Are you a current Michigan-based car shopper? A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/2 for details.
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I'm assuming that reliability is not an issue, there are other forums you can search. I just bought an 05 Vibe AWD 9000 miles on it and am doing my first full tank mileage test, as of today i have 540 km's or about 310 miles with just under 1/4 tank left, if I can get to 600km's on 45L or 9.9 imp gallons I will be VERY happy, that would give me a hair under 36MPG or about 31 US MPG..........stay tuned for the final figures..........
Well, I had to fill up at my local station today,as we were taking a bit of a trip, so I filled up. It took 49 litres or 10.7 imperial gallons, which is a little curious to me, as the specs say the tank is supposed to only hold 45 litres or 9.9 imp gallons, mind you, I filled it to the top of the neck. Anyway I clocked 348 miles on 10.77 imp gallons ==32.3 imp MPG which, for combined city -hwy driving in the AWD I feel is pretty good.
I have a new 2007 Vibe on order and wondering whether I should have it rust proofed. I'm not sure whether this will be taken care of at the factory and the dealer couldn't give me a definative answer. Does anyone have information on this subject?
I have a 2006 AT Vibe and would like to add mud/splash guards. Any ideas on where to get ones that don't look stupid, and the dealer does not have to install?
My 2006 was not but a month new to me and we hit Love Bug season in the South. By Abyss paint took a beating the very first week. I ended up buying a bra, but now am faced with trying to remove some embedded bodies without sacrificing the paint. Any success stories? I wash my car each week, inside and out, so you can imagine how these litte ldead critter bodies drive me crazy. Thanks,
A reporter is hoping to talk with current Pontiac owners who are long-time Pontiac enthusiasts. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, May 10, 2007 with your daytime contact info and a few words about your experience.
A reporter is hoping to talk with current Pontiac owners who never before owned a Pontiac. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, May 10, 2007 with your daytime contact info and a few words about your experience.
That would most likely be a dealer "installed" option. I had interior protection and rust proofing offered to me when I purchased my new car. I doubt it would be on from the factory.
After recent heavy rains I have a leak identical to yours--just above the hard plastic that runs up the windshield and when I drive, water comes out. My grand daughter had opened the sunroof the day before. I DID remember to close it this time but it was not closed right; all the way but the left front corner was down a bit. I pushed it up from the inside so that it fit the same all around. I.ve heard there are drain tubes to carry away water that gets in and I suspect mine may be plugged--anyone know anything about this? My Vibe is 04.
Do any of you have any experiences with transporting large items on the roof of the Vibe? I am wandering if I can fit a 12 foot (or even 14 foot) boat which is 55 inches wide and weighs 110-120 pounds. Am I crazy to sty to strap this thing onto the roof?
I made a web page showing my erstwhile Vibe carrying a couple of 60 lb canoes... I made the page because I had trouble with rack failure, but Yakima now uses a different and much better design.
I'll say this for Yakima: after I showed them the pictures, they sent me a new set of Q towers, free of charge. Standup company, for all their goofy marketing.
With the new rack, I've had no problem strapping on the same load.
You should be alright with your 120 lb. boat. Just make sure you strap it down well front & back. Notice how I protected the nose piece with electrical tape. Not pretty, but functional.
purchased a 2006 vibe with 27 k miles from a GM dealer. dealer stated that car was GM CERTIFIED, with a 100k warranty on powertrain, and up to 39k miles or 39 month full warranty. i am now reviewing the paperwork and I do not see anything in writing about the warranty. all i have is a inspection report for GM certified. is there a way i can check. i tried the gm websites but they do not seem to have a registry.
I also just purchased an '04 GM Certified Vibe. I think there is a paper explaining what GM Certified entails, and it is 100,000 mi. warranty or 5 years from the first date of sale, which in my case is two years and in your case is 4 years. And the warranty is good at any GM dealers, not just the one where you bought it. Maybe they forgot to give you this paper but if it is a GM Certified vehicle you will have this warranty, so do not worry and enjoy your vehicle!
