Feeling depressed about my VX

[Lease-V-cross]

Yes, it's true...
I'm at a point where I don't know if it's worth hanging on to this ride.
I need new tires. My CD player is busted.

Did I mention I'm leasing this car?

If the CD player breaks on an expired warranty, do I have to pay to get it fixed before I return the car as per lease?
I can't get a straight answer from Isuzu or the leasing company.
I'm thinking as long as I put some kind of player back in there they will just figure out the difference when I turn it in.

Unless, I get rid of it before that.

This is my only ride. I know many of you have the VX as a second car and many of you are very dedicated and have spent some bucks customizing the VX. I'd love to do that...but not if it breaks me financially.
After seeing many of those "off road" pics, I feel that I'm the proud owner of a caged bird that just wants to fly!

'Scuse me while I cry in my coffee.

[hchen]

if you cant take it offroad, do it street. just upgrade the sways...get a little more umph just add a K&N which is like what,25 bucks? and get custom cat/magnaflow exhaust...i got mine for real cheap 'cause my friends own a shop...so if you know anyone, utilize them =P even without those mod, it'll be good enough to do some decent drift action stock. you just have to learn how much it can take and practice your driving skillz so you can push it to the max. because of all the drifting, im actually rollin with slicks...almost and tonight it was even better with the rain 'cause i was sliding everywhere which i personally think is better than offroading...i guess since im a race guy.

i'ts my only ride too...and im beating the hell out of it, driving really hard so i can kill my engine and do a swap. but even with over 4 years of rippin it, i still think its got a looooooong way to go. they built it too good -____- hahaha

[Tonka]

Don't feel too bad. I am in your same boat. I am in a 5 year lease and it is my only ride too. I deliver pizza in it and now have close to 60K miles on it and i have 2 years left on the lease!!! AHHHHHHH!!! What am i going to do? I dunno know, i'll cross that road when i get to it. My advise is to just enjoy it as much as you can. Leases are difficult to get out of.
I've also done lots of mods, sunroof, Sony stereo (much better than stock), lift w/tires (which i have chosen to take off here soon). I figure that i won't be able to turn my VX in at the end of lease because of all the miles i put on it, i might as well put the money into buying it.

[Raque Thomas]

Lease-V-Cross,

I used to be in the rental & leasing business so I have a little insight into this area. The CD player will need to work properly when you return your vehicle, or they will charge you to fix it (and you won't like their prices!). Technically, the stock CD changer and radio must be in the vehicle when you return it. I say technically because that is what your contract says; however, it all depends on the person doing the inspection at turn-in. They may not know or care if the unit is stock as long as it looks factory (ie, not a hack job) and operates properly. To be on the safe side, I'd buy a stock changer off eBay for cheap and then put in the one you want - change it out before you turn in the car, and you still have your nice unit for your next vehicle.

[AnalogVX]

Sorry to hear about your dilema. How much longer do you have on your lease? Can you buy out? Every vehicle needs tires sooner or later and if you own your VX, the CD player won't matter because then you will be upgrading the stock sounds anyway ;)
I guess it all boils down to can you see yourself driving the VX for 3-5 more years? That's how long it might take to get out from under it. But is there any other vehicle to be upsidedown for?

[omegavx]

Maybe you can replace it with george's stock cd changer. I know he posted it was still for sale in the last couple of days. Maybe he'll make you a good price on it and then you simply have to get it installed?? I know its money out of your pocket, but its probably better then paying full price at Isuzu or getting nailed by the lease company for a much higher price.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2426

[Triathlete]

Instal is a 30 min max job. Don't pay to have it done. Pop off the panel around it. Then there are just a couple of screws holding it in. Pop off the cable. Reverse process with new unit. Save $30-$50! ;Dy;

[Navigator]

... Only leased once in my life, learned a lot from that experience. I still miss my Trooper, turned it in with upgraded stereo and speakers. It still looked and performed like brand new, I put less than 32,000 miles on it still had to pay for the full 36,000 miles I agreed to in the lease. I even put new tires on it the winter before lease end. It's hard not to grow attached to your vehicle, which is why I will never lease again.

Before you turn it in, make sure everything works, new or nearly new tires with no sign of wear is a plus, you will be charged if the tires are too worn, and you won't like their prices, have it detailed inside and out and make sure the carpet is clean and the mats look like new. make sure the glass is free of chips and cracks, you will be held responsible. Also make sure the fluids, belts, hoses, etc all look fresh and clean any residue of your tail pipe. Basically, any excesive wear and tear will be billed to you, so if you did like I did, and treated the leased vehicle like your own, you should have no problems at turn in. :luck:

[Heraclid]

I know what ya mean Lease-V-Cross. It's my daily driver too, and my only vehicle. I don't have a lot of cash and right now I am stressing because I have three birthdays and Christmas coming up before year's end and I don't have gift money. Definitely going to need to get another job on the side or something the way things are going.

I've been off-road with mine and it's a blast, but I've tackled nothing real arduous because mine is stock and money is an object. You can still take it out and have some fun without hurting it if you're sensible about it, and I personally don't plan to get too radical with it in that regard because it would cancel some of the other VX benefits. But yeah, I know what you mean - for a lot of folks the VX is a toy and money isn't so tight so they can be a bit more cavalier with it. So we just have to work a little harder to get to that place too I guess. Hey, you've got a great ride, even if you'll never have a supercharger or whatever.

Tonka, that has to be the coolest pizza delivery vehicle out there. :-)

The K&N filter is a bit pricier than quoted above, at $40 around here.