Prospective VX owner looking for a little advice & direction

[tysamigo]

x3...personally I would consider this one a "part out" vehicle. I think its to much unless you got it for a couple thousand...especially not having ANY service records ...and you still dont know what problems hide under the hood...

I would continue your search for one that will make you smile when you see it, and not 2nd guess yourself

[Cobrajet]

personally I would consider this one a "part out" vehicle.

I respectfully disagree. The only "part out" candidate should be one with a wrecked body, bent frame, or fire damage. Unless the frame is rusted through, it can be cleaned up and made right. Whether it's cost effective for this owner may be questionable, but don't call it a lost cause quite yet.

I'm an old muscle car guy, and I've seen much worse project cars. This one doesn't sound that bad. Mostly unknowns and assumptions. It needs a good inspection and a little TLC, that's all. Go for it!!

[tysamigo]

You have valid points. "Part Out" was probably over the line, I'd like to retract it lol... nontheless I personally wouldn't be interested in such a "fixer upper"...especially without any service records

[TheGanzman]

Uh - go back and read my post, then go and do likewise...

[VX KAT]

With over 100k and all the rust.....honestly, I think $4,000 would still be a little too high for me. Anything under that would be a fair deal. ANd I don't think it's a total lost cause at all.
The tranny and engine both appeared to be operating normally from what you could tell....that's worth a lot right there!


ABS: NOT a big issue at all: $68.99 fix, guaranteed for life!
So you don't have to think mucho $$$$$ for ABS repair/replacement. *Yes, a new Isuzu ABS unit lists for around $3,000 and a salvage yard usually wants a couple hundred, but you don't have to go there!*
Start at post #51:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...d+robin&page=2

THEN READ ALL OF THIS ONE:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ight=dodge+abs



RUST: That rust does also scare me, and I guarantee you're going to find a whole lot of rusty stuff under the hood and even more on the undercarriage too.
I have a gazillion detailed pics of every part of the undercarriage on my rust free VX, just give me a shout if you want them so you have something to compare to, and assess severity.

But, there's many owners in the Snow Belt that deal with the rust. Here's just a few threads.
Jolly Roger VX'er has several detailed pics in his gallery about rust and how he replaced it with new metal.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/sh...500&ppuser=505

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...highlight=RUST

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=18762



TIRES:
Just a quick reminder that all 4 tires SHOULD be the same size, model and wear level (circumference), otherwise the TOD has been known to make some horrible noises. Some people it hasn't happened to, but it has to many others. So tires should be kept all reasonably the same.
I carried my full size spare on the roof in a basket, but I made sure to rotate into service so all 5 remained really close in circumference.



NVH - Many people are surprised by this when they first test drive.
The VX is by no means a smooth riding truck and really CAN NOT be made to be so. Even if you do the following mods, it will STILL be a very rough, vibrating ride on anything that's not perfectly smooth. BUT, most of us VX nutes don't really mind it.

BTW, you can easily tell if they're OEMs or not by whether they have a reservoir on them, and they're KYB brand. (At the time, only production car to ever have reservoirs shocks as OEM)

• The short wheelbase is one reason.
• The OEM shocks are INCREDIBLY stiff (intentionally). Many of us have replaced the shocks with Rancho RS9000XL- which are adjustable, but even the stiffest setting (9) is not as stiff as the OEMs.
• Another thing that contributes to it is that the frame with the rear bump stops sit only about 1/2" above the rear axle and consequently, slams into the axle on virtually every bump. Many of us cut the rear bump stops in half, thus gaining about 4" inches of clearance before they hit the acle. It "improved" and greatly lessened the slamming effect from the rear.
  There is some differences of opinion on whether this sould be done, but it's in these threads also.
  
  http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...818#post274818
  
  
  http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ump+stops+half
  
  
  http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...8&postcount=10

INTERIOR
Steering wheel is in amazingly GOOD condition for age/miles, and the seat bolsters are also in excellent condition for age/miles!

AND let's not forget it also has the OEM roof rack! There's $300 - $350 value right there!

[bartmanS4]

It would all depend on the rust for me. Rust is not generally a factor for us in this part of the country. Paint, cladding, and interior look pretty good to me. Except for the rust my VX was definitely in worse shape than this one when I got it. I was looking for a project car though and that's exactly what I got. A lot of work, money, and mods have gone into it. If you're looking for a trouble free DD I'd pass. When I used to work at dealerships as a teenager the standard markup on used car trade-ins was $2500 if this still holds true that could mean that they only have about $2700 bucks into it. Can you get it for $3500??? The rear license plate illumination bracket is toast but it would be easy to fab a new one, front license plate holders are just clips. Just by looking at the other rust areas the front bumper bar is probably trash and would need to be replaced. The windows are a notorious problem but can be addressed for little to no money. Sue mentioned the ABS fix already. Tires and timing belt and thing start adding up quick eh?