So far I am very happy with my Vibe. I just filled up the tank for the first time and got 28 mpg in town/rural driving. It's a great little runabout and has a ton of room for my dogs and garden supplies. I hope you enjoy yours!
The Toyota website has the new 2008 Matrix up for viewing. And the big surprise is that it is identical to the 2007 Matrix! I have no doubt that Pontiac will follow soon. Does anyone have a contact at the NUMMI plant who can confirm?
Looks like the big decision this fall will be a new 2008 Vibe or 2008 Saturn Astra. Hmmmmmm...
Hi! New to this forum. Possibly interested in purchasing a used Vibe. Wondering about sound system aux input. I think the current model has one, but what about previous years?
I have decided on a Pontiac Vibe and have narrowed it down two '07's i found: (both Abyss)
1st: Preferred Pckg, Sun and Sound Pckg, Monotone Pckge, Auto trans. sticker price 20,105. dealer's phone deal: 16,538 with a 7.49% apr rate for a 60 month finance. (as of now no money down, but could be $1,500) PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS IS A GOOD DEAL!
2nd: same as above, but instead of Monotone Pckge it has ABS. don't have a deal yet on this.... but do you recommend this one instead? PLEASE HELP! I'll appreciate any advice. thank you!
Nobody knows if it's a good deal without doing the math... which you can do yourself...
get invoice from edmunds.com, subtract the rebate, and see if you like it... near as I can tell, the $1,000 "bonus cash" is gone, but the rebate itself has increased from $1,000 to $1,500, so the car is effectively $500 more than last week... or should be....
However: $20,105 msrp argues an invoice price of $19,000 or a touch less; subtract $1,500 to arrive at $17,500... if they're ofering $16,500, it sounds like a very good deal indeed... dunno how this works out; do you have a trade?
As far as which one is better; ABS or monotone? The monotone is useless, IMO, never mind that my car has it... in a black car, you can hardly tell, plus the paint doesn't stick all that well to the plastic. The ABS isn't stricly necessary, but at freeway speeds, it keeps the car under control if you have to haul it down fast in the rain, so I'd choose the ABS in a heartbeat.
Good luck, -Mathias
'07 Vibe 5speed dark gray monotone ABS, side air bags, pwr package
new 2007 pontiac vibe, abyss (slate interior), preferred pckge, sun and sound pckge, ABS, auto trans. my deal(in New Jersey): 16,500 (1,500 cash allowance plus $500 for a previous non GM car, $2000 for my 2000 Toyota Corolla trade in (still owed $1,410, talked them up to $2000, so really $590 towards my car), no down payment. total to finance $17, 601. wasn't crazy about my finance rate (even though my credit is good) but 7.25% for 60 months. I guess the dealer will try to get you on some end.. either the trade in value, the car price, or the finance rate. Overall i am happy with my purchase......i LOVE the car (looks so much better than the Matrix, and slightly cheaper). I'll tell ya what i think in 5 years!
You lost me on the math track. 16500 was the price before tax lic & doc, yes? Then it looks like 2590 should be deducted for the three credits (1500 + 500 + 590), and tax etc added. I can't see the 17601 balance to finance. What did I get miss please?
NEVERMIND - I just priced one out and I see that 16500 was after allowances, not before. Your invoice was 19090 + tax/lic/docs.
One last comment. If I were going to buy new, and I plan to look for end of year pricing late next summer, I might look for a Matrix similarly equipped because of the better value retention. But If you can buy a Vibe for $1000 better than sim equip Matrix, then it's about a wash, using Edmunds forecast of depreciation/resale value. The first year hit on the Vibe is at least 1000 more, and after that they are close.
