Hello everyone!

I'm new the forums but have been eyeing you guys for a few days now doing research and whatnot. Thanks for all of your time and contribution...I'm really impressed with the amount of information here. I've found the majority of technical info by searching the forums however I wanted to get some general feedback as you all are more familiar with the vehicle.

So I'm about to buy my first VX (possibly this weekend). It's a '99 Astral with 70K miles for $7500. The price seems to be an alright deal when I average the bank's loan value, NADA, KBB, etc. I do know the seller is firm on the price and will not budge as he has dropped it down from $9500.

He bought it from a one person seller in TX (possibly off eBay) and had about $2000 worth of engine work done. I asked for specifics on the work but he really didn't know except that the engine had a rattle and was making noise - possibly something with a rod. But supposedly all is good now. I haven't seen the vehicle yet as it is about three and a half hours away. I found out about it from someone who happened to stumble upon it casually. They said the only thing they remembered was that the cladding seemed to be really faded out.

Honestly, I'm kind of scared to buy a late mode Isuzu with all the horror stories I've been reading about blown engines and miscellaneous (read expensive) problems. I know the majority can be avoided with good maintenance however it does still worry me.

Anywho, what do you guys think?

I do have a couple of more questions for current owners:

1) Of course maintenance prices can vary from shop to shop, but do you see it more expensive to work on an Isuzu compared to your other imports?

2) Do you see a difference in prices for parts? i.e.; VX parts are more expensive as it is discontinued

3) Hypothetically you bought this '99 w/ 70K and do not know the maintenance history. What would be your mechanical checklist to have done first?

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it and look forward to being a contributive member!!

-Loop