This 1988 VW Fox 2-door, metallic blue sedan, with a peppy 1.5 L, fuel-injected petrol/gasoline (unleaded) engine, producing 85 HP and weighing just 1800 lbs (placing it in the 'super mini' or 'sub-sub-compact' class, along with the Ford Fiesta, etc.), but providing comfortable head and leg room with unusually 'upright' seating (front passengers, especially) for its time, was purchased in the summer/fall of 1997 (I believe) in a small town in western Missouri, from a car lot, for the price of $1,000 USD.

The car had 1 or 2 previous owners, and one accidentally allowed the car to roll backwards, on a hill, into a tree, apparently, resulting in a fairly major dent near the center of the rear bumper and rear, trunk body panel. This deformation of the rear trunk body panel prevented the trunk lid from closing securely, allowing some rain water to leak into the trunk, resulting in moderate-severe rusting in the trunk floor, particularly at the bottom of the spare tire wheel well, as well as rusting along the floor panels in the main passenger compartment of the car, particularly along the outer edges, near the (unibody?) frame rails, especially along the passenger side of the vehicle. This rusting was (and is) most visible when viewed from beneath the vehicle.

Additional rusting occurred in patches on the side and door body panels, especially along the lower halves of each, likely due to collected salt from road salting during winter months in the Midwest (U.S.).

The most visible rust patches/spots were thoroughly cleaned, sanded, treated, primed, and repainted with rust-preventative Rustoleum brand spray paint, with metallic silver color used for the outer coats, applied in thick layers, primarily for the purpose of rust inhibition/prevention, rather than for aesthetic appeal (obviously), in the summer-fall of 2001, when I (roughly) 'restored' the car, prior to driving it as my primary vehicle from the fall of 2001 through the fall of 2002.

Following the purchase of this car in Missouri, I drove the car home to Savannah, with a brief stop in the mountains of (north?)western North Carolina to drop off a new friend/acquaintance met in Missouri. One of the tires blew out and had to be replaced within the first few hundred miles, on the first trip with this car, when driving from the auto lot, where purchased, in (north?)western Missouri to a retreat in south(western/central?) Missouri, where I made that acquaintance. Other than requiring that tire replacement, the car performed remarkably well throughout the trip from Missouri to North Carolina and on to Savannah (prior to replacing the oil, oil filter, engine coolant, air filter, fuel filter, etc., I believe).

Basic maintenance was performed on the car, after returning to Savannah (oil change, radiator flush and coolant replacement, etc.), and the car was driven lightly, to/from school and work, around Savannah, from the fall of 1997 until the spring of 1998. In the spring of 1998, the car was driven to Atlanta and parked, for the most part, until the summer of 1998, when it was returned to Savannah, with the exception of a single round-trip, around 'mid-term' (April? 1998), between Atlanta and Savannah.

In the summer of 1998, the vehicle was picked up by my brother and driven back to Washington, D.C., where my brother drove it as his primary vehicle until the spring/summer of 1999, when he returned it to Savannah. While in use in Washington, D.C., the car was driven approximately 6-8,000 miles (rough estimate), primarily for commuting between my brother's apartment, in Alexandria, and his workplace, near the waterfront (Old Towne?) in Alexandria/D.C. (I believe).

Soon after the car was returned to Savannah, in the spring/summer of 1999, it failed to crank, and the car was stored until the spring/summer of 2001, when a malfunction (break / open circuit) was found in the wiring providing electrical current to the primary fuel pump, mounted next to the fuel tank, on the right, rear, underside of the vehicle. As a 'temporary'/diagnostic 'fix', electrical bypass lines were run directly from the battery, located in the engine compartment, through the passenger compartment, under the rear seats, through the body panel beneath the right, rear seat, and to the fuel pump, with a toggle switch mounted on the center console, just below the center of the dash, for manual control of electrical current flow between the battery and the fuel pump. (Once the car was running reliably, once again--after some additional maintenance/restoration tasks, such as replacing the engine oil, engine coolant, gear oil, fuel filter, etc.--the previously described rust removal and 'patch' treatment/painting was completed.)

