Hello & few possible purchase ?'s

[Johnny Bravo]

Hey folks! Just figured I'd start by dropping a line and saying Hi as I'm new to this board, but have been viewing for quite some time.

Anyway, until just yesterday I had only held the VX as a dream car that I might be able to get in the future (college life isn't cheap these days). However, I kinda lucked on a nice '99 Astral VX at a semi-local dealership that actually may be do-able if the circumstance is as good as it was presented to me. It's a '99 with 52k on it which, after scouring this forum for the past 2yrs, may or may not be getting right there near the danger zone re: engine (yeah, I know that it's not really proven to be a legit issue, but it still weighs on my mind). Anyway, this dealership (Chevy) has apparently had this VX on the lot since May of last year and it just hasn't sold and they're getting to the point where they might take it back to auction (so I was told by the saleswoman, but it's hard to tell when they're being straight up). So, they've lowered the price several times and currently it's at $10,900 I think which in itself is a good price, but still above what I was planning to spend. I'm currently looking at Grand Cherokees as well since they depreciate notably more than the VX if that matters any.

I'm going back on Sat. to test drive it and see how willing they are to deal on it in the event that the story is true as to how long it has been there. My only issue with it is that it has a tow hitch on it which shows some wear and rust so I'm kinda concerned it may have been used to tow something heavy and it's unlikely I'll be able to track down the previous owner to find out. I guess my main question is what kinda price figure do ya'll think I should throw their way? I have a basic idea as for what to look for mechanically, but any tips you guys could give me to help haggle with them on this specific vehicle would be great. Thanks in advance!!! :)

[crager34]

It's not a bad price and you should get some of the warranty as well. They probably only picked it up for around $7k (I could be way off), and an estimate of dealer retail is around $11.3k.

Good luck.. you will love this car.

[johnnyapollo]

I wouldn't worry too much about tow wear - if the hitch can hold the weight the VX probably won't have had any issues IMO. If the hitch is ugly you can always whip out a can of rustoleum to clean it up (wire brush off any loose rust). I would get an inspection done with at least a pressure test on the engine and have someone look at the tranny/drive train and springs/shocks. These trucks are tough as nails though - even if there are issues they can be corrected - it really depends on what you can afford to fix.

-- Best, John

[Johnny Bravo]

Thanks a lot for the info guys! I'm hoping that since they've supposedly had it on the lot for 7-8 months they'll be eager to deal on it just to move it. I really had my eye/heart set on getting a Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited instead since VX's have typically been well out of my price range, but this could change things. :) It's located in a semi-small town/city area in West Virginia (Charles Town to be precise) so it wouldn't be too surprising if they literally did have it on the lot that long as it's not really near any large cities. The sales chick did mention a guy had been looking at it not long ago who was very familiar with VX's, but ended up buying another in PA I think. Anyway, I'll try to haggle them down below $8k just to see how eager they are to get rid of it (that's my upper limit anyway), but if not then I'll just walk away and keep dreaming. Thanks again!

[Dallas4u]

Again, not a bad price already... maybe see if they can throw in the 60k service (especially if there are no service records accompanying the vehicle).

[WormGod]

Welcome. Good to see another Maryland VXer onboard. Hope it all works out.

[thebear54]

GO FOR IT MAN, YOU WON'T BE SORRY :)
John

[Johnny Bravo]

Welcome. Good to see another Maryland VXer onboard. Hope it all works out.

Thanks! I've noticed a few Marylanders on this board and there's another Astral VX in my immediate area as well. I did see a Proton at Arundel Mills just before Christmas as well, but didn't recognize it as anybody on here.

I'm gonna go check this one out tomorrow hopefully as long as the weather holds out. I'm trying not to keep my hopes up too high as I have a feeling they won't haggle on the price enough to get into my range, but ya never know.

Thanks again guys! :D

P.S. Anybody else on here rather tall? I'm 6'5"-ish and I did get a moment to sit in this one, but just wondering if there is anything to be done to add a bit more room overall. I fit just fine (way better than my ex-FD3S :D), but it would be nice to have a wee bit more room if at all possible.

[t2p]

Something is wrong .........
.
The price - just under $11 K price - for a 99 with 52K - is very low for a dealer. And it sat for 9 months on the lot.
.
???
.
A nice 99 VX with 52K would very likely be on a dealer lot for somewhere around 14-15K at most dealers in the area where I live ..... in western PA.

[Johnny Bravo]

I agree that it's quite a low price and it was a shock to me when I saw it. I didn't even consider getting out to look at it until I saw the price and almost couldn't believe that it had been there that long. It is in a rather rural area though which tends to cater to the NASCAR type of crowd. I'm going to go give it a test drive during the day tomorrow and really look it over well to see if there's anything wrong with it. I'll also get the VIN for it to do a CarFax on it too just to get a better idea what's up with it. I did look over it somewhat the other day and it was generally very clean inside and out and I didn't notice anything out of line externally. It started right up on the first try and idled smoothly the whole time I was there (about 15-20min.). I may take my digital camera with me as well to take a few snapshots of it. I don't suppose anybody else on here lives in this area that could check it out that would know more about it than I do?

[Offroad vx]

That price does almost seem to good to be true, mine I just bought 2000/ 46000 was $17,900 at the dealer before dickering. If I was you I'd ask for the previous owner's info if they're not willing to part with that proceed with caution!

