Best Model year VLX

[sonny20]

Which model year VLX would you suggest between '05 - '07 and why?

[wake1923]

I have a 2006 and think it was the best year for Malibu vlx's.

[Dodger40]

I love my 2007. I'm not sure what year the power wedge first was introduced. If it was 2006, then the difference we between 2006-2007 is very minimal. I think the gauges are slightly different. I thought 2007 was Malibu's biggest year too.

[Cory]

'06's have dated looking orange gauges, while '07's have a nice modern looking white light gauges.

[WakeGirl]

Sigh....

Okay, here's the rundown. (Actually 2008 is the same boat as well, but the OP isn't asking about that one so I'm not going to include it here.)

All 3 have the same windshield.

'05

~ analog stock gauges

~ no built in speed control (many consider this a bonus, including me)

~ standard, old school throttle cable & shifting

~ damper plate issues (can be corrected with replacement/upgraded parts)

~ fixed wedge was standard, can be retrofitted with floating wedge

~ Titan III or Illusion X towers were both available from the factory

'06

~ first year for power wedge

~ first year for multi function LCD gauge

~ first year for built in speed control

~ fixed wedge was standard, can be retrofitted with floating wedge

~ Titan III or Illusion X towers were both available from the factory

~ first year for new SkiVee tranny/vdrive combo unit

~ first year for throttle by wire

'07

~ first year for floating wedge availability

~ first year for shift by wire

~ Illusion X tower available from factory

~ recalls were done company wide over shift by wire issues

~ first year for the Cat system (not all engines IIRC)

Those are the major differences that I can think of. Others include graphic & sticker differences, & a few aesthetic differences such as the steering wheel, but those are pretty minor things IMO.

[WakeGirl]

Not sure about thew wedge change years, but 07 was the first year or the frameless windshields. I would stay away from those. ive heard some reports of them cracking or coming out of the supports. That generation started the good wake and surf vlx hulls. Also people say those illusion towers are flimsy, but my experience is the opposite.

Incorrect, not on the VLX.

[jaciche]

Sorry. I knew they were the responses, so I assume they were on the wakesetters too. Drive by wire is on 06 responses, not sure about 06 wakesetters

Edited February 20, 2015 by jaciche

[WakeGirl]

Sorry. I knew they were the responses, so I assume they were on the wakesetters too. Drive by wire is on 06 responses, not sure about 06 wakesetters

Throttle by wire & shift by wire have to do with the engines, not models. Both were company-wide.

[WakeGirl]

Oh & one thing that I wanted to emphasize with my post is that "BEST" is in the eye of the beholder. My definition of best is the 2005 because so much of it is analog. I can replace a throttle cable or tweak the Perfect Pass setup. With all of the electronics that the newer boats have, it has to go to the dealer for even some of the most basic problems. I don't like that. But there are people that prefer how the TBW & SBW systems feel, & like the integration of the multi function LCD gauge. So which one is best? You have to drive them & decide for yourself. But now you know the differences on which to focus.

[Stevo]

Pretty sure Wake girl hit this one out of the park.

[Cory]

Sigh....

Okay, here's the rundown. (Actually 2008 is the same boat as well, but the OP isn't asking about that one so I'm not going to include it here.)

All 3 have the same windshield.

'05

~ analog stock gauges

~ no built in speed control (many consider this a bonus, including me)

~ standard, old school throttle cable & shifting

~ damper plate issues (can be corrected with replacement/upgraded parts)

~ fixed wedge was standard, can be retrofitted with floating wedge

~ Titan III or Illusion X towers were both available from the factory

'06

~ first year for power wedge

~ first year for multi function LCD gauge

~ first year for built in speed control

~ fixed wedge was standard, can be retrofitted with floating wedge

~ Titan III or Illusion X towers were both available from the factory

~ first year for new SkiVee tranny/vdrive combo unit

~ first year for throttle by wire

'07

~ first year for floating wedge availability

~ first year for shift by wire

~ Illusion X tower available from factory

~ recalls were done company wide over shift by wire issues

~ first year for the Cat system (not all engines IIRC)

Those are the major differences that I can think of. Others include graphic & sticker differences, & a few aesthetic differences such as the steering wheel, but those are pretty minor things IMO.

I'm pretty sure shift by wire was introduced in 2008 for wakesetters. Throttle by wire was available before 2008. My '08 vRide had throttle by wire, but did not receive the new shift by wire that year (as the wakesetters did) so I was in the clear that year when my dealer was frantically trying to replace the faulty units in wakesetters. The wakesetter boats were just randomly shifting into gear or something weird like that.

