I am torn as to what to do with my VX that I am retiring for my new one that I just bought. My current one has the following problems, but still gets great gas mileage and still runs 'great' (to my liking anyway).
- It burns/leaks oil.
It burns/leaks coolant.
The in cabin fan stopped working after sitting for two weeks.
The clutch needs to be replaced? (There's some resistance when taking it out of 5th gear accompanied by a 'pop' sound. It does NOT pop out of 5th gear).
The exhaust is loud (holes in it) and if you roll the windows down exhaust comes inside the cabin.
The body is rusted in the usual spots and has been repaired with insulation foam (but seems to be holding for a remarkably long time).
It passed inspection in July at a fairly lenient garage. However, it's up for inspection at the end of February because I drove from Feb. to July, 2012
uninspected).
Wheel bearing needs to be fixed immediately lest a wheel fall off.
I don't think the car has a catalytic converter anymore.
So it sounds bad, but every day it fires right up and drives hundreds of miles at a time without a hitch, returning 55mpg regularly. It's still sporty and fun to drive and still plasters a smile across my face when it continues to do everything it was designed to do given all its problems. I never tire of the simple joy of the car seamlessly going into lean burn, holding it, and smoothly going out of lean burn to provide the necessary power when I need it. And it still handles great.
So the dilemma becomes: A) be realistic that the car is no longer worth putting money into and use it as a parts car. B) Acknowledge that the heart and soul of what makes this car special is still burning bright and therefor the car should be kept alive until the engine, transmission or body finally call it quits. My friend may buy the car from me for $500 but he is a little daunted by the laundry list of problems.
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