Hello all. I'm looking to buy my 1st vehicross

[hmmmason]

:confused:
Hello all members. I'm looking to buy my 1st vehicross. If any of you people out there can give me some tips, what to look for, mileage, price.

Basically my daily driver is a '92 heritage camaro and it's time to relegate it to occasional driving, so I sort of fell in lust with the Vehicross when it first came out as a '99. What year should I be looking for? Options? Problem areas? I live in long beach ny and it's going to be my daily driver.

I've read nothing but good reviews on them as far as dependability.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Howard Mason

[geshaw30]

Order 4 days of pizza.....3 cases of your favorite drinkin stuff....then use this site's search engine. All the answers to your questions will be in there somewhere. You just have to take the time to sort through it.

Advice outside the search function: Accept the fact that what you're looking for, more than likely, is gonna end up being a nationwide endeavor. Owners here have gone (& have had delivered) cross country to get their VX. Harsh reality

[hmmmason]

Thanks for the Reply.

I kind of figured that would be the answer & am totally open to the nationwide hunt. I deal with buyers and sellers of limos & buses all day long from opposite ends of the country.

Fantastic answer though. I see I'm going to like you guys. The Wife's not gonna like me when I start to dig into the site here.

So to save my love life,

Could Ya just tell me if there are any major things I should be looking for? And what to stay away from. Ya know the readers digest version.

[Chopper]

A 36,000 mile Proton in Orlando....13,900. Just read about it a post ago. You won't find many with lower mileage. It's a dealership car (Central Fla. C.J.D.) I'd act quickly if you are serious. Mine has 34 and I wouldn't sell it to you for 14. No huge problems...this is no Lotus:grinr: You can make a holiday out of picking it up!

[etlsport]

make sure that the oil level is good.. you will have to keep an eye on it your entire VX driving career, low oil has been a suggested culprit to a few engines going :deadg: with less than 50k miles

check the windows, they have been known to bind up, all it takes is some good cleaning of the channels and to keep them well lubricated, i have my windows tinted and have in-channel vent guards on the windows and have had no issues in probably 9-12 months, i just cleaned them out really well and every 2-3 months spray some silicon lubricant in there

cd changer messes up on occasion but thats no big deal, most of us replace it right away anyway:)

as for a daily driver... make sure you test drive one first.. there are some who would never use the vx as a daily driver because of its low rear visibility and its harsh ride caused by short wheel base and very stiff suspension

[mdwyer]

Ditto on the oil, CD, and windows.

Also, look out for a bad ABS system. That's a $3,000 repair if you care enough about it, and it seems to be relatively common. I suspect a large percentage of us just drive with the ABS light on, though.

There are sometimes EGR problems, and a transmission mode switch tends to go. If the vehicle's been raised, take a glance at the CV joints.

The thing is, these are all more or less easy fixes. I wouldn't let any of these prevent me from buying a VX. What should prevent you? Well, if the engine has any evidence of being run without oil, I'd want someone to look into it. Replacing the engine or transmission just doesn't sound fun. Everything else is doable with parts swapped from common Isuzus.

In then end, though, you just might just do what myself and others have done: Buy it sight-unseen.

[geshaw30]

Chopper is right. Take the Florida Proton (very quickly) and call it a day. You're not gonna find many with that kind of mileage.

[tom4bren]

And keep an eye on your front CV boots. Cracked or split - replace right away.

Usually not a problem if you're not lifted.

[hmmmason]

I really appreciate the help.
I know about stiff suspensions, in my life I've owned a Suzuki Samari that was a daily driver back in '87. Talk about stiff. thanks for the info bout the visibility i'll drive before I buy one. My camaro is no cushion either.

I heard rumor of 2 - 99's going up for sale in tx both have around 15,000 miles. They will be at a dealer. Both came from 1 customer as a trade in deal.
The woman I spoke to said they were probably going to ask 15k for them.

What do you guys think? Makes me wonder about how often they were used and if seals might have dried up.

[TechnoPope]

PM sent.

[snowtrooper1966]

....In then end, though, you just might just do what myself and others have done: Buy it sight-unseen.
+1

[hmmmason]

What does +1 mean snowtrooper?