The car was driven regularly between the fall of 2001 and the fall of 2002, with numerous maintenance/restoration tasks completed during that period. This 'minor restoration' included the replacement of the battery, starter, ignition coil, alternator, timing belt, rear struts/shocks, right driveaxle/CV shaft, spark plugs (Bosch 2 or 4 Platinum), dipstick seal, and manual shifter bushings.

In the fall of 2002 (August-Oct/Nov 2002), the car was driven lightly (generally under 100 miles/week) in the Atlanta area, for commuting (periodically--not daily; I primarily used MARTA metro train lines, as I could not obtain an on-campus, daytime parking permit until later that fall and parking in downtown Atlanta was expensive; I primarily drove only when in a 'rush' for an exam, project deadline, etc., or during nights or weekends, when I could park on campus) between my townhouse in Decatur and the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as for periodic (once every 2-4 weeks, generally) grocery trips, etc.

In Oct or early Nov 2002, when my mother purchased a new, 2003 model Toyoto Avalon and offered me her 1995 Toyota Corolla DX 4-door white sedan with under 60,000 miles and a nearly flawless maintenance record (also with a new timing belt), I returned this 1988 VW Fox sedan, for temporary storage, to my mother's home in Savannah and picked up the 1995 Toyota Corolla DX 4-door sedan for my use in Atlanta.

This 1988 VW Fox sedan remained in storage in Savannah, parked and periodically covered but not garaged, from the fall of 2002 until the fall of 2005, with periodic oil changes, battery charging, topping off the air in the tires, reconditioning the tires with protectant, etc. (all performed, generally, at least once every 6 months to 1 year) , as well as brief 'test drives', to help ensure the engine did not 'freeze up' with lack of use and running lubrication.

Between the fall of 2005 and the summer of 2006, I have been gradually 'restoring' this vehicle, once again. Thus far, I have: replaced the battery, cleaned and reconditioned (primarily) the rubber and plastic components in the engine compartment and other parts of the car, thoroughly washed and vacuumed out the car (at least 2-3 times), changed the oil (twice thus far; a third change planned for this week) and oil filter (twice, I believe), changed the gear oil (this past week, in mid July 2006), thoroughly washed and reconditioned the tires (multiple times; the front tires have also been removed and more thoroughly washed and reconditioned, this past week, in mid July 2006), thoroughly cleaned and lubricated/reconditioned all brake and hub components, replaced the front disc brake pads, and replaced the driver's side front caliper and rotor.

More work is planned for this summer of 2006, including replacing the parking brake cable(s); cleaning and adjusting the rear drum brake assemblies; cleaning and testing all headlight, running/parking light, and turn signal/light assemblies, replacing any faulty or failing bulbs, cleaning and replacing any faulty wiring connections or sections of wiring for these components, and resoldering any faulty connections detected; and recharging the air conditioning system with fresh coolant and lubricant/sealant.

Once these (and, possibly, a few other) basic 'restoration' tasks are completed, I plan to sell the car for $500-$1,000 USD (probably 'ask' $800 - $1,000 then accept as little as $400-500), although a (small;>) part of me will miss this sprightly, relatively 'fun', durable, (fairly/remarkably) reliable little Brazilian-manufactured, German-engineered car, which I affectionately thought of as my little 'tank', essentially, particularly during my brief experience, in the spring-summer of 2002, driving this car constantly for 8-12+ hr shifts, delivering pizzas all over the southwestern portion of Chatham County (GA, USA) for the busiest "Papa John's Pizza" restaurant in the Savannah area. ;>

Stock.

Patches of silver, rust-inhibiting paint to seal previously rusted patches on exterior body; passenger side door replaced with similar, rust-free door from same color (metallic blue) 1989 VW Fox wagon (removed original trim piece from wagon door as did not match vertical position and width of trim on sedan; mounting bracket holes covered with rust-proof aluminum tape); red, lighted toggle switch on lower, central console, just below dash, to power fuel pump (this will most likely be removed once fuel pump relay is replaced and original wiring is thoroughly tested and repaired, as necessary); and rear, black plastic bumper cover lost (loosened by minor 'tap' accident, when 'rear-ended' lightly in fall/winter 2001 by another driver, then blown off on interstate due to weakened retaining brackets, on I-75, north of Gainesville, FL, I believe) and rear bumper wrapped in rust-proof aluminum tape.