Sticker Shock!

[kpaske]

I'm just getting around to finally getting my VX paid off. I was one of the first to take the plunge for 32 big ones back in '99, and after a 6 year loan, and a 5 year refinance, (and who knows how much in interest) it'll finally be mine, all mine. Just for kicks I looked up my VX's value on Edmunds, and I have to say, I'm almost disgusted. $6759 trade-in value?!? $8486 is what I can expect to get from a private party, and $10,283 is what someone would pay at the dealership. Un-freakin-believable! As much as I still love my VX, it has to be the worst financial mistake I've ever made. It kind of spoils the fun of owning such a unique vehicle. Does anyone else feel my pain?

[MZ-N10]

yea the vx has no resale value....bought mine in 04 for 15000 flat....its worth around 12000 now....
________
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[drdavidr4u]

Bought my 2001 VX in 12/03 from the dealer where the original owner traded it back in with 15,000 miles in mint condition. I paid $18,000 cash and never lQQked back!
I love my VX....but am really sorry to hear of its low book value
I hope to keep mine for ever!

[Tone]

Compare it to other no longer produced vehicles and I don’t think it will be quite so shocking. Compare it to other same year, low demand vehicles and you will find similar numbers.

Vehicles are not investments - they are a means of transportation that you either enjoy and get pleasure from or they are simply items of conveyance. When they get old or you tire of them, you sell or trade them and take your losses. If it was worth nothing tomorrow, I’ve still had the best vehicle I’ve ever owned and I paid $32K as well, it just has a higher cost per year of ownership than others.

[Navigator]

... Whopper value meal at Burger King, and it was quite enjoyable, Within an hour it was just a worthless pile of Shifting the subject back to automobiles :naughty: the value is fades. Is a Bently really worth it or will a Jetta get you there just as well, IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE AGREE UPON BEING A STATUS SYMBOL. Just like some people pay thousands of dollars for a potato chip that looks like Elvis, most people just consider them to be food. And with cars, unless you can find someone with more money than sense (which can happen) you will never see a return other than your enjoyment of ownership.

I'm just glad to be lucky enough to own one. Not sure what my next vehicle will be, but I doubt if their will be anything available as capable, unique and affordable as the VX. $32k is cheap IMO for the thrill of owning one of the most unique AND capable vehicles on the planet, but then that's just my opinion :yes:

[SPAZZ]

I purchased my 2001 Ironman in April of 2001 right off the showroom floor...literally for $28,900 and out the door for $34,000 after tax, title, license, regestration and negetive equity from my trade in. I got the zero % interest rate for the whole 60 payments.

after skipping like 12 payments due to moving, divorce, etc...... I owe more than I would if I would have been able to stick to the schedule of payments. But, it is nice to see every single cent come off the balance after I make a payment. No interest, no finance charges or any fees period.


the vlaue of it in $ figures from some source, doesn't matter what, isn't what makes the value...the value of my VX to me comes from my heart and how happy it makes me.

[Hanalei]

I fell hard for the VX when I saw a Proton in 2001. After LOTS of searching, finally found a Proton in 2/03 in Hillside, NJ with 32K on it. Got it for $15,250 and I'm in my glory. I love the stares and questions. People are in awe of this thing. Forget the green and keep in mind that you're driving an awesome, one-of-a-kind vehicle.

[jimbo]

Bought my 2001 Firefox Red this spring for $17,000. Only had 12,000 miles.

The thing about bluebook values and hard to find vehicles is that if you are patient as a seller you may be able to get more that the vehicle is technically worth. Somebody will come along who REALLY wants it.

Also: I think recently there are several VXs on the market because we are in the usual 3 to 5 year period when many folks who bought new, or leased, are trading in. Hopefully as the years go by VXs on the market will become exceedingly rare.

Of course that don't mean there will neccesarily be a great demand for them ... but who knows.

I hope I never have to sell mine. ;Do;

[kpaske]

I think what bothers me the most is that had I waited 6 months to a year I could have bought the same vehicle brand new for $7-10k less, and 2-1/2 or 3 years later they were selling for half what I paid. When VX's were dropping into the teens, I still owed $25k on mine. That's what makes it a financially irresponsible decision. Like I mentioned before, I love my VX, I just feel I grossly overpaid.

