Some test drives...

[Cyrk]

So my lease on my 99 VX is up in Jan, the buy out is 13,500.
Not 100% that I want to keep her as it is hard to get a child in and out of the back and the lack of storage etc... but I love this truck and I have personalized it some and NOTHING looks like it on the road.

So first stop was t he VW Touareg test drove the V6, 3.2L, 220 hp, 225 lb-ft torque. This thing was a PIG I think the numbers to 0-60 are like 9.2, to slow compared to our VX let alone a modded one. The interior was great everything I could want in a vehicle.
Handling was nice considering it is a heavy truck tipping the scales at 6000 pounds.




Sticker price was $37K for this model I test drove, not a bad price for all the amenities and such. I decided that the V6 was just way to slow for my liking and drove the V8, 4.2L, 310 hp, 302 lb-ft torque, this was the way it should feel pick up was great the truck felt very spirited and surefooted with this motor... If I could afford a $42K VW this would be it.

Next up was a Infiniti FX35 V6 with 280 hp and 270 torque. Man this this was fast! This is the way I pretend how my VX drives. 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and hits the 1/4 mile in 15.5 @ 91 mph. skidpad is 0.80 g. Really like this ride but the the girlfriend thinks it is kinda ugly from the side, but she thought the same of the VX too... blah. Price on this bad boy was $37K... not too bad?





Also while I was their drove a G35 Sedan with the 6-speed manual tranny... was FAST! 0-60 in 5.6 and 1/4 in 14.1. But I did not like the exterior and I really like the coupe look better... so nah on the $35k sedan.

On the way home stopped by Volvo and drove the XC90 with the 2.5 Turbo, 208 hp, 236 torque motor... was nice but this was for my girl not me and it was pricey at 42K. Exterior is elegant and interior is very thought out also has a ton of safety features.




So that was my Friday, I think I'll just buy out the VX and finally pony-up on the Supercharger and some other stuff that I have been holding off on.... but we shall see.

What do you guys thnk?? any one wanna buy my VX?

-Dave

[newthings]

Too many doors on those other things.
Roy

[VehiX]

If you do decide to sell your VX will you sell me the gauge pod and gauges?

If so, how much?

We'd hate to lose ya here at VX.info but you gotta do what ya gotta do I gues

I'd personally like to see you hook up the SC though!

[WyrreJ]

If you don't buy the VX, be sure you don't give the dealer your mods, he sure won't pay you a dime for them. Heck, I'd probably buy your mirror covers.

You didn't say what kind of miles you have on the VX, but that buyout sounds high for a 99 given the severe depreciation we've seen. It was probably set at lease inception, not modern times, so they probably underestimated depreciation (hell I doubt they expect Isuzu America go down the crapper like it did and that has had an effect on actual residual values on all Isuzus, not just the VX). You should see what kind of flex the dealer has on that price, I bet you can knock at least a couple of grand off it. Might even get him down to 4 figures.

[Raque Thomas]

OK - I'll have to disagree - I think $13,500 is a great price for a limited edition, hand built car with less than 4000 examples made! I paid $21,000 for my 2001 with 8000 miles on it, and to this day, I think I got a great deal. You're thinking about paying $35k + for a mass produced, see your self coming and going SUV??? (however, I think the Fx 35/45 is ONE BEAUTIFUL MACHINE!!!!!) What about the VX - one day, people are going to realize that this is a TRUE limited edition vehicle - and the value is going to skyrocket - dont't jump off the boat before it gets reved up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Navigator]

...and @ $13,500 you have a steal of a deal <singing> So if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with

BTW... the others are all nice, but IMO, I refuse to be associated with anything named after a TOE RAG !

[Jonnie]

Originally posted by WyrreJ
You didn't say what kind of miles you have on the VX, but that buyout sounds high for a 99 given the severe depreciation we've seen. It was probably set at lease inception, not modern times, so they probably underestimated depreciation (hell I doubt they expect Isuzu America go down the crapper like it did and that has had an effect on actual residual values on all Isuzus, not just the VX). You should see what kind of flex the dealer has on that price, I bet you can knock at least a couple of grand off it. Might even get him down to 4 figures.

