Highly considering selling

[VXIRONwoMAN]

I hate to write this. It makes me want to cry, but I cannot afford to keep my Proton. It's paid off, but with the ongoing "VX" maintenance, having to pay for school, being (basically) in between jobs, just finished remodeling our bathroom (which HAD to be done), I am in the hole more than my pockets can bear. I don't want to just give her away, but I do want her to go to a caring home. I am just throwing the line out there. I haven't set this in stone yet. Trying to get advice from the fam is all. Having a two VX home isn't easy...it's like having twins! YIPES!

What she's got:
2001, Proton, 96k miles, 32" BFG A/T's, OME Springs, Roof rack, Rocky Road Super Sliders, Window Tint, New Bilstein shocks (less than 500 miles), Full size spare, Weather Tech Wind deflectors, debadged.

She's in good condition and drives great. The 6-disc changer just went out of commission, and the ABS is tempermental.

Since day one I have:
Regular (Mobil1) oil changes (every 3k or 3 months)
New washer fluid hoses
New Hood popper cable (it was rusted)
Enabled the alarm system through key fob donations (Dub and Biju)
New Serpentine Belt
New Water pump pulley
New U-Joints
New Left Front Axel Barring
Replaced fuse box relay (I believe that was because
the dimmer switch didn't work)
Replaced battery terminals
...more to come, gotta get the print out from the mechanic.

Do you think I can get a decent price for her? Suggestions for a new, 4WD, foreign (Preferrably Japanese) SUV? I want something under warranty and reliable... Need 4WD in Chicago, winter SUCKS!

Please help!!!

[circmand]

I hate to write this. It makes me want to cry, but I cannot afford to keep my Proton. It's paid off, but with the ongoing "VX" maintenance, having to pay for school, being (basically) in between jobs, just finished remodeling our bathroom (which HAD to be done), I am in the hole more than my pockets can bear. I don't want to just give her away, but I do want her to go to a caring home. I am just throwing the line out there. I haven't set this in stone yet. Trying to get advice from the fam is all. Having a two VX home isn't easy...it's like having twins! YIPES!

What she's got:
2001, Proton, 96k miles, 32" BFG A/T's, OME Springs, Roof rack, Rocky Road Super Sliders, Window Tint, New Bilstein shocks (less than 500 miles), Full size spare, Weather Tech Wind deflectors, debadged.

She's in good condition and drives great. The 6-disc changer just went out of commission, and the ABS is tempermental.

Since day one I have:
Regular (Mobil1) oil changes (every 3k or 3 months)
New washer fluid hoses
New Hood popper cable (it was rusted)
Enabled the alarm system through key fob donations (Dub and Biju)
New Serpentine Belt
New Water pump pulley
New U-Joints
New Left Front Axel Barring
Replaced fuse box relay (I believe that was because
the dimmer switch didn't work)
Replaced battery terminals
...more to come, gotta get the print out from the mechanic.

Do you think I can get a decent price for her? Suggestions for a new, 4WD, foreign (Preferrably Japanese) SUV? I want something under warranty and reliable... Need 4WD in Chicago, winter SUCKS!

Please help!!!

you can save money making new car payments as opposed to the occasional VX repair. Sure if you did not need a new car anything you got for your VX could go toward bills but I think buying a new car just puts you deeper in the hole IMHO

[VXIRONwoMAN]

you can save money making new car payments as opposed to the occasional VX repair.

YES! Because I just got my car from the mechanic Friday after he had it for 3.5 weeks. During that 3.5 weeks I was driving Gill's and he was taking his Harley to work. Winter is coming and he can't drive the bike in winter. My VX had to be taken back to the shop this morning because the problem isn't fixed. Soon I will be renting a car because I can't keep taking Gill's! Plus, Gill needs new injectors!!! His CEL light just came on. We don't wrench we write checks remember... At least with a new ride it will be under warranty and cost around the same if not less. Little problems would be covered. I decided to take the money I saved up for school and put that toward a new car and take out student loans next semester, since everyone else has student loans. I need something reliable, I would hate to get stranded during winter, AGAIN! If I had a steady job, I would keep it. But my pay depends on tips, I bartend. And I can expect a car payment, I can't expect repair bills...

