can be the engine's foot mounts where the engine sits on the frame.

You must take that VX to a well reputated shop let them havea full inspection,i'll suggest you to have inspected at more then one shop.

My final suggestion : Steer clear from this VX.

Finding the right VX can take a while,but if you patiently keep looking you'll find it.

How would you need to pay for a VX with so many problems??

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Originally Posted by Grif

... IFAIK there are no authorized consumer vehicle centers left in the USA, just the commercial truck centers.

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There are a few dealers/service around few and far between

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grif

... Please help, and be gentle, the search functions of the forums are far from ideal.

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Ouch! Hence, the importance of proper thread/post titles and staying within topic but, I digress.

yea along with what gussie said.. have the alignment checked out.. should prob run you about 70 bucks.. if you are told its been done before.. chances are you have bent suspension components.. low speed vibrating could be a few things.. possibly out of balance or bent wheels.. but that would probably get worse at higher speeds.. a bad wheel bearing would cause a tapping at speed, possibly vibration too.. or a bad cv.. but that is usually more pronounced during turns.. id get it looked over very closely by a good suspension place before going any further.. even so id probably pass on that vx and find another.. they arent THAT hard to find.. especially if you use this forum, we can help you find a good one at a fair price

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Originally Posted by 99VC

How would you need to pay for a VX with so many problems??

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5 grand or so for the VX, and if I have to throw a few more grand at it to make it "right" then I dont have a prob with that.

GRIF--- Regarding the 1999 VX that has been confirmed by CARFAX to be in 2 major collisions; my advice is to "RUN LIKE HELL!!!" Forget that previously wrecked VX and just be patient. Keep a keen eye on www.AutoTrader.com and a much better VX will appear sometime in the near future. Don't buy the very first one you see. It took me 7 years to find mine, but I'm kinda picky. Be patient and be happy.

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Originally Posted by Moncha

There are a few dealers/service around few and far between

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Where? All i see on the iszu page are truck centers.

i think you would be better off searching for a vx elsewhere. This truck sounds like it has too many problems that were not addressed by the last owner. Who knows what else would await you. The VX is not a cheap truck to fix by any means.

For seven grand, OR SO, you could find a VX with none of those problems, just the usual problems like the windows. Keep looking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gussie2000

Hi GRIF !

The pulling can be caused by lack of alignment/balancing.
Also the steering can be bent due the accidents,CV joints,axles all plays a a role in the tilt/pull the VX is suffering.

The engine vibration you are relating off can be the engine's foot mounts where the engine sits on the frame.

You must take that VX to a well reputated shop let them havea full inspection,i'll suggest you to have inspected at more then one shop.

My final suggestion : Steer clear from this VX.

Finding the right VX can take a while,but if you patiently keep looking you'll find it.

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I agree about the bent steering, but that had all been cleared OK by a GM dealer down here in Alabama.

A well reputed shop?? I have no idea where to go for one that deals with a VX or Isuzus at all.

As far as steering clear of this one, its the only one I can find in my area that I can afford cash in hand. I'd rather pay 5g on a mildly ****ty one and fix it to my specs htan pay 10-15 grand on "somebody elses" that may look perfect and be modded to hell, but it would never seem like "mine". I'm sure you get the drift of that.

Grif; You have been given the benefit of some good advice from some wise people....Take Heed !

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Originally Posted by Grif

Where? All i see on the iszu page are truck centers.

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http://www.isuzu.com/locateDealers-state-AL.html

Don't let distance be an obstacle, you can get it shipped from coast to coast for around $1,000. I shipped from VA to AZ. Or fly and drive it home, after getting a private mechanic to check it out locally. There seem to always be more VXs for sale/available on the East Coast, with a high numbers it seems in PA, VA, OH, DC, also TX, and recently I saw several in Utah on Autotrader.com.

When I searched for my VX in Dec 2008, there were at least 20 for sale around the country, and 43 were listed last week when I checked Autotrader. This particular one seems to have too many obvious problems like the others have said above, just seems wise to steer clear of it. Bad juju. :thumbdn:

Call these flaws to the dealers attention. A dealer should have no problem getting an alignment done or a few other fixes to sell the vehicle. If they refuse they know the issue i something more severe so avoid. If nothing else you have points to argue for a lower price.