Have I made a mistake?

[LiquidVX]

Mechanically everything is good except for the brakes which I was told have never been changed. I have already ordered the parts to take care of that though.

Thanks for the reassuring and words.

[WormGod]

On the garage vs rust issue, mine has been garage kept its whole life too, but living just south of PA in the rust belt, there is nothing you can do to avoid it. We salt our roads in the winter, and that's enough to cause us strife. We deal with it.

The gas cap finish just GOES. Seems like it's just a simple satin gray that has no protection from the factory. Just re-zap it.

[BigSwede]

Yes, unless you wash the salt off before you park it in the garage (every time!), it will still rust in the garage.

[WormGod]

Yes, unless you wash the salt off before you park it in the garage (every time!), it will still rust in the garage.

Exactly, and finding an open car wash or do-it-yourself is not an option in the dead of winter with 15f temps and 2ft of snow. Thus.... the term, rust belt. The sad part here is, after 60+ inches of snow this year, there is still some standing salt on some roads here. Probably be around till summer. We could use more rain to help clear it out.

Did have a neighbor try to hose down his car some years back during the winter. Not the smartest thing to do.... as he had 2 plumbing vans outside of his house the next 2 days fixing his broken water pipes, heh.

[LiquidVX]

I took some time yesterday to hose down the engine compartment. It is cleaning up nicely but there are some parts that will need replacing. Does anyone know if it is possible to replace the panel between the hood and the windshield that has the vents in it? Where the washer wiper connect.

I washed everything down and put liquid wrench on all the bolts because if they are anything like the license plate screws they are probably seized. Next weekend I will start taking things apart to clean them up better and replace what needs to be replaced. Anyone know a good place to buy body bolts and bumper parts?

[atilla_the_fun]

you could always restore the winshield wiper cowl yourself - I really thought it was plastic, but that looks like its metal that has rusted? I restored the one on my Eagle last year. came out brilliantly. If ours is metal, then you'll have to take it off and clean it up, maybe bondo/glaze it as well to get it looking flat and normal, sand it down with high grit- primer- base-clear (or do a single stage or rustoleum metallic finish can job).

Its a piece that you'll have to get from a VX being parted out, and its almost always going to be grey and not black (due to sun damage).

[wintermute]

Cowl lower or upper. I have been using this site's schematics to ID parts I need:
http://www.isuzupartscenter.com/sche.../4/4628240.gif

Occasionally, the local dealers still providing warranty coverage have been able to order me *some* parts.

Agreeing with Atilla, your cheapest and best bet will be to find someone parting one out that has the piece you need in better condition than yours. In my experience this has proven to be difficult in many instances though.

[LiquidVX]

There is a '99 Silver VX in my state without an engine. Maybe I should buy it for these kinds of things. How much would guys suppose it is worth?

If he wants too much for it I will just refinish the upper cowl. I was suprised to see it rusted myself. It sounds like plastic when you tap it.

[VX KAT]

Check with "VX Crazy" as she has her wrecked VX in her garage, selling parts.

[atilla_the_fun]

you may be better off buying the VX without an engine, installing an axiom engine which is bullet proof, minimally restoring the one you have now - turn it for 13-14 (a profit if you do all the restore work yourself), and living happily ever after with a vx you never have to worry about.

VX with no engine = 1750-2700$

[LiquidVX]

cool thanks for the info guys.

More bad news for me though. I went to the store to get oil and filter and a bunch of detailing supplies. On the way there the check engine light came on. It is immediately on now when ever I start the car. I think the answer to my thread title is starting to look like a yes.

The Axiom engine is a good idea.

[PHO2GR4]

I bought my Ebony VX off of eBay and had it shipped from Florida all the way up to Seattle. I, too, was REALLY disappointed in what I considered to be gross misrepresentation of the actual condition. But after a couple of fixes...mostly gaskets and screws and such...I LOVE this VX and wouldn't trade it for the world.

I think the rust on the various screws and bolts is more a factor of the age of the car. ANY moisture, over this amount of time, is bound to show...even if it's been in a garage.

Bottom line: how does it drive?

[LiquidVX]

It drives well. I wish I could agree with the rust simply being because of its age, but this is my second '99 VX and the first was in much better shape than this with far more miles.

[atilla_the_fun]

if you can prove that the odometer has been rolled back, carfax will buy it back, right?

Run the codes for the engine light and see what comes up, it could just be Murphy's law taking effect and you'll be fine once you wade through these issues

[LiquidVX]

I noticed on the carfax the interior says Black/tan. Does anyone have a carfax that says black/red? Is this a discrepancy or a misprint.

Here is the link to my carfax.