In my experience forums are full of both complainers and self-righteous aficionados who are all too ready to take full credit for their vehicle's condition because of their meticulous maintenance. The reality is that most people are hard on their vehicles but that even with quality care a certain amount of luck is involved in keeping a vehicle in top condition. Location makes a big difference too, if you don't happen to live in the high desert your vehicle will almost certainly wear faster even with careful maintenance. And remember that our VX's were hand-built and that the dies were more susceptible to degradation over time, so there will be variation among individual examples (compare the fit and finish between body panels, especially between the door and front fender, on VX's that haven't been in accidents - it's really amazing).

Congrats to those with great VX's for both your hard work and good fortune, and sympathies to those with rougher VX's regardless of the reason.