We all know cars aren't good investments; they are more like expendables (just over a very long period of time). Fortunately there are some cars out there that hold their value much longer than others, and I think next time I'm in the market for a vehicle, I'm buying something that has a proven track record for quality as well as retaining some of its resale value. Hell, for the money I paid out in 1999, I could have bought a Mercedes C-Class that would still be worth $15k (private sale) or $13k (trade in).

Of course, as several people have mentioned, we do own a very unique, special vehicle that reflects a certain sense of style and adventure. I have got a lot of enjoyment out of my VX thus far, and I'll likely keep it for quite a while. But it's partly because it's still worth a lot more to me than it would be to a potential buyer. I'm just still in shock over the depreciation of this vehicle. I tend to like to get something new(er) after 4 or 5 years, and that was just never an option with the VX because the value dropped so much faster than my principle balance. All I can say is that never again will I buy a vehicle in it's first model year, no matter how much I like it. Live and learn.

[Tone]

’00 and ‘01s sold for $31K as well - prices did not drop until production ceased and they had to move inventory.

[kpaske]

Yeah, I don't really remember what the '00's were selling for (because I was up to my ears in car payment ;) but I'm sure when they came out the price on the remaining '99's dropped way down, if they hadn't dropped much earlier. I know at the dealership that I bought from, 6 months later the sticker price on a '99 was down to about $28k, and I'm sure had I been smart I could have haggled the price down even lower. That's the other thing that really irked me (and it was due to my own impulsive stupidity): I never checked the dealer cost before I bought it. IIRC, dealer cost on the '99 was something like $24k, so some schmuck at the dealership made a cool $8k off of me.

[Andrey]

the sticker on my Ironman was $30.985 or something. I've got it on the 30 th of January 2000 for 21K + my Chrysler LHS which was berally holding together and was giving my so much PIA that no amount of Advil will be able to surpress it in this world. To whatever reason I've paid it off in 48 months with 0 interest. The only regret that I have is that I did not waited / found '00 model to have 10 years/120K warranty. I do not care what the trade in value is of my car as I do not plan to part with it. Nobody can measure in monetary equivalent the amount of pleasure that I've got through the years of driving it. DO not regret a second ! You are a proud owner of limited production vehicle !

[I_Wanna_Retire]

I hesitate to comment, because some of you will think I am rubbing salt in your wounds, but I was one of the lucky ones who timed this fairly well (believe me one of my only well timed financial decisions) and was able to get my Proton for $18K and some change, and it only had 500 miles on it. So the cool thing is to get stopped by people who really like the looks of the vehicle, and then to get a double take when you tell them you bought the $31K vehicle with only 500 miles for $18K. Alas, I don't like how fast the value of these things are dropping either. However, it helps me understand I will own it until it dies of natural causes.

[Jason]

The real reason the price has dropped like a rock is because people have given them away to dealers on trade. The dealers have no market, so they dump them cheap. I don't care what Edmunds or Blue Book says, my 01 Fox Fire Red is worth $21K. I know, because know one will be able to buy it for less than that. The really fun part is to get stopped by someone to ask you how you like the vehicle and to say they'd like to buy one, only to find out that Isuzu stopped making them 3 years ago! People can't believe its an "old" vehicle.

[jimbo]

Let's form a cartel. We could be like Opec (who controls the price of oil by imposing prices and capping supply).

I propose, as a start, we all agree to never sell our Vehicross for less than $30,000. We could meet secretly in Switzerland once a year to adjust the price upwards from there.

Also: a one year Moritorium on Vehicross sales is needed (in order to stabilize the price). Anyone who sells a Vehicross during this time will be hunted down by Donald Rumsfeld and sent to Guantanomo Bay prison in cuba.

* As an aside we should advertise the fact that Osama Bin Laden definitely DOES NOT drive a VX. He and the Taliban like those little Toyota pickups *

We could use a comprehensive marketing plan as well.

Having movie stars drive Vehicrosses would probably be beneficial. Perhaps Arnold, Stallone and Vin Diesel could show up in VXs at next years Oscars.

Maybe we could convince Oprah to say on her show that Vehicrosses are the most effective diet since "South Beach".

