2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS

SUV

3.5 liter V-6

Automatic

JACCN57X617D00408

Clear

Gasoline

2001 Isuzu Vehi-Cross – Iron Man Edition I am selling my personal ‘toy’ and dread the day I see it leave the garage. I’m 49 years old and have loved this care like it was my child. I bought this nearly 6 years ago after wanting one when they first hit the market in 1999. I remember going to our local dealer with my wife, walking around those new Vehi-Cross SUVs and nearly foaming at the wallet. With a sticker price of $33,000(+) there was just no way we could afford it. Fast forward to 2007, I had looked on eBay, Auto Trader and Craig’s List for several years but could not find an Iron Man edition. When I found this one, it was love at first sight. I paid $12,900.00 for it on 02/08/2007 with 73,252 miles on the clock and drove it home with a huge smile on my face. Heck, washing and waxing it still brings a huge smile to my face. Nearly every time I have driven it over the years, I’m asked questions about it whenever we stop. I’ve had folks ask if it was “a new model,” “is Isuzu coming back to America,” “what is that?” and “Man, what kinda motor you running in that thing?” After I bought it, I took it to our former Isuzu dealer 05/05/07 and asked the shop manager go completely through it and let me know what needed fixing. The next day, he phoned and recommended changing the accessory drive belt, timing belt, water pump, turn down one rotor, replace another rotor due to a crack, new fuel filter, smog check and service the transmission. That bill came to $1,623.20. Next major expense was 06/22/07 when the check engine light came on. The intake plenum was removed and cleaned, new plenum gasket, new intake manifold and new EGR/gasket which came to $258.57. It has always been garaged since I’ve owned it. I have never had an accident with it. I have always changed the oil/filters myself and since it has not accumulated many miles, the changes basically meant I was just throwing away good oil every 3,000 – 5,000 miles. The Good 1.) New Goodyear tires installed less than 4,500 miles ago = $989.39. 2.) Oil changed just a few weeks ago = $37.07. (Valvoline Max Life) 3.) K&N air filter installed last year = $47.23. 4.) Original owner’s manual, original warranty information manual and premium CD changer manual. 5.) 4WD works perfectly – I have never gone off-road in this car since I’ve owned it. 6.) Air condition works perfectly. 7.) Passed NC smog test and inspection a few months ago. 8.) Garage kept. 9.) New battery installed last year. 10.) Extremely low miles. I’ve only driven it 15,600 (+) miles over the last 5 (+) years. 11.) All the original owner’s manuals included – see picture. The Bad 1.) The passenger window stopped working last year and I had a local shop lock it into place. They wanted $250.00 to fix it. 2.) The CD player stopped working the first year I owned it. 3.) Small crack at the base of the windshield on the passenger side. 4.) Chrome on the inside part of a few of the wheels is flaking off in places. It is very hard to see but I wanted to disclose this. 5.) There are a few stone chips, a few nicks, a small crack in the lower body cladding, (bought this way), seat belt bracket cover on the passenger’s side, in the cargo area is missing, (bought this way). 6.) Antenna works ok but its rubber coating is worn away. 7.) The face of the CD player and panel that covers it has cigarette lighter marks on it. (bought this way) 8.) Small crack in drivers side interior door panel, (bought this way). 9.) Fuel gauge works but when the needle reaches the mid-way point, it starts fluttering, (bought this way). My Assessment I have sold my Dad’s RV on eBay Motors and two motorcycles. Every one of those sales saw very happy new owners that praised me for being up front about the condition of the items sold. I’ve stayed in contact with one of the owners for some time now. I believe that this comes from being honest and offering full disclosure. I know this is a nice car for its age and the pictures show this. Heck, from 50 feet away, it looks like a show car. But it isn’t. When I was taking pictures Thursday evening at a nearby school, a lady walked down from her house to see my “new” car. She could not believe its condition for its age. From her house she thought I had bought a ’10 or ’11 Ford Escape. As I told her, ‘from 50 feet, you would think it just came off the showroom floor’ and she agreed. Then she started asking questions. Owning this car will see you having to play Isuzu historian. Ha! This is a nice car but "Would I jump in it and drive across country?" No, I would not. Would I drive it every day? Yes. I have driven it to the NC mountains and to Myrtle Beach, SC. My previous job was an 80 mile round trip of mostly highway miles and a 2-3 times per month I would drive this. I have driven this SUV daily to work in freezing temps, seen triple digit speeds this past spring and in 100 degree plus days without issue. I have never been stranded by this car and never hesitate to jump in it and go. So why would I say I would not drive across the country in this car? It’s the car's age mainly. I believe if all the hoses were replaced, transaxles