Super VXer
Before you beat yourself up too much, consider the following...Originally Posted by sroy123
- One-way airline ticket ~ $300
- Having your vehicle shipped via third party ~ $800
- First time road trip in a rare and unique vehicle that's guaranteed to induce multiple
's,
's,
's and
's...Priceless
Super VXer
That escrow service great for the buyer, but I am not sure if it so great for the seller. Sounds like it would be too easy to be held hostage by an extra picky (or dishonest) buyer...
I took a chance with PO of my VX and just PayPal'ed him the money! But I did some research and seeing how he was a member of this forum for 6+ years, gave me some extra reassurance.
As for shipping costs, because of all the snow birds constantly shipping cars between the Northeast and Florida, shipping rates on east cost are fairly cheap! It cost me $410, to ship from western NC to Boston (door to door).
But there is something about an advanture, if you have the time!
Member
Thanks for all the kind words. I really like the folks here. Hopefully I can contribute some info after I had the truck for a bit. I am good at fixing stuff.
At this time Tuesday I should have cleared the NY line and well in PA. We will see about my bright idea. The guys at work know how worried I am about this so they have been giving me a little hell about it for a week now. LOL. They already have dibs on the stuff in my office incase I get hit over the head and end up in the gutter. What's funny is I am usually the one giving it and not receiving it. I don't like it very much on this side. But Thrusday will be a different story. I hope...
Super VXer
Actually, Escrow.com "forces" the Seller to be honest/upfront with the item he's trying to sell and not purposely try to unload a POS or lemon onto an unsuspecting buyer; and with no chance of a refund for the Buyer. Basically it prevents-- "take the money and run by the Seller". When buying a vehicle or high dollar item on-line without Escrow.com, it simply puts all the cards in the hands of the Seller and gives the Buyer absolutely no recourse for a refund if he/she feels later that thay've been bam-boozled by the Seller. Bottom line, if the Seller is worthy and confident of the quality of the selling item, and has been totally truthful to the Buyer about its selling condition, then the Seller has nothing to worry about and the item will be "accepted" by the Buyer.
I have personally used Escrow.com for two(2) expensive on-line long distance purchases (my Proton & a Pioneer Elite SC-09TX audio/video amplifier). Both purchases went smooth as silk for both Seller (he knew it was a quality item) and me the Buyer (I knew I wasn't gonna' get screwed because I could always "reject it" if I wasn't satisfied).
In today's world, there are always some people trying to screw you over somehow when buying on-line or over long distance (the Seller feels safe and thinks "come and get me" because of the distance involved) and Escrow.com prevents that from happening.
Lastly, I will add this-- if the Seller of my eBay Proton (& the other seller of my SC-09TX amplifier) would have ever declined using Escrow.com, then I absolutely would not have gone through with the purchase as I would have felt the Seller had something to hide and was trying to swindle me. In my younger days; I've been screwed over in the past by shaddy Seller's, and I refuse to allow that to ever happen again. Escrow.com prevents this from happening and I've been so satisfied with it that I highly recommend it to the fellow members here on VX.info without reservation.
On another topic-- Shipping a vehicle (via D.A.S.) instead of driving a vehicle home can save a ton of extra money and headaches overall like airline tickets, food, hotels, wasted vacation time, lost hours at work, and prevents the headaches of a possible mechanical break-down along the way home while driving an unknown vehicle and its unknown reliability. Sure there is something to be said about "the adventure", but in a possible time-bomb that may cause more stress with the possible unknown may not be worth the risk being stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere on a cold snowy night. 'Nuff said.
Super VXer
Again, sounds like a great way to BUY somethng, but this arrangement sucks for the SELLER! Some buyers, while honest, are IMPOSSIBLE to please! I suppose, if I was selling something at a premium, I might have to go through something like this, but if I am selling something at a bargain, and had several buyers, I would go with one that didn't require an escrow.
It comes down to personal level of comfort with another party. I do my research and then pay with Paypal (which gives you a small amount of protection). Usually, people with a significant online presence do not rip other people off.
Super VXer
Scott did you make it home safe? You should have been home a few hours ago, I can't believe you didn't hop right on the site to give us all an update! Lol...
Super VXer
If he was driving I-81 it may take a couple days to recover.Scott did you make it home safe? You should have been home a few hours ago, I can't believe you didn't hop right on the site to give us all an update! Lol...
Gregg
2001 Proton Yellow #1379
Super VXer
I tried to discourage him... it's downright dangerous out there at night with all those trucks.
