Hello & few possible purchase ?'s

[Johnny Bravo]

Hey folks! Just figured I'd start by dropping a line and saying Hi as I'm new to this board, but have been viewing for quite some time.

Anyway, until just yesterday I had only held the VX as a dream car that I might be able to get in the future (college life isn't cheap these days). However, I kinda lucked on a nice '99 Astral VX at a semi-local dealership that actually may be do-able if the circumstance is as good as it was presented to me. It's a '99 with 52k on it which, after scouring this forum for the past 2yrs, may or may not be getting right there near the danger zone re: engine (yeah, I know that it's not really proven to be a legit issue, but it still weighs on my mind). Anyway, this dealership (Chevy) has apparently had this VX on the lot since May of last year and it just hasn't sold and they're getting to the point where they might take it back to auction (so I was told by the saleswoman, but it's hard to tell when they're being straight up). So, they've lowered the price several times and currently it's at $10,900 I think which in itself is a good price, but still above what I was planning to spend. I'm currently looking at Grand Cherokees as well since they depreciate notably more than the VX if that matters any.

I'm going back on Sat. to test drive it and see how willing they are to deal on it in the event that the story is true as to how long it has been there. My only issue with it is that it has a tow hitch on it which shows some wear and rust so I'm kinda concerned it may have been used to tow something heavy and it's unlikely I'll be able to track down the previous owner to find out. I guess my main question is what kinda price figure do ya'll think I should throw their way? I have a basic idea as for what to look for mechanically, but any tips you guys could give me to help haggle with them on this specific vehicle would be great. Thanks in advance!!!

[crager34]

It's not a bad price and you should get some of the warranty as well. They probably only picked it up for around $7k (I could be way off), and an estimate of dealer retail is around $11.3k.

Good luck.. you will love this car.

[johnnyapollo]

I wouldn't worry too much about tow wear - if the hitch can hold the weight the VX probably won't have had any issues IMO. If the hitch is ugly you can always whip out a can of rustoleum to clean it up (wire brush off any loose rust). I would get an inspection done with at least a pressure test on the engine and have someone look at the tranny/drive train and springs/shocks. These trucks are tough as nails though - even if there are issues they can be corrected - it really depends on what you can afford to fix.

-- Best, John

[Johnny Bravo]

Thanks a lot for the info guys! I'm hoping that since they've supposedly had it on the lot for 7-8 months they'll be eager to deal on it just to move it. I really had my eye/heart set on getting a Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited instead since VX's have typically been well out of my price range, but this could change things. It's located in a semi-small town/city area in West Virginia (Charles Town to be precise) so it wouldn't be too surprising if they literally did have it on the lot that long as it's not really near any large cities. The sales chick did mention a guy had been looking at it not long ago who was very familiar with VX's, but ended up buying another in PA I think. Anyway, I'll try to haggle them down below $8k just to see how eager they are to get rid of it (that's my upper limit anyway), but if not then I'll just walk away and keep dreaming. Thanks again!

[Dallas4u]

Again, not a bad price already... maybe see if they can throw in the 60k service (especially if there are no service records accompanying the vehicle).

[WormGod]

Welcome. Good to see another Maryland VXer onboard. Hope it all works out.