[Johnny Bravo]

The weather was pretty damn nice today (near 60) so I trucked on down to the dealership to check it out. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to make it there before they closed at 3pm, but I did get some pics of it and the VIN. I'll have time on Monday to go take it for a lengthy spin and give it a thorough once-over. Anywho, here are a few of the pics I took today for what it's worth (I hope these work):

http://www.geocities.com/eunosfd/DSC02221.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/eunosfd/DSC02224.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/eunosfd/DSC02228.JPG

[Dallas4u]

Well, it comes with a roof rack... that was an option and a coveted item! The leather looks to be in good condition. I had the Astral Silver before, so it brings a tear!

Looks good. It seems like you really want it, so, I have an idea of what's going to happen. ;)

[Johnny Bravo]

LoL Dallas :D I still really need to give it a drive and haggle on the price. As of right now it's a few grand more than I can really go so I'm crossing all of my fingers and toes that they're desperate to sell it and will hook me up. I had noticed the roof rack too and had never seen one on a VX before other than what I figured were aftermarket ones. It's a Yakima fwiw so I dunno if it's factory or not, but it matches paint-wise so I suppose it's possible. Anyway, if it doesn't work out then I'll certainly supply all the info I get about it to anybody who's interested then go find myself a nice '98 Grand Cheroke 5.9 Limited (oh it's a beast alright :D).

[TDUB]

Johnny,

My Cherokee V-8 was in the shop constantly. At 30K miles it was enough for me. It was a '99. Maybe they have gotten better. That VX looks to be in great condition. My advice to you is to buy it even if they can't meet your price as long as the history checks out ok. I've always found if there's something I really want and it's a bit more than I can afford I always found a way to come up with the money and just worked a little harder for awhile. It was ALWAYS worth it!! It really makes you appreciate it!

Good luck!

TW

[Johnny Bravo]

Alrighty, so I got a chance to take the VX for a spin yesterday. Overall it seems quite nice other than the windows not working (not surprising though :)). I didn't have much time to chit-chat with the salesperson or dealership manager, but at that time they wouldn't haggle anymore on the price. So, I may try to stop again later this week so I can have more time to talk to them about it, but as of now it's a bit out of my price range. :(

Anyway, so if anybody out there wants more info on it, pictures, or just a general impression of that VX just lemme know and I'll give ya the lowdown. Thanks again everybody for all the help/info.

[GoIsuzu]

If you have the unit's VIN number I'd be happy to look into any work done on the vehicle by authorized Isuzu service centers. We generally run a Carfax on every unit that hits the lot but on pre-owned Isuzu units a lot of times the Isuzu service history tells an even more complete story than Carfax does.

[SoTxVx]

I paid just over $13K for my '99 silver VX with 24K miles just just over two years ago. I have had to fix both windows (myself) and the CD changer quit cooperating about two months ago. No other complaints. I have done nothing else other than routine maintenance(fluids/filters etc) and put gas in it.

The My wife doesn't like it, but she doesn't drive it. I would buy another one if I could find one as clean, with similar milage and in the same price range as my current VX.

The rook racks look original. My racks would howl at speed above 60mph. I have taken them off and have them sitting in the garage waiting for the opportunity to use them.

Michelin tires are a plus if there is any tread left on them.

[Johnny Bravo]

Hey Don, that would be great if you get the time. I sent the VIN to ya via PM :) FWIW my dad is from the Omaha area (Bellvue to be exact) so we head out that way quite often to visit family.

The only thing that sorta concerned me with it was that the driveline seemed somewhat noisy. I've driven other 4wd/awd vehicles before (my GVR-4 is awd) so I know they're noisier than a 2wd (front or rear) drive system, but it just seemed to have a bit more noise than I expected it to. The tires are brand new (they were needed to pass inspection so the dealership replaced all 4 at the same time) so I can imagine they'd be a bit noisy at first, but this seemed driveline related. Maybe it's just me, but it seemed as though the vehicle as a whole was a bit noisy for what I was expecting. Nowhere near as noisy as my former RX-7, but moreso than what I thought it would be. Oh, and apparently they have some parts to "fix" the windows and won't fix it until they get a buyer. Otherwise they'll just leave it as-is for when they take it to auction.

I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to the dealership manager/owner or someone higher up than a salesperson to see if I can spark a deal with them. I'm starting to believe that they have had it for quite some time as I got a chance to look at their original window sticker and it was definitely faded to the point that it was almost unreadable in some places. Leading me to believe that it had been in the sun for a while.

[Johnny Bravo]

Whelp, just a quick update for what it's worth. My dad & I headed back over to the dealership again today and took the VX for another spin and dug around it more thoroughly than I did last time. Alas, we didn't pick it up today as the freakin' dealership closes at 3pm and we didn't get there until after 2pm. So, overall it looks like it's as clean as I initially thought. I did find out that the dealership doesn't advertise online at all (hard to believe in this day and age; especially for a factory GM dealer) and only advertise minorly in local publications. So it's starting to make more sense why they've had it on the lot for as long as they have. So, it's quite possible we'll be heading back over later this upcoming week when dad has more time off to check it out even more thoroughly and hopefully talk to the sales manager to see if they'll take the ol' Contour on trade and if they'll haggle some more. I'm crossing my fingers (and toes:)) it'll work out, but I'm still looking at a few other options (Grand Cherokee 5.9's) so we'll see how it works out. :D