[circmand]

YES! Because I just got my car from the mechanic Friday after he had it for 3.5 weeks. During that 3.5 weeks I was driving Gill's and he was taking his Harley to work. Winter is coming and he can't drive the bike in winter. My VX had to be taken back to the shop this morning because the problem isn't fixed. Soon I will be renting a car because I can't keep taking Gill's! Plus, Gill needs new injectors!!! His CEL light just came on. We don't wrench we write checks remember... At least with a new ride it will be under warranty and cost around the same if not less. Little problems would be covered. I decided to take the money I saved up for school and put that toward a new car and take out student loans next semester, since everyone else has student loans. I need something reliable, I would hate to get stranded during winter, AGAIN! If I had a steady job, I would keep it. But my pay depends on tips, I bartend. And I can expect a car payment, I can't expect repair bills...

looks like you have done the math. I hope I did not upset you mentioning it?

[Scott Harness]

seriously think about it,a car payment will probably be in the $300-$400 a month range for something decent!!
I can't think of anything else I would want.Maybe FJ or Rubicon as far as 4wd if I go back to a car... a VW GTI that would make my 8th VW

[VX crazy]

My opinion, and we know about those, is that its still cheaper to fix the VX, I say get a meet together and get some nice wrenchers to help you guys! We would do that here in Texas!

Also, to get something comparable and under warranty, easy $400 a month.....

Maybe you are just frustrated right now because of recent problems.......and it may not be a good time to make a decision?? LOL

[CrnCnn]

It sounds like a stress thing, worrying about a potential problem that you may not have money for vs. a consistent payment that you know you have to come up with.

What if you still get student loans and save the money for potential repairs? Just a thought.

I am getting annoyed with my VX too. Just always seems to be something and it gets frustrating. That is one reason we didn’t get one for Cari.

[Y33TREKker]

Maybe you are just frustrated right now because of recent problems.......and it may not be a good time to make a decision?? LOL

2nd that one too. But, you could always list the VX for sale to see what kind of interest there might be, and since it usually takes awhile to find a potential buyer anyway, you'd be able to give the current situation more thought in the meantime.

There's another way to look at this anyway. Rather than be sad that life is conspiring to try to make you sell something you obviously don't want to sell and throw in the , get angry that life is conspiring to try to make you sell something you obviously don't want to sell and FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!!

[ZEUS]

YES! Because I just got my car from the mechanic Friday after he had it for 3.5 weeks. During that 3.5 weeks I was driving Gill's and he was taking his Harley to work. Winter is coming and he can't drive the bike in winter. My VX had to be taken back to the shop this morning because the problem isn't fixed. Soon I will be renting a car because I can't keep taking Gill's! Plus, Gill needs new injectors!!! His CEL light just came on. We don't wrench we write checks remember... At least with a new ride it will be under warranty and cost around the same if not less. Little problems would be covered. I decided to take the money I saved up for school and put that toward a new car and take out student loans next semester, since everyone else has student loans. I need something reliable, I would hate to get stranded during winter, AGAIN! If I had a steady job, I would keep it. But my pay depends on tips, I bartend. And I can expect a car payment, I can't expect repair bills...

Nuh uh, I bet you're really just hiding the fact you're pregnant!

BTW, when you mention perhaps selling your VX to someone, maybe you don't want it to seem like it's going to break down again...

Just buy your Ironman back from dad!

[pbkid]

BTW, when you mention perhaps selling your VX to someone, maybe you don't want it to seem like it's going to break down again...

lol, probably a very valid point

[VX4EJR]

Funny...I was thinking along the same lines with the title of this thread just recently after noticing more and more wear on different things in the VX, mods or parts I haven't had money or time to replace or do, the somewhat costly job just to do maintenance for those who do all they can do using nothing but the best fluids/materials, and then my ABS light came on with a price tag of $3200 total to replace the module (ABS problem is not something I'd do myself but then again could just ignore it and not have ABS brakes?).
Like everyone else here, it's probably a love-hate relationship over time. There are days I get in the thing and simply love driving it, and days I want to cash it in for something new and better. Problem for me is, I take a few steps back from the VX and look at it...and realize there's still nothing out there that is as cool and sensible (on the outside) as the VX. So in the end, I am on a treadmill running in place and going no where with leaving this ride. Until the day it completely leaves me, if you know what I mean. Just my 2 cents on the topic.

[VXIRONwoMAN]

To keep it in perspective, I think it really boils down to what is it costing annually to maintain the VX vs what a car payment would be. 9 times out of 10, the car payment overshadows the previous. I think last year alone, I spent no more than $300 total on my VX.

