Looking for advice on 1st time VX buyer please

[sayteller]

My wife and I are looking into purchasing a VX and was wondering what general advice you guys might have to help us out. What to look for, things to avoid, handy hints and tips? How are they performance/reliabilty wise? I really like the look of them and want to get into one. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

Jay

[etlsport]

you should familiarize yourself with the "search" function of the site, you can find just about anything with it.. every nook and cranny have been taken apart and analyzed at some point on this site.

Performance, it handles very well, although has a bit of a harsh ride because of the short wheel base and stiff suspension. It is a peppy SUV but it wont set track records. the TOD system is great in the rain and very predictable in the snow.

You will see some debate on reliability. There have been some that have had engines go out very early (30-60k miles usually) but then there are quite a few that are still running well over 100k miles and i think a few at 200k miles (not that they dont last until then.. just havent been driven enough to hit those marks yet). The engine and transmission is shared with troopers and axioms (before 2004) so parts for the engine are readily available.

When looking at a VX things to watch for are.. oil.. check the oil... check it again! the 3.5L engine (especially in the VX) has a tendency to burn oil and when left unchecked can lead to the catastrophic engine failure mentioned before. There have been issues with windows binding up usually fixable with some lithium grease or silicon lubricant. and if it is has the factory CD player.. toss it out the window on the highway before it eats your CDs... doesnt always happen but quite often they will fail and stop ejecting CDs usually fixable with some lithium grease or silicon lubricant. its a quirky vehicle but a blast to drive

[Cobrajet]

If you are hesitant about buying a VX, then you might want to look elsewhere.

I truly believe that the VX is best suited to someone who says "...I always wanted one, and now I can afford it!" If you see a VX and say "WOW!! That is so cool! I WANT ONE!!", then you may be a candidate for VX ownership. If you can honestly say "I don't care about the mileage. I don't care about the poor rear visibility. I know I'll have to keep an eye on the oil and tire pressures and windows. I NEED THIS VX!", then join the club.

I've been a happy owner for over six years, and bought my VX new. It's been my daily driver ever since, and just went over 109,000 with no major problems. My windows work, my CD player works, my engine doesn't leak oil, and she starts and runs like new. If I had more space in my garage I would probably own another (or two... or three.) But, it is not for the faint of heart. Commit yourself, and buy one!

[Ldub]

It also helps if you know how to turn various wrenches etc., or know of a good mechanic who is familiar with imports since there will be no more Isuzu dealerships in a couple of years.

[Pepino]

if you decide to get one let me know i know about a foxfire red with around 50kmiles really close to me

[Joe Isuzu]

Just to reemphasize what's been said, you get piss-poor mileage, like 14-18 no matter if city or highway, I say piss-poor as nearly everyone asks me if I get good gas mileage b/c it's relatively small for an SUV, it's really HEAVY for a smaller SUV though
The ride will never be comfortable but it ranges from acceptably firm to waking up your passenger hard, a lot depends on the state of your shocks as well
tire noise is a little high, then again, this likely isn't a vehicle you will be driving regularly at 70+, visibility to the rear is pretty bad, I'm fairly tall so that helps but it's not really good no matter what
another thing, if you are tall, learn to duck your head when entering or else you'll donk your head on the roof every time
Now, with all that in mind, you're left with a really cool, really rare, relatively low-maintenance vehicle, the cladding is really nice as well as you don't have to worry about door dings, for such a rare vehicle they're cheap to find on the used car market
it has snappy acceleration and handles relatively well also, I enjoy driving it, don't know if I can say that when I'm older with a bad back but for now, it will be with us for a good long time
hope this helps

[Ldub]

Oh yeah...I forgot to add, I wouldn't trade mine for anything that's been built since. There's nothing that even comes close in the smiles per mile category.
I've seen eurozoticars turn heads, but also had the drivers of those same beasties come over & ask about my humble Isuzu.
But as has been stated, you gotta commit.

[sayteller]

Wow, great info! Thanks to all who replied, it really helps. I guess have some thinking to do on the matter. I think this may be my wife's DD for the time being until we have kids, plus we would probably use it for camping and whatnot. Is the 4WD touchy or "sticky"...I know some SUVs have a tendency to have their 4WD be pretty rough as far as it going in and out of gear? We are going to test drive 2 today so I will let you all know how it goes. Thanks again!

[etlsport]

ive never had any issue with mine going into 4wd... just put it in neutral and move the lever... lol theres good THUNK involved with it but its not violent or anything

[Joe Isuzu]

I'm with Etlsport, I've only used it once and that was to tow a boulder to the back yard that I had uncovered, just a thunk when switching to 4wd low and that was it, camping would be a good idea and remember, you can remove the back seats and fee up a decent amount of space if you need it (you can also fold them forward and out of the way if you don't want to hassle with actually removing them)

[BeeVenom]

BUY ONE! They are so much fun. Windows are a pain but there are a number of different fixes for them and some "how-to's" on this forum. I use synthetic oil and have no problems whatsoever and mechanically they're pretty tuff. If you do get one, make sure you 'de-badge' it......It's so much fun watching people as they pass you on the highway doing a "180" (or in a parking lot) trying to figure out what IT is. The enjoyment never ends.
Best of luck in your search,
Scott

[VXIRONwoMAN]

The VX is the most awesomely amazing superific eyecatching kick ***** vehicle on the road today. I am currently on my 2nd VX just because my Dad really really wanted to buy my other one, so luckily for him, I let him. Yeah, they have a few quirks here and there, but if you are willing to committ and love and cherish the VX you are up for the ride of your life. And you get to meet some really awesome people along the way! Such as offroading in Moab, UT, or going to meets in Chicago with a few of us locals. The 4WD works great by the way! I used it 3 times yesterday to get out of my garage and back into it and to go over a snowy hill curb thing at the local shopping mall! Good luck finding the right one! Hopefully we will be seeing you soon.

[Kenny]

I have to strongly agree with Cobrajet. If you have ANY doubts, don't do it.
You almost need to have an obsession with the VX to ignore some of her small nuances. Any doubts or peeves will grow over the years (or months).


For me, it's the uniqueness and how easy it is to work on. I get a huge kick when I go to a movie at the mall and park in the lot close to a Sunday afternoon car show and have alot of people drift over from the show to look at the vx. It's more an expression of character than a means to get you from point A to B.

Good Luck.