Thanks for an interesting article! Surprised that anyone would put in a backup alert, going for the original camera is much better and in keeping with the car. One other thing: it's risky to take a car straight out from a purchase without changing the fluids first or doing whatever neglected maintenance needs to be done, tire rotation/balancing or brakes might be an example.

When I purchased my car it had new tires but they had been statically balanced [not dynamically] and they all needed to be redone - this could have been a major hassle on a long trip. More seriously, the dealer had prep 'ed my car and overfilled the oil by a whopping one quart, and the diff fluids and transfer case fluid were in terrible shape and badly in need of changing, and the transfer fluid was almost a quart low. It would not have been a good idea to drive a car in that shape on a 1700 mile journey compared to the $800 it would cost for DAS to ship it in an enclosed carrier, also keeping the 2000 miles or so off the clock. By the time I work in a few days off work and off the payroll a long-distance pickup is not feasible.

On the other hand you got to view the car first which is worth quite a bit. If there was a way to view the car and ensure it was prepped properly that would be the ideal world. It all worked out for you which is great, but I believe this viewing/prepping/shipping thing is the greatest dilemma facing anyone who wants to buy a rare or specialised car like the VX.

Finally just want to say that I've had my car for about three months now and really love it! The car has the perfect feel and the KYB Monomax shocks really worked out well. The car handles beautifully and is perfectly stable, and while not as fast as the Maserati 228 I had it can certainly blow off the SUV moms and NASCAR dads competition 99% of the time.

The only negative I can find about the car is the A/c which really seems to load up the engine, there is a big difference in perfromance [as in less] when the A/c is on. I was wondering if any other VX'rs have noticed something like that? Thanks again, Vis