Sure wish I were able to pay that "a year" for my STi, heh. I guess it really comes down to what all "you" are having to do. If it's all that much, maybe the problem isn't the VX.... but how you are using it? Just throwing it out there. *shrug*

...(I clock more hours a month in my garage than I do in my bedroom... sad).

It's paid off though.

Put that ISUZU gem in the garage for Sundays and when Robb Report tells the world that the VX is worth $1billion, heh.

But you are one of the lucky ones that can WRENCH! If I lived in California with my Dad this baby wouldn't be costing me so much, but I don't. Take that $300 in parts and double if not more for labor...

It isn't user error either. I bought this car abused and wasn't informed about it. It was said to be in good condition. That was a LIE! DAY 1 I found out tranny had never been flushed and they couldn't recall the last oil change. I didn't know the U-Joints were nearly shot too. He blamed the vibrations I felt on the off-road tires. Got to Cali from the long ride home from AZ and turned out it had no lube in the drive shaft! It took all the grease we could give it!

I take care of this baby better than any of the previous owners. I know that VX's are in need of constant maintenence, this is my 2nd one...But for some reason my Ironman was way more reliable. I know why though... I bought it from a loving original owner who still had the warranty!

Problem for me is, I take a few steps back from the VX and look at it...and realize there's still nothing out there that is as cool and sensible (on the outside) as the VX. So in the end, I am on a treadmill running in place and going no where with leaving this ride. Until the day it completely leaves me, if you know what I mean. Just my 2 cents on the topic.

SERIOUSLY! When I got it back from the shop the 1st time and coming back from class saw it sitting all by itself in the last end spot in the back of the parking lot and was like "DAMN you look GOOD!"

But then it is a stab to the heart when you put your heart and soul into a vehicle that you can't drive because it is constantly in a garage. Not my garage! I figured if we have to dump money into one of the 2 VXs in our garage it should be Gill's because he is the original owner and we know it's history.

It's like I adopted a dog that looked really cute and was sweet at the pound; and once we got home he started ripping my house apart. I wouldn't want to put it back in the pound... but I wouldn't want to keep it...

[vt_maverick]

I'll chime in here since I went through a similar experience last fall. I was at the very end of a divorce, which cost me about $15K in lawyer fees alone. Plus lawyers want their money up front, so I was charging everything on my credit card just to stay afloat. Bottom line was I found myself into the lawyer for about $5K and into the credit card for about $7K. Every night I thought about where I was going to get the money, and every morning when I walked out to my nearly paid off Inifiniti G35 coupe I couldn't help but think selling it was the answer. It broke my heart to sell it, it was the first car I bought after college, brand new, 6-speed, Brembo brakes, navi, black-on-black, the works, and I loved it dearly. Reliability wasn't an issue (though the cost of parts when things went wrong was ridiculous) but I kept thinking that I could eliminate a $450/mo. car payment AND get $12-14K in cash to sell it. In the end I sold the car to some guy to give his 16-year old for their birthday () and used the money to buy my way out of debt. I hated selling it, but in the end (for me) the relief was worth it.

But deciding to sell was really the easy part. The much harder part is figuring out what to replace it with that will still keep you in a good financial position. At the time I was considering a new Wrangler Unlimited (gasp) in Rubicon Red, a slightly used Xterra in Red Brick, or a 2000/2001 VX in Foxfire (see a trend here? ). I weighed the same options you probably are, warranty v. out-of-pocket, predictable payment v. unpredictable repairs, etc. In the end I decided to pick up a low mileage VX (24K on the clock in Apr 08) that would be a super low monthly payment while also being mechanically sound. My payment is only $260 per month, and in the last 18 months all I've done is scheduled maintenance and replaced a window motor. If I had bought the new Wrangler I wouldn't have repair costs, but I'd have a sizeable monthly payment. If I'd bought the Xterra I would have had a lower payment but less of a warranty. In either case, those higher payments don't stop when the warranty ends; so your big risk in buying a new(er) car isn't in years 1-4, it's in 5,6,7, when you're still making that predictable monthly payment AND personally covering repairs. But by then maybe you're ready to trade in again.

Bottom line is that if you're going to sell the VX, make sure you don't really regret it later by overcommitting on your next vehicle. Good luck!

[VXIRONwoMAN]

Apparently the drive shaft was unbalanced... $85. But for some reason... IT'S STILL NOT FIXED!!!

[tomdietrying]

Sorry to hear your aggrivation CeCe. Hope things work out out whichever way for you.
Peace.
Tom

p.s.
Say "Hi" to Gill for me.