I am I barking up the wrong tree

[ibmx2]

looking at a 1999 with less than 28500



this will be a daily driver
I want it to be fun , safe for my 2 ½ year old
& get about 20 mpg



I’AM F-N CRAZY!!!11

Getting very nervous now that its getting down to the nitty gritty
with the seller

[Marlin]

looking at a 1999 with less than 28500



this will be a daily driver
I want it to be fun , safe for my 2 ½ year old
& get about 20 mpg



I’AM F-N CRAZY!!!11

Getting very nervous now that its getting down to the nitty gritty
with the seller

Horribly inconvenient for getting kids in and out of back, and it is HARD to buckle them in. My 4 year old has a hard time buckling himself since the rear seatbelt is just loose straps, so it can be pulled out of the seat, therefore it takes two hands to buckle, not easy for a little on in a car seat. Your child will also not be able to crawl in the back on his/her own. The gap is very small to climb in the back, so you kind of have to pitch them back there. Unless you plan on the child riding in the front, which is illegal in most states. In SC, under 5 and 50lbs, child has to be in the back seat in booster/car seat unless there are no back seats, or the rear is full of children younger or smaller than the front rider.
As for the 20mpg, not sure anyone gets 20mpg except maybe bone stock, at 65mph, flat land on the freeway. I would guess for a non-lifted VX 15-17 is more realistic. I get 12-13.5 mpg pending temp and mood.
Maybe the VX isn't the car for you, but it is sweet, if you can budge on the mpg, and live with the rear seat inconvenience, then go for it!!! At 28k miles, that is a rare deal. I don't use my VX as a kid hauler, but we have done it when other truck is in shop, and it is no fun.

[RamAirZ]

I haul my 2yr old and 7 month old around in mine and it's my DD, I have about 115K more miles than the one your looking at though. Now the 20mpg is crazy, I averaged about 16-17 with the bigger tires and front hubs unlocked, and it was about the same stock when I bought it, it's now about 15mpg with all the crap I have up top (the roof basket, roof lights and full size spare) with AC on all the time. I don't see the loading the kids as an inconvenience, yet. Mine are still small. I keep the passenger seat adjusted up a little more, it gives more room when you lean it forward, I can slide the "carrier" portion of my littlest one's car seat through the opening and snap her into the base. I have it down to a science lol

[vt_maverick]

I have an 18 month old and I don't have a problem with the VX. BUT I have passenger seat extenders that give me the extra room needed to kneel on the rear floor while buckling my daughter in. IMO it's a no-go without extenders.

And as others have said 20 MPG is really unrealistic.

[deermagnet]

I want it to be fun-
That part is guaranteed. I'm still having 100% pure fun after 10.5 years as a daily driver.

safe for my 2 ½ year old-
It should be as safe as any other SUV of the same size.

& get about 20 mpg-
These are some of my old posts about my own mpg-

I've always gotten 19-20 mpg in the summer and 17.5-18.5 in the winter. I don't drive it like I stole it. Your right foot is probably the biggest factor in mpg on a mostly stock VX.

I've always gotten 17.5 to 20 mpg. Summer has been my high mpg season and a couple weeks ago I got 19.11 mpg. Then I did a 50K spark plug change and got 19.26 and 19.14 mpg.

This week with new plugs after 9K miles I filled up and drove 304.6 miles. It took 15.44 gallons to refill, so that comes to 19.73 mpg. I guess it could be the summer fuel mix, but whatever it is, I like it.

I'm on vacation this week and I'm doing a lot of driving, so I've been checking my mpg. I'm getting the same mpg as Roger.
Tuesday and Wednesday- 326.6 miles on 16.55 gallons=19.73 mpg.
Thursday- 244.2 miles on 12.23 gallons=19.97 mpg.
Friday- 260.6 miles on 13.09 gallons=19.91 mpg.

I still get that mpg with 229,000 miles on my engine. I've cracked 20 mpg a couple times recently. A couple others have seen around 21 mpg at times. I think after my engine gets broken-in at 300,000 I'll see even a little bit better mpg.

Mark Griffin (a VX lifer)

[ibmx2]

My child would only be in the car once a week
, sometimes twice



a have a fairly Lightfoot and drive about 21 miles each way day
and once out of my neighborhood most is two-lane farm fields
at 50 to 60 miles an hour and a short jaunt through town

plus at this point I'm thinking I hope it doesn't eat me out of house and home with any issues that may show up I can do mechanical work(Iam a great torch & Hammerman)
. But I'm wondering with low miles will more issues show up because of not being driven
just freaking out & venting thanks for providing a place to do it

[ibmx2]

[QUOTE=Marlin;205981]
As for the 20mpg, not sure anyone gets 20mpg except maybe bone stock, at 65mph, flat land on the freeway. I would guess for a non-lifted VX 15-17 is more realistic. I get 12-13.5 mpg pending temp and mood.
. [/QUOTE)

it is bone stock
and i do live in Illinois the flattest and straightest state in the country
. And again two thirds of my daily drive is between 50 to 60

[Marlin]

[QUOTE=ibmx2;206014]

As for the 20mpg, not sure anyone gets 20mpg except maybe bone stock, at 65mph, flat land on the freeway. I would guess for a non-lifted VX 15-17 is more realistic. I get 12-13.5 mpg pending temp and mood.
. [/QUOTE)

it is bone stock
and they do live in Illinois the flattest and straightest stat in the country
. And again two thirds of my daily drive is between 50 to 60 him and

LOL, well, there you go...welcome to the addiction, although yours can't be too addictive and maintain that mpg

[VXR]

The gap is very small to climb in the back

That is why it is WAY easier for a kid (who is old enough) to climb in than an adult

My kid is now 10 and has loved riding in the VX for the last six years

[Marlin]

That is why it is WAY easier for a kid (who is old enough) to climb in than an adult

My kid is now 10 and has loved riding in the VX for the last six years

I hope I get to say the same thing. I was more referring to trying to put a baby in the back. Our back seats are very roomy, if you can get back there. I know its hard for my wife to reach if she is trying to help the youngest buckle up.

[VXR]

I hope I get to say the same thing. I was more referring to trying to put a baby in the back. Our back seats are very roomy, if you can get back there. I know its hard for my wife to reach if she is trying to help the youngest buckle up.

I could not agree more

There is a ton of room back there but it can be tough to reach if the kids are too young to buckle themselves in

[vt_maverick]

I hope I get to say the same thing. I was more referring to trying to put a baby in the back. Our back seats are very roomy, if you can get back there. I know its hard for my wife to reach if she is trying to help the youngest buckle up.

+2, my wife says the same thing. So I guess I should qualify my previous "oh it's no big deal" comment by saying that I'm 6'3".

[RamAirZ]

I'm 5'9" and don't have an issue, but like I said, I have mine down to a science now lol

[VXR]

+2, my wife says the same thing. So I guess I should qualify my previous "oh it's no big deal" comment by saying that I'm 6'3".

so have you ever sat back there? The one time I did I was surprised at how much legroom there was

[Kona-Vs]

Go for it, you'll be the coolest parent around haling the kids in a VX but passenger seat sliders are a must, so much easier to get to the back seats and there's still plenty of room in the front seat. At under 30k mi It' like buying a new vehicle and where else can you get something built this well for the price. Driving a VX makes life a little more fun