My parents were just in an accident in my mother's Pontiac Vibe. They hit a jackknifed tractor trailer and the airbags failed to deploy. My parents were not seriously injured. However, my father, a former body and fender mechanic, says that the front end is quite damaged and that the car is possibly totaled. Has anyone heard of airbags not deploying in such a serious accident? . Unfortunately I am not sure of the year but I believe it is a 2004 or 2005 without the side curtain airbag option. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Four years ago, my wife nailed a deer with her Sienna. A little over $6 in estimated damage; I wound up taking a check from the insurance co. and selling the wreck. No airbag deployment either -- the impact was not near one of the sensors, but frame damage:
I made a web page back then and got a lot of good advice on this site, esp. from Terry on Real-World Trade-In Values:
In deciding whether the car is fixed or not, your parents should keep in mind that the value of a car with repaired frame damage suffers 30-40%. In my case, that meant that the van was hardly worth $6k after the repair; that's why I didn't do it.
The ins co. could care less; if it's cheaper to fix than to total, they'll fix it even if it doesn't make sense.
The insurance company decided that the car was a total. Actually the adjuster called the junkyard where the car was towed to and asked if it was a total. The MOD said "Yes" and that was that.
My question is really regarding the failure of the airbags to deploy. It seems that if you hit a tractor trailer head on, they should deploy. Has anyone had anyone had problems with the airbags in a Vibe?
It's a matter of acceleration, measured at the points where the sensors sit. In my wife's case, I was told that the deer had hit the car between two sensors, that's why the bags didn't go off; they would have gone off in all likelihood otherwise.
Air bags are no fun when they go off; people get scrapes, burns, sometimes eye injuries. The idea is that they blow only when you hit *hard*, and since it doesn't sound that your parents were hurt at all, it sounds like everything worked the way it should, no?
Thanks for your reply Mathias. My parents are in some pain. My mother in particular has some bruises that are just now showing up. She also has some back pain as well and stiffens up if she sits for too long. She was the passenger. On the bright side, this was her car and she never liked it much. She had trouble with the big blind spots. Hopefully she will be able find a car she actually likes this time.
I have a small 17' boat which falls under the Vibe's 1500 # limit. Has anyone had experience towing with a Vibe to know how the performance is. Thanks...
I just bought a 2004 Vibe that didn't come with power locks or windows. Does anyone know if it's possible to install after-market power locks/keyless entry? And how much does something like that cost? Also, can a dealer install cruise control?
The Vibe looks like it could be the perfect dogmobile with that big, easy to clean vinyl cargo area and leather option. But nowhere can I find a leather Vibe to look at. Can an owner please tell me if the leather is only on the front of the seats, or also on the sides and back? Comments from other dog owners welcome
P.S. Very sad that they're getting rid of the roof rack in the only 2009 model with leather available. I want both a roof rack AND leather seats.
I own a 2006 vibe and I recently had a collison with a 100 lbs deer doing about 40 mph and my air bags failed to deploy I immedialty called my insurance co, and my dealership and they way they explained it to me is that all sensors are different and that the pontiac vibes sensors must be more in toward the firewall of the engine not the front in light most are.
Dont know if this helps ... it didn;t help me but I thought I'd offer
I own a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. I take extremly good care of my car and recently had a collison with a 100 lbs deer, doing about 40 mph. I hit the deer in the very front head on. My air bags failed to deploy. After shutting my car off and then starting it the check engine light popped in. So when I drove my car home and then to the collison repair place it was determined that my computer fried. Now my insurance is trying to tell me that the computer frying is not accident related. Can they do that? We check recalls and the manufacturer and there were no "known" problem areas with the Pontiac Vibes. I still owe a good 15k on my vibe.
Has anyone experienced then or does anyone have any advice?
I'm considering buying a 2003 Vibe GT. Does anyone know if premium gas is required or just recommended. I want to reduce my fuel costs and will not help if it is required.
