Newbie...questions

[JThw8]

Hi all, newbie here. Not going to just jump in and blast with too many questions. Ive been reading the site for about a week now just trying to learn.

Im getting ready for a new daily driver. I have always loved the VX and there are a few available "locally" right now.

Of course a few days worth of reading will definitely put some fear into a person about buying one of these. I drive over 120 miles a day and put about 27,000 miles a year on a car. Most of the ones Im looking at have milage in the 70 to 80k range already.

I guess my big concern is engine failures and what if anything I can look for on a car to see if there may be an impending issue. Id really love to buy a VX but would really hate to have my daily driver down for an engine too.

Short of convincing someone to let me drive it for a few thousand miles to check for oil consumption what else can I do?

Any other advice about buying and living with a VX is of course appreciated.

[VehiGAZ]

The "engine failure" business seems to be caused by a lack of oil due to loss around the piston rings. If you learn your engine's oil usage, check it routinely, and keep it topped off, you will not have to worry about blowing the engine. Valvoline offers free top-offs between changes, you know...

I don't want to discourage you, but 120 miles a day is going to be hard to stomach in a VX. I would be burning about 8.5 gallons a day doing that in my VX, or at least $20 a day at current prices. Granted, I don't have the cheap Jersey gas you have, but still... figure on an average of about 15 mpg (most people here report between 12 and 18 mpg) and do the math for yourself.

The common basic mods you read about here (such as installing the rear door popper and re-routing your alarm antenna wire) will make daily use a little simpler.

Good luck in your search!

[Ascinder]

I'd also like to add that I just bought my VX at the beginning of January this year and couldn't be happier. I also have no noticable oil consumption whatsoever and thats at 105k miles. Once you have it, I think you'll be willing to put up with just about anything to keep driving it, at least I know I am.

[Joe_Black]

Base your reliability opinion on that of the Trooper and Rodeo since the VX uses essentially the same drivetrain and ancillary components. Most of the "quirks" are related to the hand-assembled and limited production nature of the vehicle, such as the dragging window issue.

[JThw8]

Thanks for the input folks. The "quirks" like the window issue dont bother me as much as the potential engine failure.

My current daily driver gets 22mph highway and eats only premium....so its a bit of a trade off there. My 120 miles is 90% highway cruising so that helps also (the current ride gets about 14 around town)

I used to do the econobox thing but I drive a pretty hectic corridor every day and after getting squished by a jeep that didnt see me in the box I decided Id rather deal with fuel costs and drive something bigger, safer and more visible.