hello all. i have a few questions

[enobox]

hello all
im in the market for an suv and totally forgot about the vehicross. i remember when i was in college flipping through car and driver magazine, coming across the vehicross, and saying to myself, damn i would like to have this car but no way can i afford it! well times has change, and know im thinking of purchasing one.


my questions:
1. did isuzu stop production of the vehicross?

2. where can i find aftermarket parts? like lift kits, grills, mods, s/c, etc...

3. quality and reliability of the car. does it match the reliability of the trooper? ive also been researching the trooper and found that alot of the old troopers are pushing 200k miles and still running strong.

4. since I will be buying used, what are the most expensive parts that needs replacement? will these parts be difficult to find? will my car be stuck at the isuzu dealership for a long time?



5. please provide links of other sites that are about vehicross. ive found limited information using google.



thanks all

[Moncha]

First, welcome!! Hope your Q's are answered to your satisfaction..

#1 Yes Virginia, they don't make the VX any longer.. It was meant to be a limited production vehicle.. You can find a few more threads on this subject using the search.

#2 Parts are limited. There are a few that have items for sale and I'll be adding a page showing just that as soon as I can keep my self out of anti-terrorism training long enough.

#3 As with any vehicle, some problems may occurr but for the most part the VX is a very reliable vehicle. I've had 2 and have had no major problems to date.

#4 As stated above, there has been no one part failure so that would be hard to answer.

#5. There are several sites available for more info. You can find those in the links section of this site. My favorite happens to be www.moncha.com
(if others would like to add links to this site please do so)

Hope it helps some.

[enobox]

hey thanks for the reply!.

can you comment on how the vehicross drives as in handeling, noise level, etc...?

where can i find a roof rack? im planning to carry snowboards and surfboards. im primarily going to use this vehicle for commuting to work, beach, and some off-roading. i really would like to catch some air. =)

also, who hear has the most mileage on their car?

ive test drove a 2003 xterra and found them to be pretty loud when accelerating. is this the same with the vehicross? im planning to drive by this dealership that has a vehicross but im just awaiting for this damn new jersey snowstorm to clear.

[edyavno]

You can find most of the answers to your questions by browsing this site, but here are some answers below.


my questions:
1. did isuzu stop production of the vehicross?

Yes, Vehicross was a limited production vehicle. For the 3 years it was produced for the american market - 1999,2000,2001 - there were only ~4100 of them imported.


2. where can i find aftermarket parts? like lift kits, grills, mods, s/c, etc...

Due to the small potential market, there are very few aftermarket parts readily available for the VX. However, there's a very active community of the VX owners who adopt, invent and setup group buys of the aftermarket parts for this very cool vehicle. Just browse the mods gallery on this site to get some idea.


3. quality and reliability of the car. does it match the reliability of the trooper? ive also been researching the trooper and found that alot of the old troopers are pushing 200k miles and still running strong.

Again, judging from the many shared expieriences, except for a few quirks, VX performs very well for the most owners. I know there's a least a few owners here who already have more than 100 k on the odometer.

4. since I will be buying used, what are the most expensive parts that needs replacement? will these parts be difficult to find? will my car be stuck at the isuzu dealership for a long time?

VX shares most of the powertrain parts with Trooper and Axiom - it was based on the 2 door trooper model.
Other parts can take longer to get, but they should be available: I believe that by law Isuzu should have the parts available for at least 12 years after stopping the production run. There are a few Isuzu dealers that usually have many parts in stock: St. Charles Isuzu and www.isuzuparts.net

5. please provide links of other sites that are about vehicross. ive found limited information using google.

you only need 2 sites:
1. this site - not too high on google probably because it's relatively recent.
2. http://club.vmag.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi forum. Search for "Isuzu Vehicross 2" - huge VX knowlegebase. Will find answers to the questions you didn't even know you had. Due to the site's dynamic content, google doesn't like to crawl it, took me a while to find it too.


thanks all

Good luck with the purcase, there probably won't be another vehicle like this produced for a long time.

- Ed Y.

[Moncha]

The VX is fairly quiet but, realize it is a truck. The actual handling is great I can compare it to my 1988 Acura Integra and it is a blast... Remember though, it is a truck.
Roof racks are available and you can get things for them.. Search and ye shall find.

There is a member that has 100k on his with very little problems. I'll let him comment.. (He's trying to write a review for me)

The VX is just plain fun to drive!!!!

I'm sure others will chip in here soon.

[deermagnet]

My website is all about one VX.... my own. I really don't have any performance mods, but you might find it helpful.



Mark Griffin

[enobox]

nice pictures mark and moncha. i like to moab album. looks fun!

what i like about the vehicross are ther large tires, the height, and its just about the right size for what im looking for.

i was considering the new 2003 4runner, jeep, and xterra.

it seems that the vehicross somewhat a mix between all 3 of them.

i guess i cant really tell until i actually drive the isuzu. the large off road wheels are just asking to be driven!