Super VXer
Haha, I watched a couple of minutes of that video..... I have never heard someone some "you know" more in 2 minutes in my life..... Congrats on getting an Ironman, white would be my 2nd choice.
Member
Well, I got it back home. What a LONG trip. So here is my write up on #1706...
To be honest it isn’t what I want for my personal vehicle. There is a good amount of rust on the frame and underneath. I expected some but not this much. There is some surface rust that has eaten thru the paint in several spots like the hood behind the driver’s side door and above the windshield. Small but there. The guy swore up and down the air conditioner worked. It did not. Plus the blower motor is out. ABS light is on (again he swore there were no warning lights). All in all it is a good looking truck that has a few spots that need attention but the rust under the truck will make life hard to Mod or repair. This guy purposely deceived me and I had no recourse so I took it. It's like arguing with the wall. What are you going to do when you fly to a strange place to get a car and he already has a sizable deposit? Thank god it ran and drove good. So I have two options. Keep it or sell it. I believe I will sell it and see if I can get my money back and look down south further. But I am going to be totally honest and upfront when I sell it. I am going to think about it for the next several days. I need to register it first. But I did learn a lot about this. So…that’s that.
Sorry to sound like Eor from Winnie the Pooh. I am usually more upbeat than this. I just had one of those feelings prior to getting it. And I was afraid of it being right.
Member
Removed because i double posted.
Super VXer
Sorry to here about the inconsistencies between the description and the truth. Having said that:
1.The ABS repair is something I just finished and have to say the $50 spent to rebuild it was well worth it in my opinion (I realize others will say save the $50 and just ditch the ABS) but the difference between no ABS and all season tires and the new snow tires and the rebuilt ABS system up here in the snows of Michigan are absolutely the best investment I have made in my VX. If you are interested just search for " Durango ABS" as that has all the info I used for the rebuild (Thanks again to Jamas).
2.The blower issue is something I had early in my VX's life. I had the dealership replace it twice under warranty, both times it lasted less than a year. I then had it replaced after the warranty expired with a non-isuzu brand and it has worked for close to ten years now. Coincidence? perhaps, but again not a huge investment.
3.Not sure about the a/c unless it is just the blower issue you were describing.
4. The biggest issue for you is obviously the rust. Hey my VX has spent all 14 years of its life in Michigan so I have come to except that the underbody is going to have a lovely orange red hue to it, but structurally I feel it is solid. As for the exterior body panels, I have a couple of exposed rust spots (the front of the hood from a hard stone impact and behind the drivers door when I slammed the door shut on the seatbelt and chipped through the paint. Yeah they bother me, but not enough for me to switch vehicles.
Before you make a rash decision to sell it off, look at some of the options you have and you may decide to stick with #1706.
Super VXer
I am really sorry to hear your experience. As someone who lives in Boston area and cares about cars, I am very familiar with what you are describing, that sounds like a typical northeast car
Things like AC and ABS can be fixed, however the same can not be said about rust. Any repairs will be superficial, so I wouldn't bother with them.
I have also learned that different people have very different idea on what constitutes "rust". To some, if the car doesn't have a rusted through holes, it isn't rusty... Others (like me), look for ANY signs of rust and extrapolate it to being "just the tip of an iceberg". So this is your personal preference.
Last edited by Leon R : 02/21/2013 at 07:35 AM
VXer
I hate hear of your problems with the VX, but when I went shopping, I purposely avoided any vehicle that came from the northern part of the country. There are a few nice looking ones online from Michigan, Ohio, etc., but I wouldn't consider them. Before I shopped, I talked with Jerry Lemond, who's something of an Isuzu God and I've known for years. He said to absolutely avoid the VXs from up north unless you know their history. Mine came from Florida and Carfax said it had always been there. Like you, though, when I got home and started digging in, I found mine had been hit in the front and the tubular steel bumper was pushed in, but from the outside, you'd never know. Carfax didn't list the accident, so it must have been off-road or without an accident report. Presently there are some nice looking VXs in California, Texas, and Pascagoula, MS (Craigslist). Good luck!
Super VXer
That sucks man. I hope this doesn't sour you on VX's all together. I got mine for pretty cheap but if I go through and do the math as to how much I've put into it so far... Ah, I just don't go there. At least my seller was open and honest. Knowing what I know now though I would have negotiated even lower. Oh well, knowing what I know now going back through life would make everything a much different experience. You can probably get replacement cross-members cheap and easy to replace the rusted ones. That doesn't do much for the frame but it's a start and may make it easier to sell if you decide to.
Good Luck!
Scott
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