Finally, when the voting results are disputed in a couple weeks (you know they're gonna be) we could decide the election by having George Bush and John Kerry race VXs around the White House three times on national TV. ;Dp;

[Bisquait]

we could decide the election by having George Bush and John Kerry race VXs around the White House three times on national TV. ;Dp;

Wouldn't work. Kerry would change directions half-way through the race, then claim disenfranchisement.

But, in regards to the topic, I agree. I bought mine for $14k & dont plan on any "devaluation" whatsoever.

[dutchie]

Wouldn't work. Kerry would change directions half-way through the race, then claim disenfranchisement.

And Bush'll probably cheat...;)

[jimbo]

And Bush'll probably cheat...


GW - "He can run, but he cannot hide ... He-He-He" ;)

[StormTROOPER]

Definitely don't go by Edmonds or Kelly BB, those DOPES price the VX as if it were some ORDINARY vehicle like a Rav 4 or Sante Fe :confused: The other day as I was pulling out of my driveway I noticed a man & woman walking on the other side of the street, the woman gave the man a JAB with her elbow to his arm (as if to say check it out )and then they both looked my way, we all continue to have experiences like that, I doubt if even a Hummer STILL gets that attention, so as for value I say PRICELESS. :cool:

[jimbo]

I've never had anyone look at the VX that I noticed.

The funny thing is nobody has paid any attention to the Vehicross at all. I don't notice any stares. My wife said she saw someone looking at it in a parking lot once with a puzzled expression.

In 1989 when I bought my Amigo I was asked hundreds of questions and everywhere I went people stared at it. I guess these days people have become sort of used to unusual vehicles.

I get lots of young guys hammering me with questions whenever I drive my wife's beatup Mitsubishi VR4 however. "How fast is it? Can it really do 160 mph? Can you tell the rear wheels steer? How's the AWD in the snow? Can I see the engine ; PLEEEEZE! Wow, twin turbos!"

I told the last guy, an auto parts store employee who nearly *blanked* in his pants as he rushed out into the parking lot to see the old VR4 (with dings and a faded paint-job) that I also had a Vehicross.

"Oh that's just a Geo Tracker with a different body - right?" he said as he salivated all over the 3000 GTs engine.

Go figure.

P.S. I found a news group article from '99 the other day. Some butt-head described the soon to be released VX as a "funny looking Trooper".

So many people just don't get it.

[thedutchguy]

Everytime I stop for gas , I get thumbs up or the question: "what is it?"
This actually happens so much , that it's hard to be polite all the time, especially if I'm in a hurry.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

My place of employment has an aging workforce....at 38 years of age I am rather young when compared to the average worker (47-55) there....my experience seems to be that the VX is popular amongst the younger crowd in that most people I work with don't give it a second glance. But, If I drive it in Edinboro, PA which is a college town (Edinboro Univ.) I get stared at so much that sometimes its unnerving! If I park at a restaurant there, it'll draw attention! The first year I owned it I entered it in two different car shows and even there the demographic of interest went to mainly high school kids and college age folk. The older people would walk right on by....with the exception of one retired couple that couldn't seem to get enough of it...lol.

And that was when it was totally stock with no mods!

[Joe_Black]

So Jimbo, if you ever wanna be rid of the VR4 I could use a car for rental at my rallycross events. ;Dy;

[jimbo]

Joe- Whenever we get the VX paid off we're gonna get rid of the VR4, but I'm gonna be patient (while selling it) and try to get as much $ as possible out of it. ;)

We'll need the bucks. The wife really wants an FX35 or FX45.

You rent cars at Rallycross events? :confused:

[Bisquait]

By the way, if you ever want to be reassured you have a totally cool, rare, and irreplaceable vehicle ... just take a look at your insurance bill the next time it comes!

Perfectly clean record here, no tickets or accidents, and insurance is almost as high as the damn payments. As the lady at one insurance company I went to (it shall remain nameless .. cough SF cough .. ) said, they have no statistical information on the VX, how much damage it causes or how much it costs to replace. And apparently, insurance companies have a morbid fear of the unknown.

[jimbo]

Buying car insurance is like bending over to pick up the soap in a penitentiary.

You wish you didn't have to do it, you know it's gonna hurt and you'll probably not be able to sit down for a week.