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Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:12 pm

flabay wrote: 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:

People have or are doing it (tricking out, not suby engine, though I don't see why not)- I used to have some pics of the nicer ones- GTI quad round grilles, Audi TT forged wheels, etc. Any of the familiar watercooled VW/Audi motors (even 1.8ts and maybe Audi 2.8 6's?) will transplant in to the Fox. There was, I believe, a Fox rally car with quattro, and other people had some quattro Fox projects in the works. At one point in time, there were aftermarket suspension parts, but those are difficult to find now. People have experimented with parts from other WC VW's with OK results IIRC.

Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:35 am

foxes are like the people who drive them, take care of them and they take care of you. lose weight if the seats go to the floor(or maybe the p.o. needed to). has anyone ever owned a car/truck that didn't need anything done to it if it was 13-19 years old?? i think not! every car on the road has its own quirks, mine has its share but w/ very little 'fixing' i've put a little over 10,000 miles on mine(90vwfoxwagon) and has never left me stranded plus gets me 30 mpg consistently. now if it were only a diesel......................................................

Tue May 13, 2008 2:34 pm

I have to defend the Fox. My first Fox was an '88 wagon. I was young and I shouldn't have bought it in the condition it was in. After I replaced the rear struts and wheel bearings, it was great! That little car went everywhere. 30+MPG, versatile, fun to drive. I was heartbroken when the cylinder head gasket went on me. I bought an '87 2 door that I use daily. I swapped out the engine and tranny for ones with lower mileage and a 5-speed! I love the car. I will drive it until it drops.

Tue May 13, 2008 11:37 pm

I bought a 1989 new and had near 200k on it. I drove it 430 miles from Houston to SW Oklahoma one Christmas Eve after the clutch cable broke as I was getting ready for my trip. I have a userd 1990 now with 171k on it.

19super73 wrote: I have to defend the Fox. ! I love the car. I will drive it until it drops.

Wed May 14, 2008 10:44 am

I had an '89 I bought used with 75K on it. I drove the car five years after the odometer broke at 105K. Only left me stranded once. The ignition switch broke, but I was able to get the car started and running with a paperclip. (so technically I wasn't stranded). I replaced some parts - shocks, strut bearings a few times, brakes. One day it developed an exhaust leak so I sold it. I still saw the car driving around the neighbor hood a few years after that. Great car. I still have the repair book - it's brand new! I think I opened it once in 7 years!!

Sat May 24, 2008 7:45 pm

My brother had one that would quit on him every time he made a right turn between 15 and 25 mph. Dealer could duplicate the problem but not fix it. Try driving around town with that problem.

Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:10 pm

i just picked up a '88 fox 4-dr. so far so good. it has 125xxx miles on it, and it seem to run really good. its gutless but makes a decent car to get me back and fourth from school, or somewhere else. it has great heat too. not a replacement for my aircooleds though.

Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:14 pm

Hmm, really mixed reviews on the Fox here. I'm probably getting a 90 base model in a couple of days for $300 or maybe less. I'm doing a slow rolling resto on a 68 ghia and want a "daily" for insurance reasons and it will also be my winter car. No ghia in the snow with the people around here on the road. I don't know what to think after reading all this! My mechanic said he prefers them to rabbits and jettas of the same time, but not all of you seem to agree. This one was always garaged. 144k miles. Needs rear brakes, tires, front axles. Runs well though. Sounds pretty good. Started right up. For the price, I thought I was doing pretty good. I hope so anyway. :)

Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:23 pm

like anything, it's how you take care of it.
some turned to crap, some are still kicking and a good deal.
if you like it, get it.
NOT the car for you if you leave things to the last possible moment to fix, but then that can be said for ANY car.

Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:37 pm

They were actually a pretty good car:far better than the junk VW sells now.The CIS injection was great, as long as you kept the fuel clean and dry.Very reliable if you did..Heater core issues,but not too much else.

Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:55 pm

I had a 1976 Audi Fox.... Was the best damn little car I ever owned. Solid as a rock, lots of power, and never let me down. I called it "The trooper"
This little car was so tight it would almost lull you to sleep just listening to the engine and exhaust note. Cornered like it was on rails too.

I still kick myself in the ass for selling it to "A Friend" :x He was supposed to sell it back to me after he got his other car... Instead the bastard traded it in at a used car lot. I was LIVID! Stormed down there to buy it back, filled out the paperwork, and the other poophead sales guy sold it out from under me!! And get this... To a bunch of friggin tweekers... AARRRGGHHH!!! I wanted to explode as I saw my little baby driving off..... Man. Sorry, had to vent.

Anyway, yes VW fox= Bad... Audi Fox = Kick Arse.

Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:33 pm

There is nothing wrong with a well-maintained VW Fox. Getting over 200k before a rebuild is needed not unheard of.

Unfortunately, it was an inexpensive car and many owners did not maintain them. They preferred to repair them -- usually on the cheap -- until this practice would finally catch up with them. What's left over is a $300 car needing $3,000 worth of neglected back-repairs. Hence, the car is labeled as being bad rather than the owner(s).

Finding a good example can now be a challenge but great bargains at $1,000-1,500 are out there every once in a while. I wouldn't hesitate buying one.

Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:35 am

I had several problems with my 89 fox, after 7 months of asking for help, taking it to 3 different shops, and about $700.00, i'm now junking my car, best advise to you is get rid of it...

Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:16 pm

I'm runnin a 92 fox that i beat the shit outta and it still runs, need a new clutch and gas tank tho. I haven't had many problems with it other then the piece of shit door handles :x so I stopped replacing them that seemed to fix the proplem and i replaced the seats with ones out of a 2001 Jetta. I've been thinkin about swapping the engine maybe a for a VR6 what do you guys think?

Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:53 pm

i have no problems with my '88 fox. it runs good, drives nice, and isnt too uncomfortable. it does good on the highway, and gets great mileage. and i paid $250 for it.