looking at buying a VT OR VX SS

[westbad]

As title says im looking at buying a LS1 vt or vx so just after a little info.
Are there any common problems with the vt-vx?
also if anyone knows of one at a reasonable price let me know, not to fussed on condition of the bodywork as im a spray painter by trade or how many kms its done so long as its been looked after service wise.

Was the rear camber issues wearing out inner edges worse with the VT?

upgrading from vs 5.0
Thanks

[GE4CE]

Rear camber issues vary on models but as a whole the VT-VX did suffer

As your a spray painter just check sealing around rad support,rear back panel (for originality) to see if it been in a prang,and all 4 door shells to see if theve been skinned or not

Other faults on link below

Faults - VT

Good luck

[westbad]

Thanks for the link ill check it out, spotting repair work wont be a problem i completed my apprenticeship back in 2003 so had plenty of practice.

[Vt_vic]

vx you can get them for dirt cheap now around 10k

[MR_VX]

id go vx ss mate they are newer and less faults then the vt plus they look better

[Grennan]

The early LS1's had a bit of engine noise, bit of piston slap, however engines were replaced under warranty for this issue so usually it isn't an issue, yet be mindful of it when looking for an early VT or X.

Also if you pick up a VT or VX Series 1, some cars did have rear camber issues, if you can pick up a series two and you will dodge the issue completely, some cars didn't have much problem with it so you might get lucky.

They were the major faults with the cars, other than that, just the usual second hand car crap.

As far as prices go, I picked up mine for 12500 about 6 months ago, manual with all the basic mods done (most were going for around 15ish).

[westbad]

a VX would be my preferred choice either SS or Calais.

[Grennan]

Depends if you want a manual or an auto. Personally I wouldn't buy a auto LS1 because they just aren't up to the job when you start getting the basic mods done. You cant get a manual Calais, so if you want a manual you need to either look at an Exec or an SS.

[westbad]

would prefer a manual, but i guess it just depends on what comes up with in my price range.

[Vt_vic]

id go a manual depends on what you want though.autos arent all that bad exhaust and tune with 3.7 will do ya a 12.8

[GR3GA]

not a prob with mine, jus the usual oil leak but it aint that bad

[feistl]

As mentioned above, look for a VX SS Series II in Manual if possible. Probably looking at $15k or so for a decent one, unless you get lucky.

Not too many issues with the VX Series II. The camber issues had been fixed and the chassis had been upgraded.
The VT chassis was particularly soft, so if your going to make big power down the track (Say 300rwkw or more) then its not really suitable. They massively improved the chassis in the VX, which easily handles extra power.

Depending how quickly you want the car, it might be worth holding out to find one with Side Airbags (always a good thing) and leather interior. They are a bit rarer, so the price might be higher.

Remember, most people buy a V8 manual to give it a hard time, so look for signs of abuse (noise in the gearbox/diff). Id be cautious of buying one with mods (EG Cam, OTRCAI, Tune) as you dont make these changes unless you want more power and drive it hard.

That said, the people who often drive hard are car enthusiasts and would take car of it buy doing regular services, use high quality oil etc. Really depends on each seller.

Make sure you budget in insurance, rego, transfer, first major serivce and a little extra in case anything brakes. No point spending your entire budget then not being able to get it on the road.

Cheers

[rb26dett]

Are you in a hurry to buy?

If not, then take your time and you will find the right one for you, I looked around for a few months before I got mine, ended up going interstate to get it also.