[tom4bren]

hmmmason,

snowtrooper meant that he bought his sight unseen. So did I. I bought mine last year for 15K & it had 34K mi.

BTW - I used to have a Samurai. 81 cubic inches of raw power & a suspension so stiff that I could run over a dime & tell you if it was heads or tails. No complaints tho - it made a great commuter car & only retired after it had a quarter million miles on her.

[JHarris1385]

+1

I live in Souther Indiana, flew to chicago, drove a rental to WI to pick up a VX I had only seen pictures of. Not ONE regret since.

[don moore]

i got some pics on mine and went 450 miles to a little town in cali. to get mine ..then drove it home ..Im a happy camper....:smilegray

[tom4bren]

Don't forget that Shoota has his up for sale & is getting desperate. He's dropped his price to $8900.

I PM'd him to PM you.

[don moore]

and one on the west coast for around 8k ..Joey Nicolas has it

[Chopper]

Why you want a hammered one, if you can get a clean one?? Unless money is a big issue...but a cheap one, can be a very expensive one

[hmmmason]

Hello every one.

I think I found one that has about 48K miles on it. Anyone here know anything about Frank Bastings 99 ebony? That's the one I'm gonna get. He told me to ask you guys for your input on it. His id here is technopope.

Any comments. It has the window issues and some pretty nice upgrades, shocks, calipers. rotors. air filter intake. All things I would have done myself.
Just lookin for a second opinion.
Thanks

[mtvehi]

There is a 2001 dragon green on the "for sale" page that looks real clean. All recent maintenance done. Checks out perfect and comes with some cool upgrades: basket, rims, front brush guard, antenna, Tone's hitch, etc. Check it out. Willing to deal if offer is right.

[crager34]

When I lived in Denver, I flew to Kansas city to get mine. That one went to the VX graveyard and then while living in Cincinatti, I flew to Rhode Island for the second one.

[snowtrooper1966]

Here is one you should consider:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=238344157&dealer_id=61966281&car_year=2000&num_records=100&model=VEHICROSS&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&engine=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=ISU&color=&keywords_display=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=53211&advanced=&end_year=2008&transmission=&doors=&max_price=&cardist=638


super low miles!
Best,
James

[mdwyer]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=238344157&dealer_id=61966281&car_year=2000&num_records=100&model=VEHICROSS&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&engine=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=ISU&color=&keywords_display=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=53211&advanced=&end_year=2008&transmission=&doors=&max_price=&cardist=638

super low miles!


Where are they keeping these low-mileage vehicles? Why would you buy a car you don't drive?! I'll just never understand...

('Course, I suppose my VX hides out in the garage on weekdays, soo....)

[hmmmason]

What about all those horror stories bout the blown motors?
I read an awful lot here on the site.

Seems most of the vx's have a healthy appetite for oil also. Is that normal?

It's the motors that scare me, just replaced the camaro motor this summer because the map sensor blew. I know stuff happens but seems it happens alot to these vx's

What do ya think?

[etlsport]

ive driven my vx HARD for the last 20k miles and the engine and transmission have both taken the abuse in stride i regularly hit 5000 rpms, i keep my oil topped off (burn about 1 quart every 3-4k miles) and i check my transmission and differentials at each oil change, havent seen any problems there

[mdwyer]

What about all those horror stories bout the blown motors? I read an awful lot here on the site. Seems most of the vx's have a healthy appetite for oil also. Is that normal?

I think what etlsport said is pretty much it. They do seem to consume oil, possibly due to a bad design decision within the engine. I understand you might be able to limit the oil consumption by keeping an eye on the PCV and the EGR tube. In any case, always keep an eye on your oil. That's probably the root of all the blown engine problems.

[djkymar]

hmmmason,
I think your the one who called me last week about my Ironman from PA.
Well its still up for sale. And you took the right route to come here cuz here is the best place you can find everything about VX and if you cant find something you can always ask.

[BuxGuy]

I also had an '87 Samurai. Bought it new. Wow, what a blast that was. It was factory "Fantasy Black", tin-top. Also had limo black glass all around. Loved that little truck....but not as much as I love my Proton. I also purchased my Proton based on a few pix on the web. Drove a couple hundred miles, paid the diff and drove it home. Never looked back. SWEET!