CeCe, I gotta say you are about the last person I expected to sell their VX. Not that there's anything "wrong" with that...

Financially, there can be little doubt it is far cheaper to keep an older vehicle running than buying new. But I understand the frustration of not trusting your transportation to get you around reliably. Which is one big reason I am have 2 vehicles. My Trooper isn't my daily driver, so I have the luxury of leaving the Trooper in the garage for extended periods with parts strewn about whilst I figure out what the hell I am doing...much less pressure than trying to get 'er done for the Monday commute. So can you get another cheap daily driver and keep the VX?

OR, maybe you should just get a different VX that you do trust...

Ultimately I agree with Gill, do what makes you happy.

A few other thoughts:

I'm not sure the "grinding" you describe is a problem. Lots of vehicles make extra drivetrain noise at light throttle at highway speeds, including my Trooper. OTOH, if I were to actually hear your noise, I might have an entirely different opinion.

New FJ: Taller than Gill's VX, Eat into school savings and not worry about even the itty bitty problems because...New Car Factory warranty, or big ones...Lifetime Drivetrain warranty, Locking Diff., cosmetically sound, But it doesn't come in LEATHER! Part are readily available. Moab is in the horizon.
AFAIK Toyota doesn't have lifetime drivetrain warranty, for sure my RAV4 doesn't...unless that is something special to the FJ.

BTW If you do want a slick daily driver look at the V6 RAV4, the AWD will get you around in the snow, 269hp has a nice Wheeeeeee factor, and it gets upper 20s mpg highway, lower 20s around town. But it isn't an off-roader.