serviced and a thorough examination done, it would be ready for anything. I’m just being honest. I don’t want a buyer to think they can come in, buy it and drive off thinking “California, here I come!” If you want to do this, you do so at your own risk. There is no warranty expressed, written or stated otherwise. a.) Shipping is to be arranged by the buyer and I will make myself available to assist the shipping company with the pick up. b.) A $500.00 deposit to my PayPal account must be made within 24 hours of the winning bid. This deposit is non-refundable for a person failing to pay for the total sold price. Full payment needs to be made in two weeks from the winning bid date. c.) I will only allow the vehicle to leave my ownership with 100% of the ‘sold price’ being paid in full. d.) Accepted money transactions are cash and/or certified check to be deposited in my bank account prior to vehicle pick-up or on the day of pick-up. Summary There you have it. I have done my best to represent this car so there would be no surprises. I hate to see it go but life changes and we have to move forward. This is one of the most unique vehicles ever sold in the USA. It has a huge cult following in Japan and considering the cost of gas there, this is amazing. Here are a few things about this car and if you search the net and eBay research, there are tons of fun stuff to learn. 1.) Sales were intentionally limited, with only 5,958 vehicles being produced between 1997 and 2001; 1,805 were produced for the domestic Japanese market and the remaining 4,153 sold in the United States. 2.) Below is a chart showing units sold in the US. Take a look at the 2001 Iron Man sales. 86 is an unbelievably low production number and taking into account the number that have been destroyed, it really is a rare car. Since I have owned it, I have never seen another Iron Man in person. I have seen a yellow Vehi-Cross about 100 miles from my home and a silver Vehi-Cross at the beach in 2008. The yellow one had 152,000 miles on it and the silver one had 137,000 miles. 3.) Check You Tube for the original commercial. It is a hoot! I remember the first time I saw it. It is pretty cool. 4.) Alot of the mechanical parts used on this car were used on the Isuzu Trooper so parts are easy to come by. 5.) The chart below shows production numbers for years and exterior colors. Note: Rear window decal will be removed before going to new owner. Exterior Interior 1999 2000 2001 Total Astral Silver Metallic Black/Red 1021 n/a n/a 1021 Kaiser Silver Metallic Black/Red n/a 57 101 158 Kaiser Silver Metallic Black/Gray n/a 135 251 386 Victory White or Ironman Black/Red 420 96 86 602 Ebony Black Black/Red 564 51 87 702 Ebony Black Black/Gray n/a 138 226 364 Proton Yellow Black/Gray n/a 111 368 479 Dragon Green Mica Black/Gray n/a 125 105 230 Foxfire Red Mica Black/Gray n/a 90 120 210 Pearl White Metallic Black/Red n/a n/a 1 1 Totals 2005 803 1345 4153 Included Standard Equipment Interior AM/FM stereo w/cassette/ compact disc player Air conditioning Carbon-fiber-look door inserts Carbon-weave-style gauges Carpet in excellent condition Carpeted front floor mats Center console w/padded arm rest Cruise control Original Iron Man Floor mats are in excellent condition with clear plastic mats protecting them. Interior in nice condition Leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel Pwr door locks Pwr windows w/passenger window not working Leather Recaro front seats Split folding/reclining rear seat w/headrests Exterior Aircraft-type fuel filler Anti-chip polypropylene lower body cladding Exterior in excellent condition Glare-reducing matte black hood insert Halogen headlamps w/polycarbonate lenses Integrated rear roof spoiler Pwr mirrors Spare tire integrated within cargo door Zinc-plated steel body panels Safety 4-wheel anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags Mechanical 18" x 7" 5-spoke chrome wheels with anti-theft lug nuts & socket included 22.5 gallon fuel tank 3.5L DOHC 24-valve V6 engine 4-link coil spring rear suspension w/stabilizer bar 4-speed electronic automatic transmission w/OD 4-wheel anti-lock vented disc brakes Aluminum mono-tube shocks w/external heat-expansion chambers Four wheel drive w/Torque-On-Demand system Independent double-wishbone front suspension w/torsion bar springs, stabilizer bar Limited-slip rear differential P255/55R18 all-season Goodyear Fortera installed approximately 4,500 miles ago. Audio Stock Isuzu AM/FM, cassette and CD player Tires P255/55r18 Goodyear tires Wheels 18 inch factory chrome wheels On Sep-29-12 at 13:37:28 PDT, seller added the following information: Update: Please note that the 5th sentence of the 3rd paragrah "The intake plenum was removed and cleaned, new plenum gasket, new intake manifold and new EGR/gasket which came to $258.57." incorrectly states a new intake manifold was installed. There was a new intake manifold gasket installed. Sorry for the confusion. I simply left the word 'gasket' out of the sentence. A few of my friends that have seen the ad phoned me to ask if I made the mistake and I thought I should explain to all those who are looking at this car. If there are other questions, please let me know. Thanks and Good Luck!