Purchasing advice and Common Problems

[snowtrooper1966]

Greetings, twistedsymphony!
Easy to find? I had to buy one from New Jersey and ship it to California to get the color (Dragon Green Mica, rarest color) and low milage I was looking for....
If you are not too picky about either of those issues, you will find it easier to locate one. I think it's just coincidence that there are three near you. try that same search in six months (unless the dealers are asking wayyyy too much) and I bet you come up with nada.
Must be fate giving you a decent selection.
One other common issue is CD changer eating disks. I have no problem with mine that I use every day, but many here have opted to switch out.
What colors are avalable near you?
Best of luck!
James

[LittleBeast]

The only major thing I could think of is no dipstick for the tranny fluid. It is kinda a pain especially since if the level is off by much it can cause major problems, just keep an eye on the level and learn how to correctly check it after running through the gears, etc. Windows have problems binding, but you can fix by purchasing better metal window clasps and widening the track on the front and spraying with silicon lube. Center leather console is known for cracking, windshields are becoming rarer, and CV Boots will tear around 100k or sooner if you lift or off road much, but you can fix that yourself. Whatever the cost and whatever the problem this unique vehicle makes it worth the fix no matter what the costs everytime, period.

[nfpgasmask]

From my experience, having my VX now for 2 years, 2nd owner, and having put 45,000 miles on it since I bought it, I have no regrets.

These vehicles are truly one-of-a-kind, and if you are even slightly interested, I think your first step should be to go take one on a test drive. I know I don't speak for myself alone here, in that from the moment I got behind the wheel and felt that awesome "buggy style" ride, I was hooked. No other vehicle has felt this good to drive since.

That said, if you love the ride, and decide to get one, I would not at all hesitate to travel, possibly several hundred miles or more, to find the best, lowest mileage, STOCK VX you can, in a color you want. They are out there, and if you love cars as much as it sounds like you do, a $300 plane ticket to pick up that perfect VX and drive it home is not out of the question.

The other thing you should keep in mind, is that you came to the right place to get the info and help you want. Take a nation-wide look on AutoTrader.com, and if there is a sweet VX on there that interests you, I would be willing to bet one of us on here that lives close by would be willing to go take a look at it, test it out, and look for issues.

So good luck. And oh yeah, be warned, if you get a VX, your 240s won't be the only thing getting tuned. There are several mods and upgrades that make the VehiCROSS that much better, and get rid of some of the little annoyances that a stock VX will come with (i.e. crappy CD changer, peeling chrome rims, pointless back seats, stock height, etc).

Bart

PS - the only issue I have had with my VX is that it burns oil, and I am working on that little problem still.

[snowtrooper1966]

There are some nice low milage VX's on autotrader right now:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...sfyc=&systime=

Including this 24K mile Ebony in PA, just around the corner from you:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=&cardist=2080

Now you just need to decide (green) what color (green) you want...
Best,
James

[nfpgasmask]

Wow, that Ebony is almost tempting for me! I would love to buy it and store it until my current VX is too old.

Bart

PS - That one is sweet, but I wouldn't pay more than 15k for it. They'll come down.

[Zorak]

(Dragon Green Mica, rarest color) James

Uh, NO:


230 Dragon Green Mica color built 2001-2001
210 Foxfire Red Mica color built 2000-2001

[snowtrooper1966]

Uhh, I apparently stand corrected?
I was going off a production sheet I saw months ago that put the Dragon Mica at +_248?
Dont recall the Foxfire Mica being lower...
Best,

[Zorak]

Uhh, I apparently stand corrected?
I was going off a production sheet I saw months ago that put the Dragon Mica at +_248?
Dont recall the Foxfire Mica being lower...
Best,

The quoted figures were taken from johnnyapollo's VX site; the same figures appear in the wikipedia article on the VX.

Actually, the rarest color, at least in the N American market, is pearl white, with a grand total of 1. But, as some wiser person has already pointed out here, "It's just paint!"

[snowtrooper1966]

That would be the place I saw it.
Guess I have selective vision.
Best,

[twistedsymphony]

it's been a few months... but I've got one

out of the 3 that were originally in my area 2 were out of my budget and 1 dissappeared before I could look at it.

for a while I gave up looking for a VX and put a CL add up just for a "reliable 4x4" with a few of the characteristics I was looking for and a few suggestions of vehicles I would be happy to consider (VX being one of them).

I didn't get much responses to the add, mostly lifted chevys that weren't anything like what I wanted, and a few nice but way overpriced Subarus.

then last week I got an email response to my add from a guy named Pete just an hour away from where I live who had a VX (he's apparently a member here too)... after asking a few questions, getting a picture and running a carfax I went out to take it for a test Drive this Sunday... I LOVED IT... this thing was just awesome! I had driven a few other cars and while some of them were a good value none of them really clicked... the VX sold be as soon as I sat in it and I knew I had to have it as soon as I went down the road.

Here's a picture:


it has a few minor problems, AC doesn't work, tires will probably need replacing in the next 5K, the brakes are warn and it's got a hole in the muffler.

HOWEVER, it's got 114K miles on it, and in the last 10K it got a nearly new transmission, TOD system and complete valve job. I snagged it for $5800 and as part of the purchase agreement the seller is fixing the brakes and exhaust for me

I put a deposit on it and I should be picking it up in a couple of weeks once the seller has fixed those things.

I'm excited :bgwp:

that low mileage one that snowtrooper1966 posted looks awesome and I would have been happy to go out to PA to buy it... but it's way out of my price range. At the price I paid for this one I'll have enough left over to fix it up a bit and maybe make a few modifications like the trunk popper and maybe a 3" OME lift and 33" tires

[Joe Isuzu]

congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the family!