VVT vs non-VVT for a Daily

Hey guys

I am sorry for posting this, I know for certain there is likely to be a previous topic about it, but I just can't seem to get the search terms right to bring up a relevant thread. Anywho, currently looking to get my first Jimny, have a budget between £2-2.5k, from having a browse on Gumtree this seems to put me right on the edge of clean 01-04 examples and occasional >05 VVT examples.

The intention of the vehicle is to act as my daily, during the winter at least, and also for some occasional pay & plays & light towing. I intend to lift it slightly ( ~2", its an excuse to replace 10-15 year old shocks/springs) with some 215/75r15 BFG ATs (a personal favourite of mine), I will likely draw the line here as it very much needs to be a road vehicle.

My question is: is it worth hunting for a good VVT? I know they are slightly more efficient, which would matter a lot to me, but honestly I have no idea how much more efficient, is the difference massive? Is the extra midrange noticeable, particularly whilst towing? I know there is threads citing that the newer electric transfer gearbox design is a little more fragile, is this true, and are you not able to drop the older design manual transfer box in?

Thanks
Cae

The biggest issue with the early VVTs was the gearboxes failing. It's a £700+ bill if they do.

Otherwise the differences are small. 10% saving on fuel, slightly better performance (but still thoroughly in the realms of slow). I'd go for manual transfer over electric but that's a personal thing.

2-2.5k should easy get you into 2005+ territory. We have both mine is a 2005 VVT and Kates is a 2002 soft-top.
Fuel wise we get roughly the same mpg but Kate is on AT tyres and mine is on MT so that's probly lowering my
mpg a bit. Round town the is not much in it noise wise, the VVT a little quieter but at 50mph+ Kates one is quite
noisy and not because its a soft-top. The VVT is far superior at speed in my opinion. The button transfer box is
fine but you do get the weaker R72 gearbox. If the gearbox is quiet and you change the oil in it regularly it should be
ok.

I use my vvt every day for around 20 miles per day on town and country roads and have found it enjoyable to use. I have never had trouble with the electronic 4x4 and if I ever do I will just fit the free wheeling hubs.

I did have to rebuild my gearbox but this was at 90,000 miles. I didn't have any issues up until then when it started whining in 3rd and 4th gear.
Unfortunately when I bought it, it had a leaky propshaft which probably made the box wear prematurely. This was easily fixed by swapping with a different propshaft.

I bought a genuine seals and bearing kit and got my friend a who is a professional mechanic to rebuild it and fit a new clutch which only cost me a few hundred pounds, so its not the end of the world if your gearbox does fail. I doubt the previous owner even changed the gearbox oil, I now do it with every engine oil change as its very easy.

I usually get around 300 miles per tank and approx. 39/40mpg. If you intend to use it everyday keep it standard, if you want an off roader a non vvt may be better but I would recommend vvt for everyday use mainly for the slight power and mpg increase.

Thanks for the feedback guys, so it is sounding like the VVT does make a big bit of difference to the drivability of the car. I'll keep my eyes out for one, there are a lot sitting right at the top of my price range (£2400+). Seems to be a lot of optimistic pricing about though