Hmmmmm. So I royally screwed up buying my 99 at just under 15k. even though that was the average market price.

Jonathan

[WyrreJ]

Well, I know a guy who bought a 2001 with less than 5K miles on it for $17K-even early in 2003. Given that brand new 2001's were going for under $20K in the summer of 2002, he didn't get much of a bargain.

With such low production numbers, market pricing for the VX is a different game than one for a commodity like a jeep or a camry. Unlike commodity markets, more often than not it comes down to the threshold of pain for each party to the transaction. But, given that caveat, I just ran KBB quotes for an "Excellent" rated 99 VX with 40K miles (I don't know how many miles Dave has really got, I just picked a low to reasonable number). KBB came back with about 10K/12K/14K +/- $300 depending on zip code, for trade/private/retail.

So, what it looks like is that paying the buy-out is pretty darn close to paying retail, and yet there are no dealer resale expenses to cover and the buyout would be the same even if the car was in crappy shape. A keen negotiator would work those two facts really hard and see how far the dealer budges. It also depends on how well the dealer thinks the VX will sell, we all know about new VX's that sat on dealer lots for months or even years without selling. If this dealer had an experience like that, he's probably gunshy which means even more negotiating strength for Dave.

I understand how some people here are unable to rationally evaluate today's market for the vehicross because of their connection with their car. Dealers have a name for that kind of person, "little Johnny's college tuition." The perspective of the dealer and the bank, is just that business is business, they certainly don't get attached to cars. So, if you are attached to your car, don't put yourself in a position where you have to negotiate with a business for it because they will automatically hold the upper hand in a situation where you care and they don't.

[2K1 1K2]

cyrk -

nice picks for test drives. i've told my wife that if we hit the jackpot - the vx and xterra would have the infinity f35 as a brother! she's keen on that idea.


if you do decide to part w/the vx -

curious as to what you'd ask for the rims / clear side markers / window deflectors.


-jose

[Dallas4u]

Out of those, if I HAD to give my VX up, I would go with the FX35 (or 45, if I could).

Although, for $13.5k and the price of an SC, you are getting a great deal in and of itself!

[Cyrk]

I have 31,000 miles on it.

[Jonnie]

I guess you are calling me emotional. oh well.

This is the latest retail CarMax indicator:

'99 Isuzu VehiCROSS 2D Sport Utility $14,599 White Automatic 6 49K Raleigh
'99 Isuzu VehiCROSS 2D Sport Utility $14,998 Silver Automatic 6 50K Cypress Fair
'99 Isuzu VehiCROSS 2D Sport Utility $13,599 Silver Automatic 6 60K Dulles
'99 Isuzu VehiCROSS 2D Sport Utility $17,599 White Automatic 6 15K Sacramento/Roseville

OK, you might do a bit better on a private deal.


Cyrk:

Had I not just bought, I would take it off your hands for that; looks like you took great care of it.

Jonathan

[Heraclid]

Just personal views here, and I assume off-road ability is something that would be nice but not essential for you on this one...

None will ever make the statement the VX makes, but you need something more family-oriented. All of them are overpriced to me, but so was the VX, and at least the VW and Volvo warrant it more in my view.

The Infiniti is in my opinion flat-out ugly and I just don't see the attraction, but to each their own. It's fast and either the FX35 or FX45 can be had in AWD. But no low-range transfer case and it is not meant for the trails. It's a powerhouse stationwagon. It's a beast, and I'd take it over a Porsche Cayenne. But I'd never want either one. Call me shallow but I still want to like the looks. Also not as spacious. Not sure on safety.

The Volvo is certainly not an off-roader and doesn't pretend to be with no low-range transfer case available. The Volvo is not performance-oriented despite the numbers. Because of its safety considerations alone I'd consider putting my wife and kids in it, but it is a tad underpowered.

