I assume that most of us who own these cars choose to, or are compelled to, work on our own cars. Any of you watch some of the dozens of shows on bringing a sad, older car back from the brink of destruction? You know, Wheeler Dealers, Bitchin' Rides, Garage Squad, etc.? So, I sold my Toyota Tundra Crewmax, Platinum model, with under 40K miles on her. I took a tenth of what I earned and invested in a local 1999 Vanden Plas.

I've been following it for the past nine months. The seller, owner of his own tire and repair shop, looked to buy it and unload it. Well, you know these cars. Wouldn't start. Put in a new fuel pump and she fired up. Front shocks, perished, so those replaced. ABS/traction control/stability control lights glowing. Air con broken. Fixed that. Front tires perished, those replaced. Transmission wouldn't lock out, so they put in a rebuilt one.

Test drove her. She ran great. Started right up. Pulled strong. Transmission shifted like it should. Straight down the highway. Just one little rust spot on the right fender. All in all, this car has "good bones". 160,000 miles just means it wasn't a lemon, right?

Faults? Of course. Paint is faded on the roof. Sunroof, a jumble of grinding parts, but all there. Headliner, sagging like my mother-in-law. Veneers, faded and clear coat cracked. Every bit of interior plastic trim, when touched or moved, breaks. Carpets, near perfect, mats, for-****. ABS light, as above. Vibe and a bit of judder at 65-75mph. Steering column won't telescope but will raise up/down. Leather is amazing, nearly perfect. Electro-chromatic mirror is unusable.

I figure, if I invest hundreds of man-hours and hundreds of dollars I might, with some luck, turn this beast from an unloved, $2,500 piece of near-scrap into, a $2,500 time/money pit.

Just for ***** and grins, I'll keep you posted. My goal is to spend less than $500 to get her back to snuff.

I know these cars are frustrating. But, when they're working, they are one of the most elegant cars out there.

So I ask you, have I purchased a VD or a VDP?

 

Yeah, a money pit she might be for a while, but it seems you know what you are in to, so I should say you purchased a VDP ... good luck, keep us posted!

 

Mmm, $500 may be a little on the light side, but I guess it's a good start.

The drive shaft bushing/couplers to take care of the vibe/shake at 65-70 should make a dent in the initial budget!



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For example, upper front shock bushing replacement is a straightforward job. Took ten minutes on the right, fifteen on the left. Left was little trickier since the shock shaft rose, mysteriously, once I'd freed the five bolts that hold it in place. Yes, there was no pressure in the right shock. Meyle mounts @$70/pair shipped seems like a bargain. A new Sensen shock with lifetime warranty was $36/shipped. But, more man hours to replace the shock when it arrives. Good thing this car is my new hobby. Worn out shock mount or useful wheel chock?
New mount, satisfying.
Highlighted in green, blood from scraped knuckles.
Shock shot in less than a year? And they say Shenshen quality is lacking.
Perished OEM bushings.

 

You have a Vanden Plas and the usual abbreviation for this is VdP (with a lower case d).

Jaguar use this branding in the US for their top of the range specification because they don't have the rights to the Daimler brand. Here in the UK, the top trim level is marketed as Daimler Vanden Plas.

Graham

 

I too used Sensen & so far zero complaints.

 

LOL, great idea!



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You'll do fine, especially since you're prone to being hands' on, hands on = penicillin in this equation lol .

 

 

Mine isn't broken, but I don't use it, because, no drinking allowed in my car, and the open cupholder interferes with the gear shift, stupid design,

I would like to eliminate it and replace the storage lid with the long, cupholder-delete, armrest-only type. I think they are fitted to some European models?


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