[Cory]

Oceanbu, you have an '07 VLX. You don't have shift-by-wire do you...

[WakeGirl]

I'm pretty sure shift by wire was introduced in 2008 for wakesetters. Throttle by wire was available before 2008. My '08 vRide had throttle by wire, but did not receive the new shift by wire that year (as the wakesetters did) so I was in the clear that year when my dealer was frantically trying to replace the faulty units in wakesetters. The wakesetter boats were just randomly shifting into gear or something weird like that.

Incorrect. It was in 2007. I have connections with several members that had '07 VLXs that had shift by wire. AND, the shift by wire recall was done for '07 models. Throttle by wire was in '06.

[justhavinfun]

I suggest the 07 even though I may be bias. It has throttle by wire, but no shift by wire that I'm aware of, but I may. I know we looked at 05's and 06's when we looked a few years back and for the little bit of price difference we liked the 07 better. Wakegirl hit most of the key points. I think the chrome emblems on the side and back were added in 07, although I may be wrong.

Edited February 20, 2015 by justhavinfun

[WakeGirl]

....

I think the chrome emblems on the side and back were added in 07, although I may be wrong.

Correct. '05 & '06 had stickers.

[Dodger40]

Since the recall has there been any more problems for the 2007 vlx shifter/throttle ?

I thought 2008 was the less desirable year because of the MUX switches, and 2005 had the damper plate issues? Of course it is a boat.it will break at some point!

[pennery]

I have had an 05 and 07. I really liked the 07.

[Ndawg12]

An 07 VLX was a silver 25th anniversary model I believe, so you may notice some minor touches that distinguish that. 07 and beyond the wedge (power or floating) will be 1 piece welded stainless rather than an aluminum foil bolted to nibral arms. Cats were introduced in 07 only on the monsoon 340 hp motor option.

[WakeGirl]

Since the recall has there been any more problems for the 2007 vlx shifter/throttle ?

I thought 2008 was the less desirable year because of the MUX switches, and 2005 had the damper plate issues? Of course it is a boat.it will break at some point!

2007 was the only year for the recall that applies to the shift by wire. 2008 across the board had a different recall program that affected all models. If it's me, I would run, not walk, from a 2008.

An 07 VLX was a silver 25th anniversary model I believe, so you may notice some minor touches that distinguish that. 07 and beyond the wedge (power or floating) will be 1 piece welded stainless rather than an aluminum foil bolted to nibral arms. Cats were introduced in 07 only on the monsoon 340 hp motor option.

Careful, the Silver line was its own thing. There were far more normal (non-Silver) VLXs produced in 2007 than Silver Editions.

[Ndawg12]

2007 was the only year for the recall that applies to the shift by wire. 2008 across the board had a different recall program that affected all models. If it's me, I would run, not walk, from a 2008.

Careful, the Silver line was its own thing. There were far more normal (non-Silver) VLXs produced in 2007 than Silver Editions.

Interesting, even my 07 247 and a buddies 07 23Lsv has a couple emblems that say something about silver anny, and another buddy has an 07VLX that has more silver stuff, haven't seen it in a few years so can't remember all the touches but I thought malibu recognized the VLX and and maybe the LXI as there flagships that year and hence the special touches. I quick google image search proves you're probably right though.

Why the sigh? Tug on a heart string?

[WakeGirl]

It probably had those emblems in honor of the 25th anniversary for Malibu, but that's a different thing from an actual Silver boat. The only Silver Editions were VLXs & Responses, and they were numbered. It was a specific line that was separate from the rest of Malibu's lineup.

EDIT: And the sigh was for the profound amount of bad information that is being passed around as fact on this site recently, and for what I knew was coming if I couldn't head it off. That's not a direct shot at anyone in this thread, just a general comment on the sheer number of posts recently that make me do a face-palm.

[Lance B. Johnson]

personally I bought a newer boat in spite of the fact that I know being able to fix stuff 100 percent on your own is a plus.

My last boat never saw the dealer. Not once. I will do everything I can to prevent taking my new boat to the dealer, but the fact is it might happen. And I am a lot more tech savvy then most.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Lance B. Johnson

[Dodger40]

All the silver anniversary editions were silver and black and had flashy wheels and of course the hammer head 383 in them. The rest of the vlx's just had the badge.

[justgary]

Correct. '05 & '06 had stickers.

Stickers? Those are appliqués.

[sonny20]

Thanks for all of the info. Just trying to sort it all out.

So "wakegirl", would you even go so far as to say that the '04 VLX would be more reliable than the '05?