From: vka+@pitt.edu (Vishnu K Agrawala)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: Feedback on '87 Fox.
Date: 24 Dec 92 08:19:48 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Dec22.202611.185@engage.pko.dec.com> mahajan@milpnd.enet.dec.com (Rakesh M. DEC Maynard MA ...) writes:
>
>       Looking on feedback on 87 VW Fox . Since
>it was the first year of this model. All the pro
>and cons in buying a used '87 VW Fox car with about 
>75K will be appreciated.
>
>Thanks in advance
>Rakesh 


Oh, man, don't get me started! :-)

I have an '87 Fox which I bought used 3.5 years ago with 20k on it. It
now has 86k on it, mostly highway miles from going back and forth from
PA to MI. I just recently got mine back on the road after fixing the
shift linkage. Lemme list some pros & cons for you:

Pros:
-Fairly economical, I get about 27/33 mpg

-Most problems easy to diagnose, but good idea is to get Bentley
 manual. Fairly easy to work on it you enjoy pain (at least you can get
 to most of the stuff; my Dad's Cavalier is next to impossible!).

-Fairly unique car, you will only see them around colleges

-Nimble and agile, neutral steering, rev-happy engine.

-Uses same oil filter as all other watercooleds

-Standard tires aren't quite motorcycle tires, slightly meaty

-Fairly good amount of storage space, but sometimes wish for wagon

-Clean lines, defined but not really boxy

-Very durable in accidents; I got rear-ended in January and had no
appreciable damage aside from a ripped-off tailpipe, cracked bumper
cover, and dented rear skirt. (The other car was totalled.) The other
person's insurance company made an estimate and sent me a check for
$1100 to cover damages, of which I spent $100 to fix tailpipe. It
should be noted that actual repair costs to repair everything would
have been much more than $1100.

-Taillights are nice and large and bright, not like Jetta's which are
barely visible. Trunk has high liftover, and is deep but not wide, and
back of trunk is misshapen due to rear shelf.



Cons:
-Most parts made in Brazil, very little from Germany or elsewhere
 Radiator is French, engine from Germany? etc.

-SINCE VW FOX USES LONGITUDINAL ENGINE/TRANNY LAYOUT RATHER THAN
 TRADITIONAL TRANSVERSE LAYOUT, YOU MUST MAKE DO WITH 4-SPD TRANS.
 I've been told you can put a Dasher 5-spd in if you have to, but I
 cannot confirm this. Parts should also be harder to find for it.

-Some parts are different from other VW's, and will not be available
 at most parts places. At dealers, it will be by chance that you get
 the right part.

-The full wheel covers have a tendency to come off if you don't put
 them back on correctly, every Fox I see has a missing cover.

-Underpowered at times, due to restrictive exhaust. Recommend
 free-flow exhaust, although I haven't done this myself. Ask around.

-You should try to find a cheap set of larger (6x13 or 6x14) steel or
 alloy wheels from somewhere, so you can put larger tires on. In any case, even if you keep original wheels, rip off Pirelli P44's or whatever and put
 on H-rated tires, I prefer Bridgestone HP-41 Potenza. They are more
 efficient and give higher speed. (At least, I have found this.)

-Many non-dealer repair shops are only now getting Fox parts and
 offering Fox service. My "friendly" (read "local") Midas always has to
 order parts, and never puts them in right.

-The engine lasts just about forever if you change the oil regularly.
 Everything else around it falls apart from wear & tear. If the
 original owner was smart, he/she would take it to Midas to replace
 whatever needed to be fixed; then, future replacements (which are
 inevitable) would be free. Otherwise, talk the guy down a few hundred,
 and take it to Midas yourself when (NOT "IF") brakes/muffler/struts go bad. 

-I would guess that the one you want doesn't come with A/C. If not,
 well, either stay away or get a sunroof for it; it gets hot in there.
 I had a sunroof put in pretty cheaply, and it really helps me keep
 fairly cool by increasing the airflow.

-The radio is not one of the ones that is theft-deterrent. Once a
 thief gets in, which is fairly easy, the knobs come off and a couple
 screws are quickly removed, and the radio pulls right out. It is only
 held in by two clips on either side. Consider getting a pull-out
 stereo, it sounds better and you can take it out in the city. Or, if
 you leave it in, it needs the frame attached to the car in order to
 play. Oh, yeah, while I'm at it, don't even think about replacing the
 front dash speakers, it is impossible for the human body to contort to
 such a degree as to facilitate their removal and/or installation. Rear
 speakers are easy to remove and install, but replacements are hard to
 find because they are bottom-mounted, so the tweeter protrusion must
 be minimal; also, the mounting holes are set out a little further than
 on standard 6-1/2" speakers. There are adaptors offered, but a better
 soln is to get JBL T-600 for about $80-100. (I haven't done this
 either.)

-The Fox has the aerodynamics of the Sears Tower, and seems to have
 much wind noise. Engine and road noise is also quite pronounced.

-Also, you sit more outboard (closer to the outside of the car), so
 you get lots of wind buffeting. Get a short haircut and use  lots
 of hairspray or gel in your hair. :-)

-The center door console which holds up the rearview mirror might have a
 tendency to fall down. It's very expensive to replace, and the mirror
 will probably vibrate.

Wish I could think of more, but it's 3am and I haven't driven it in a
month, so I don't know any more than that. Can anyone confirm or
debate some of these statements?

-- 
/==================================================\ These opinions are
| Rajiv K. Agrawala      rkast2@unixd.cis.pitt.edu | purely my own and do not
| Undergraduate Mech. Engrg., Univ. of Pittsburgh  | reflect those of anyone or
\==================================================/ anything else. Thanks.
-- 
/==================================================\ These opinions are
| Rajiv K. Agrawala      rkast2@unixd.cis.pitt.edu | purely my own and do not
| Undergraduate Mech. Engrg., Univ. of Pittsburgh  | reflect those of anyone or
\==================================================/ anything else. Thanks.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw