It was 10 years ago today that I drove 60 miles to Silver Spring, MD, to take a look at a used '99 Iron Man. I mentioned to the salesman that I REALLY wanted a Proton (to match my Cobra and CBR), and he walked me over to the showroom where their last new 2001 VX was sitting with a dead battery. I already knew that VX was going to be mine by the end of the day, but we went through the whole haggling process anyway, while they brought the VX back to life. Someone on the old forum claims that he was going to buy that same VX the following Monday! How different my life would be now if I had waited a week.
10 years and 130,000 miles later my VX still has working windows and CD player, and no CEL/TOD/ABS lights! I've never had any major issues, and have had it serviced by the same dealership (NOT the one I bought it from) on schedule since day one. I don't drive it much these days, even though it is technically my "daily driver", so I'm planning to have the 135K service done early, just to make sure everything is still perfect and also to install those OEM front brakes I've had sitting in a box for the last couple years.
If I had it all to do over again, would I have changed anything? NO! I think it was destiny--fate--whatever, that brought us together, and it's a relationship that (hopefully) will last forever. My VX has been very good to me, and I have been very good to it (except that one outing with Tom, Eric, Andres, Norman and their significant others. Bad TOM!!)
I'll post my ownership story again in the 20th Anniversary forum 10 years from now. See you all there!!