Within Reach Can Be a Bad Thing

"Brian Tschiegg" (WritingInCars) 08/06/2013 at 13:58 • Filed to: Isuzu, Vehicross, AWD, Future Classics

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You guys are jerks.

I’m sorry; I didn’t really mean that. It’s just, I can’t stop looking at Isuzu Vehicrosses.

The three main arguments on this site seem to be how little people know/care about cars, manual v. PDK, and which cars will be future classics. Let’s please stop on the future classics. My wallet and I are begging you.

I drove down to Tampa last weekend because I saw a particularly nice Vehicross on sale from a dealer down there. The exterior and interior were both in nice condition and it seemed like it had been well taken care of. I told myself I was just going to look. An hour later, I walked out of the dealership with a loan offer in my hand and looked up at the sun and wished it would burn me alive.

Yes, I would love to have a “fun” car. Something for the weekends besides my perfectly practical Jetta, but my finances just can’t handle it. I can’t afford to invest in every car that might be worth some money in a couple years. So please, stop trying to drain my bank account.

The important part is that I did in fact love the Vehicross, and I will probably own one in the near future despite my common sense desperately begging me to consider my savings account. The ride was surprisingly smooth and I even enjoyed the drone of the knobby tires at highway speeds. The interior was a bit tacky, but I am a sucker for two tone interiors and the absence of floor mats (Seriously, who needs carpet in their car?) I wish the dealer would have been a little more lenient about letting me really test it out because I wanted to know how well the 3D modeling system worked in smoothing out the bumps when the road ends.

It’s a great small SUV and it might be the last one I can think of that could actually handle the roads it looks like it’s made to handle. The ground clearance was impressive and it felt solid and poised which is more than you can say for the Ford Escape. It seems like it would be pretty practical too with seats in the back that could fit people who have their legs attached and a good sized trunk. Unfortunately, the practicality is probably what’s going to convince me to buy it.

So are we on the same page now? No more talking about cars I can technically afford. Let’s stick to the McLarens, Ferraris, and Lambos that I know I will probably never see let alone be able to buy. My wallet will thank you.

Buckner > Brian Tschiegg 08/06/2013 at 14:05

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I looked around for one a bit. Cool cars. I had the opportunity to use one as a errand runner when I first moved to town. I loved it. If I didn't already have a 4WD snow car, I would get one quick. Getting rare, so parts might get to be a strain. Never looked into that part.

J. Walter Weatherman > Brian Tschiegg 08/06/2013 at 14:13

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Oppo? Helping you avoid making ill-advised car buying decisions? NOT A CHANCE!

Just look how cool the Vehicross is! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

J. Walter Weatherman > J. Walter Weatherman 08/06/2013 at 14:13

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DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Brian Tschiegg 08/06/2013 at 14:19

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I agree.

I would like one of these, but I just can't make a rational case for it.

It is old enough, rare enough, out of production long enough, and the brand is no longer selling retail cars....

It is a truck, it isn't supposed to be a garage queen, but it isn't practical enough to continue to support to be a daily driver in bad weather conditions, and would be totaled in all but the slightest of accidents, due to the cost of repairing it, compared to it's residual value.

It joins the likes of SVX for those reasons. Really interesting cars that are too old to drive every day, and not truly wide-appealing classic-status enough to have support or resale value, and ultimately are relegated to garage-queen, occaisional driver status, if they still happen to be in good condition. The lesser condition ones are prohibitively hard or expensive to restore, and are worth more as parts.

Gamecat235 > J. Walter Weatherman 08/06/2013 at 14:28

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What J. Walt said. Pretty much sums it up.

Brian Tschiegg > J. Walter Weatherman 08/06/2013 at 14:33

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The want is strong in this one.

Montalvo > Brian Tschiegg 08/06/2013 at 15:10

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There is not want only NEED.

Frank Grimes > Brian Tschiegg 08/06/2013 at 15:19

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3d modeling sysrem?

Brian Tschiegg > Frank Grimes 08/06/2013 at 19:02

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From a Motor Trend article:

"Under normal conditions, the system operates in rear-drive mode, but as conditions demand, torque is automatically transferred to the front axle to provide maximum grip. A display in the instrument cluster shows the driver how much torque is being routed to the front. One key difference between this and other automatic 4WD systems is that TOD uses a dedicated electronic control unit to oversee the process and draws upon input from 12 different input sensors. This collective input is continually compared to a preprogrammed 3D software map that determines how much torque to distribute to each axle, based on such parameters as vehicle speed, wheel speeds, and accelerator pedal angle, to monitor either actual or potential tire slippage. In this way, the system can actually begin correcting for traction loss before it's even occurred. For more demanding conditions, a low-range transfer case also is provided."

It's all in this wonderful article by @Patrick George

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