Nothing very serious has broken on the car yet. Many small items have though. They are as follows:
1. The most serious problem so far is the upper core support on the radiator broke off while I was driving and did some damage in the process. Not only did it break off leaving my radiator rather loose, it also broke the clip that holds the rod that hold the hood up, as well as the plastic piece that the headlight is bolted to the car on. It's not that big of a deal though. I used a shoelace to tie the radiator down good so it wouldn't wiggle enough to loosen any hoses and a bread-tie keeps the hood holder from bouncing around the engine bay.
2.Driver's side mirror broke off from adjusting mechanism so that all you can see in it is the ground and it won't adjust.
3. All, but 1 of the air conditioning/heat vents.
4. Driver's side seatbelt either doesn't retract or will become stuck and won't come out any. This is only really a problem because the seatbelt must be plugged in for the car to start (safety feature) and occasionally the seatbelt will become stuck when the door is closed making it impossible to open the door. (The seatbelt runs from under the seat in the middle of the car up to the clip which is located on the door.)
5. Weather stripping along inside of the windshield came loose. It was easily fixed with some weather stripping sealant though.
Although it may seem like a lot I think for a car with as many miles on it as it has it is in good condition. Mechanically it is very sturdy. It starts right up every time, even on the very cold mornings, and runs strong and consistent. It's a bit underpowered, but for an economy car it has decent acceleration. The top end is a bit lacking though. Also, I don't like driving it on the highway because to keep up with 70mph highway traffic I have to push it a bit too hard. It's not that it can't handle it, it's just that it runs at a little, but too high RPM for me. I like to take full advantage of the possible 30 miles per gallon I can get :) The maintenance cost is practically non-existent also. All I have to do to the car is change the oil every 5,000 miles or so and that only costs about $12.
I've run a Fox at 140-160 km/h (85-100 MPH) on a regular basis with no problems. Still averaged 32-36 MPG. Though I do admit I'd compensate by taking it easier in between. Did 200-300 miles per day as courier car. GREAT car!!!
I also love my '93 Volkswagen Fox, which I bought from my aunt last summer with 50K miles on it. I remember reading the reviews on this site with great excitement at the time, imagining the years of trouble-free driving ahead. Unfortunately, I seem to be the only Fox owner ever to incur 3K of maintenance repairs in 11 months:
Fuel lines, wiring harness, ignition coil, fuel pump, exhaust system, radiator and timing belt. Granted, my continued optimistic hope is that these are wear-related rather than major problems. Perhaps my aunt's 5-mile-a-day commute at 35mph for 11 years just didn't jostle or disturb all the rubber and plastic parts on the car? Anyway, thanks for the morale boost. I'll keep the faith with my Fox, and maybe this will be the last repair!
I've owned my 1993 Fox for over 8 months now. It was purchased to replace my dying 1989 Fox. Its name is Max.1 Cosmetically, it was a black Wolfsburg edition which I had painted a lime green.
The only real issue was a bad head gasket which was repaired by re-torquing it for $50. I can see a need to potentially replace my fuel tank in the future though.
Records, I've made 40.1 mpg on this car traveling the Pennsylvania turnpike between Allentown and Wilkes-Barre at 65/70 mph. My old one made 38.4 mpg. I won't discuss my top speed, but it can make illegal velocities without difficulty.
I own 2 1993 VW Foxes and love them! Others are not alone having expensive repairs at low miles. October 07 I bought a blue 1993 VW Fox GL completely mint inside and out with 76K. I've had to replace:
NEW CLUTCH KIT $100 + $600 labour
NEW Starter $200 + 150 labour
NEW Radiator $118 + my time putting it in.
NEW Rear bearings $40 + my time
NEW Front driver's side bearing $40 + $50 labour
NEW heater core valve $28ish + my time.
My other fox currently is waiting to get a new under the car fuel pump.
In all a great reliable car. I always get 40mpg+.
I got about 42+ going from Council Bluffs to Sioux Falls.
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