[Dallas4u]

Hey enobox... I would actually say that the new 4Runner, Jeep Liberty, and Xterra are more a mix of the VX than the latter. I say this because the VX has been in production (in Japan) since (correct me if I'm wrong) 1997, and was a prototype from Isuzu Japan in 1993. Some reports have even stated that some new designs have taken ques from the VehiCROSS... and why not?

I can say that we have one of the strongest auto communites on the web for sure, and if you decide to purchase a VX I defintely DO NOT think you will be disappointed... but there are a couple things you need to understand before you test drive one. There is not much rear visability through the rear window using the rearview mirror. You will need to either purchase a "Van Eye" (usually used on vans and such... plastic/rubber piece on the rear window used to make rearward visability easier), or buy small mirrors to stick on the outside mirrors to help see behind you easier. They make a world of difference. Also, the VX suspension is pretty stiff... more like a sports car or sports truck. It does corner very well, though... VERY well. Reaching the rear seats through the front doors is tough if you want to let rear passengers in, but there is plenty of space once you are back there. Cargo room is very tight unless you fold the rear seats up.

See, all of that would put off the average mini-van or Hyundai Santa Fe buyer, but you have to love the VX for what it IS to purchase one... and it is a work of art!

[enobox]

thanks for the reply dallas.


that is one thing that im nervous about, is the rear visibility. im sure with the mirror upgrades you mentioned, it will help tremendously. about the cargo room, ive seen pictures where the rear sits were removed. do you think id have trouble fitting in a 6-7feet surfboard?

also, where can i find information about your supercharger and how much they add in horsepower? have you 'jumped' and dirt hills?

ive seen a pic of a silver vehicross with an american flag catching some air. now that looks fun. i also saw another vehicross with some big 'boggers' which also looks fun!

[RobVX]

Once you drive the VX, you'll be sold. I had two Troopers immediately prior to my VX (the Troopers were great...this is better) and I expect the VX to hold up as well as both of my Troopers did.

Don't worry about cargo room. The rear seat(s) can be removed pretty painlessly. I play string bass and it fits in the VX with the rear seat out (and actually with it in as well).

If you are interested (and you should be, the VX has got it all over the other SUV's you are looking at) there are still a couple (two) of new (left over) 2001 VehiCROSS's at Hall Izuzu in Newport News, Virginia. That's where I bought mine. Drove it home 1400 miles to Fort Worth, Texas. Rob.

[enobox]

hey robvx,
what do you like best about the vx over your troopers? also, what options can you get the vehicross in? what is the ironman edition, do they come in manual, do they have different engine types, etc..?

when purchasing, what should i be looking for?

this place in virginia, are there any special financing rates and what price range should i be looking to spend?


also, what are the 'most have mods' for this car?

the supercharger looks very tempting.

[TDAWG]

Hey enobox,
All the VX are pretty much that same even the ironman. The differance with the ironman is that it has a sticker that says ironman. As for accessories on this board and Club VMAG you kind find alot. It all depends on what you are thinking. the great thing about the VX for me personally is everything. There is no other SUV that even comes close to looks. It rare but beautiful. You have to own to understand how we feel. I owned an AMIGO loved and thought I would never get rid of it. My friend was gonna buy 1 in 99 when they 1st came out but it was to expensive for him so decided not 2. I was never planing on get rid of AMIGO so I didn't buy 1. Then in march or april of this year I was just looking on the web for something alittle bigger and I found my VX a 99 with 4669 miles so I checked it out and brought it right then and there no test drive. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen accept my daugther being born. You have to love it. It would be hard to try to explain. The VX is not like a honda civic that has everybody and there mother making parts and accessories. It's a rare beauty.

[enobox]

wow. this VX must be your most favorite toy!


im hoping when this snow goes away, i can go out and take one for a spin. ive always wanted the vehicross since it appeared in C&D. i dont know why i didnt think of the VX b4 i purchased an a4. i guess since i didnt see them around, i totally forgot about them!


the pic of the black VX jumping a dirt hill, does he do that often? i think he is from texas.

[dobie3]

go to www.carreviews.com. Click on "Reviews," then, "SUV," then scroll down to the VehiCROSS and click. There are 60 user reviews, when I checked recently. The overall rating on the car is about a 4.5 (out of a possible 5). What I think you'll notice is that with the exception of a very small number of owners, the ratings are almost entirely 4's and 5's.

Compare this with some of the more expensive luxury cars, and I think it will help convince you. You'll likely find that even with luxury cars costing over $40K, there are some very disturbing problems. Some of the reviewers have owned numerous other vehicles - and high end stuff at that - and claim there's nothing even approaching the VCROSS.

I grew up near you, (NYC) but left years ago. Now we live in North Idaho, where my wife, as a residential appraiser, has need to go off-road. She needed rear lumbar support in a 4WD with high ground clearance. So, we bought the VCROSS a few months ago - '01 Fox Fire Red - and she absolutely loves it! She feels more secure driving this, than our traded '99 Suburban 3/4 ton!

Anyway, I hope this helps.

Chris.

[edyavno]

that's actually http://www.carreview.com.
http://www.epinions.com also has a few reviews.
And yes, the raving reviews of the actual owners was a major decision point for me in bying the VX.

- Ed Y.