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Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:57 am

YellowSplittie wrote: I bought an '87 Fox new the first month they were introduced. It was my first new, not used, car. The dealer didn't have any and had to trade for one on a lot 2 states away. I had that car for 4 years, put over 150K miles on it, not a bit of trouble except it would eat rear tires (cupping) if the tires were not rotated every 5K miles and was sometimes a bit hard to start when it was hot (extra few seconds of cranking). Nothing broke on it, no plastic parts fell off, etc.

I traded it for a new Saturn in 1991.

You definitely got the "lemon" of them all! :shock:

:lol:

Fri Apr 28, 2006 10:02 am

I had an 89 or 90. Cannot recall now. Had some trouble with the AC (it came from the port overfilled), and a brakelight switch problem. It was overall a reliable car.

It didn't get great gas mileage, like 29-30 as I recall. It had the extremely cheapo version with a 4 speed and the engine could have used a 5 speeder. Also, the earlier versions had a CIS-E and the later ones had something less reliable. I don't remember why.

Fri Apr 28, 2006 10:07 am

there was only manual transmission fox models available- autos were not an option. (no autos- as it should be).

Mine ate front tires, no shop would align it since so many of the parts had play in them- even after I replaced the strut tower bushings... :)

Ever try to take a fender off one of those? there was like some sticky tar holding it in place...

It was a cheap-o that I believe was around $5500 USD when new...in 1989.

Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:36 pm

It's funny how many of us Bus Pilots got our training in Foxes! It's also funny that the experience made us REVERT 20-30 years for reliability and quality....

Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:45 pm

I take offense to ^that^! :shock:

No pile of plastic gave me any training whatsoever! [-X

The one and only reason we ended up buying that specimen was that we were looking for a car for the wife, she being barely 5 feet tall, that was the only vehicle that she actually had to push the seat back some. All other vehicles she tried she could barely reach the pedals. We went a whole weekend driving car salesmen crazy as they tried their best to "show us" this car and this other car, while she kept trying the reach without success, from dealer to dealer to dealer. :o

Did get her a '70 bug for a while but had to install home made "blocks" for the pedals! :lol:

BTW, my original "training" was in a '67 Deluxe Type 2 when I first learned to drive! :P

Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:50 pm

The Fox was based on the Gol, which came with an aircooled engine and a modified Bug-type transaxle the first 2-3 years. Yes, front-engined front-wheel drive. I think they were even available in alcohol-fueled versions, which could've been a big selling point in Appalachian "moonshine country". :lol:

If I ever win the lottery, I'm planning to buy a Fox and put an aircooled into it. Maybe a built T1 engine, maybe an upright-converted T4. I'm pretty sure I could offend just about every VW enthusiast in the world by doing that. :twisted:

Fri Apr 28, 2006 3:09 pm

You'd offend more people by putting a type1 engine in a 2006 Subaru Whatisitz-Yupster.
Settle down, I was just being colorful. COLORFUL!

Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:56 pm

Hey, I could put the Suby engine into the Fox .. but I'd have to deal with that "radiator" thing. :D

Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:29 pm

Quote: Hey, I could put the Suby engine into the Fox
Man that could be one FAST Fox!!! Lower it a couple inches all the way around, put good suspension on it, some wheels. It'd be a show stopper. Don't believe I've ever seen a tricked out FOX!! :lol:

Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:39 pm

A friend of mine who is a dentist had an '88 Fox Wagon with license plate "DOX FOX". On the way from Ohio to Indiana one freezing cold day on a snow covered road doing 65mph, he lost it. The Fox went down into a ditch and ran head-on into a concrete culvert where a driveway was built across. Both he and his passenger escaped without a scratch. Needless to say, the car was totaled. The only thing he kept from the car were the Hella Ralleye 2000s he had on the front bumper (they did look sweet!).

No doubt a Golf or Jetta is a much better choice, but the performance of the Fox in that crash earned my respect for that little Brazilian POS!!!!

Check out this Chinese SUV crash test - talk about "structural issues"!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVwmuQqN46g

Don

Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:15 am

tristessa wrote: The Fox was based on the Gol, which came with an aircooled engine and a modified Bug-type transaxle the first 2-3 years. Yes, front-engined front-wheel drive. I think they were even available in alcohol-fueled versions, which could've been a big selling point in Appalachian "moonshine country". :lol:

If I ever win the lottery, I'm planning to buy a Fox and put an aircooled into it. Maybe a built T1 engine, maybe an upright-converted T4. I'm pretty sure I could offend just about every VW enthusiast in the world by doing that. :twisted:

look this

Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:22 am

Is this set up front wheel drive? If not, then what kind of rear end does it have? :?

Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:23 am

Not to mention that ^this set up^ would look pretty kool in a bus! 8)

Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:55 am

tristessa wrote: I think they were even available in alcohol-fueled versions, which could've been a big selling point in Appalachian "moonshine country". :lol:

EVERY car, truck and van in Brazil is setup to run ethanol. Apparently, we'll be seeing more of that here.

Sat Apr 29, 2006 9:13 am

That's the beast. Yup, front-wheel drive. And while that setup would look cool in a Bus, it's not a good idea -- Raby included the Gol shroud in his cooling system tests a few years back and for use on a rear-engined vehicle it was pretty bad. Front-engine (like it's designed for) you'd get air pushed into the fan through the grill when moving.

Every car, truck & van in Brazil is set up to run ethanol NOW, but I don't think that was the case back in 1982 when the aircooled Gols were built.

I'm curious about those carbs .. I've got a hunch they're the Solexes we got here in the "Kadron" setups, but it's just a hunch. :D

Sat Apr 29, 2006 12:43 pm

yes, FWD and aircooled...

Sat Apr 29, 2006 3:39 pm

It's ugly but I like the idea.

I think they were nearly 100% ethanol by the 80s, but it isn't really important. In later years they have returned to a ethanol/gas mix.

Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:09 pm

Styling looks like a cross between a Dasher and a Scirocco. I like it! Air-cooled too - best of all worlds! :)

Don

Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:59 pm

I had an '88 four door. Thought the two doors were turds. I got it with around 80k on it, and I did a lot of maintenance on her to bring her back to life. Never stranded me though. I still kinda miss her. Had a sunroof(pop-open) and a rear spoiler(dealer installed?) It was a dark grey metallic. Looked pretty sweet with window tint and Audi 4k alloy wheels on it. Had Monroe struts installed, and she handled very predictably after that. No more bouncing and bottoming-out. It did enjoy eating tires though!

Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:28 pm

Would that be the Audi Fox or the VW Fox?

Made in Germany, Audi Fox(Audi 80 except for North America) was a neat car; the VW Dasher(VW Passat 1 everywhere else) is the (also German-made)VW clone of the Audi Fox.

VW Fox (of North America) was a simplified & de-contented version of those cars, but of course made much more cheaply in Brazil. Far less quality than the Audi Fox/VW Dasher, but the VW Fox wagons still have a following in some areas. As with most used cars, the actual worth is mostly dependent on condition.

For more specific insight, you might try this link to an Audi Fox/VW Dasher/VW Quantum/VW Fox site:

http://dog.mp3equipped.com/dog/

Best wishes.

J.R.
68 Westy
(+ others)