The peppier version of the VW isn't as fast but it's still the smart man's Porsche Cayenne. They share the same platform, with different engines and suspension tuning. The VW has more ability off-road. The stock Touareg can ford 23 inches of water and has up to 11.8 in ground clearance. It is the one created most in the spirit of the VX. It is not the best city driver, but it is the most versatile pick. Mileage sucks though.

If going off-road is not a big deal, then for this price range I'd consider the Acura MDX as well. Great safety ratings, good handling, and it's plenty fast.

Just thought I'd throw in a blurb about the Touareg:

But none of those other vehicles would have made it past the parking area during our day trip to Moab, Utah. Known for its breathtaking vistas of red rock and desert scrub, Moab is home to challenging slick-rock off-road trails ? basically, steep expanses of rock face with tire tracks burned into them with names like Hell's Revenge, Lion's Back and Dragon's Tail. Between these boulders are plenty of rocks and ruts that separate the "real" SUVs from those that just look like them.

Here we made use of the Touareg's dual-range, electronic 4XMotion four-wheel-drive system. Unless you fiddle with the dial on the center console, the Touareg is in a 4-Hi mode intended for driving on pavement. The front/rear power split defaults at 50/50 (rather than using a rear bias like the Cayenne), and this ratio is adjusted according to traction needs. The center differential locks automatically on slippery surfaces, but the driver can lock it manually if he likes. Switch to the low-range gearing, and you've got the same flexibility ? let the system lock the differential automatically or do it yourself to deal with tricky situations. A locking rear differential is optional on all Touaregs, and it's worth considering if you're a serious off-roader. The VW also has hill ascent and descent features. The ascent feature keeps the Touareg from rolling back on steep inclines when you're not on the brakes, while the Hill Decline Assistant allows for slow, steady descents down steep grades without brake input from the driver.

On this outing, we only had air suspension-equipped vehicles with us, and an off-road instructor sat next to us, reminding us when to select the "extra" ride height level for maximum clearance. Often, he got out to scout ahead on the trail so that he could give exact instructions on how to maneuver the vehicle. With that kind of help, it's no wonder that the Touaregs we drove mastered these trails without taking damage or even bottoming out (except due to driver error). But having experienced the severity of some of the grades, we wouldn't have wanted to use just any SUV for this task. We only would have considered those with Jeep, Land Rover and Toyota badges, and that puts the unibody VW in good company. One other thing of note: These early-production Touaregs proved to be exceptionally quiet and refined companions on this rugged course ? a few creaks emanated from the B-pillars on the steepest grades, but that was it.

Besides being tough enough for serious off-roading, the Touareg can handle medium-duty towing jobs, which is much more than can be said of the typical crossover SUV. Its maximum tow rating of 7,716 pounds (for both engines) even exceeds that of utilitarian midsize SUVs like the 4Runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer and Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT.

[valenki]

Got my 99 VX with 14k miles on it this February for 14,500. Traded in a 2001 Suzuki GrandV V6 with 21K miles for 10,700 and paid the difference in cash.

but that was after 2 days battling with the dealer. When I just came they were giving me 6 for suzuki and wanted a 18,900 for the VX. BIG Difference, dont you think?

By the time I was done with the Dealership the manager was running to the owner of the dealership and back with a red face and running outside with me to smoke cigerettes. They even offered me a job and told me I really knew my sh*t. The newbie dealer that just started working there was inviting me for beers and wanted me to share my skills.

I knew I had a good deal going and it was fate. Now I am even more convinced. VX is like nothing else. I dont mind the braging about the depreciation values and so on. The amount of girls I have picked up in my truck had already paid for the entire value of it.

And I will love it even more when the snow sets in and my neighbour will be stuck again in the driveway with his Wrangler!

So dont you even think about selling that truck or you will regret it!

[Jonnie]

Originally posted by valenki
So dont you even think about selling that truck or you will regret it!

It seeems the issue here is he can't sell it; its a lease buyout. He has no equity in it, but if he want to keep it he has to buy it.

The VX seems to get most comments from women, I better leave the doors unlocked so they can get in.

Which dealer in Mass was it, I'm from there originally.

Jonathan