Assuming you purchase 10 gallons of fuel on average when you fill up, that's about and extra $2 each time. If you really want the performance of the GT, go for it. If you fill up once a week, your average annual cost to gas up the GT with premium fuel will be about a hundred bucks. Now, insurance rates may be a different story.
Has anyone seen an improvement in the paint quality lately? Two vibes in the family, one silver ('03) one white ('05). Silver is holding up fine. The white (without clearcoat) is completely dead, despite regular hand wash and waxing, with the notorious pitting. Regional GM rep first blamed industrial chemical atmosphere (live near DC, no acid raid, no belching factories) then told me I must live on a gravel road (I don't). Then stated GM doesn't cover paint under warranty (vehicle still under original factory coverage). Dealer paint shop agreed paint was defective and willing to repaint under warranty, but GM Regional reps ensuring GM does not incur any liability for defective paint.
I have two dogs (a lab mix and a brittany) and I thought I wanted leather too, but I have discovered that the base Vibe with cloth is just fine. Because the entire back is plastic with the seats folded, I don't have the problem with dog hair sticking to the cloth that I had in other cars. If I have passengers for the back seat, I just pop those seats up, and they are fine. I think the Vibe is indeed the perfect dogmobile!
We are looong time owners of various models of Toyotas. Knowing that the Matrix is a Toyota mechanically, we decided that if we were going to buy used, why not buy a Vibe instead of a Matrix. Here in southern California, the Matrix commands a much higher resale price than the Vibe, simply beacuse the Vibe is badged as a Pontiac. The values between the cars are very different, so much so that we picked up a Vibe base model with 100,000 miles and manual transmission for $5700 in April of 2007.
The car (according to Car Fax) was not in any accidents and was not a salvage title. Just needed a little maintenance from my mechanic who only repairs Toyota's, Lexus and Scion's. As soon as I brought it in (he's from Thailand so the communication skills between us are not always the best, but we make it work) he said oh great you got a Matrix, but he took another look and relaized it was a Vibe. All the parts he installed were from Toyota.
The great thing here after having a tune-up and the transmission system flushed, new belts and new tires, the car runs like a champ. The seating is great (I'm tall) and the a/c is very cold. The only thing I don't like is the lack of power windows and locks, but for the price, we work around those things.
We needed a car for four Golden Retrievers that we take to the foothills and the beach and did not want to spend a pile of money for a dog car. We thought about a pick-up truck, but felt that being enclosed was safer for the dogs than being in an open cab with such as a pick-up truck, and for vehicle that we would not use that often. Ironically, it has become our vehicle to haul things in so that we don't dirty up our nicer, newer cars.
The plastic trim in the cargo area and on the back of seats is the greatest. Just fold down the back seats and the dogs have plenty of room for our short rides to the park and/or beach. I like the fold down passenger seat with it's hard plastic surface to boot-up the laptop and use that nifty electrical outlet.
Too bad that with GM de-contenting the car for 2009, the base Vibe will no longer have air conditioning, the roof rack or the fold down passenger with hard plastic as standard features. I guess they had to make-up the costs somewhere. The cost to upgrade will be more expensive.
If I were buying new, I probably would not buy a Vibe simply because of the resale value as compared to the Matrix. As a used car, the Vibe is a great deal.
Comments
I appreciate it!
I hope GM's words are not just words but a reality.
Why? I dig the Vibe, and would definitely consider purchasing it, for '08!
Thanx again, mate...
Cheers...
Peace<-- :shades: -
I hear that EU already has what will be our 2008 Vibe/Matrix. Check out:
http://www.toyota.de/cars/new_cars/corolla_verso/index.asp
Very sweet car. And the EU folks get not one, but TWO diesel engines from which to choose.
Best regards,
Mark
A reporter is hoping to talk with current Pontiac owners who never before owned a Pontiac. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, May 10, 2007 with your daytime contact info and a few words about your experience.
I made a web page showing my erstwhile Vibe carrying a couple of 60 lb canoes... I made the page because I had trouble with rack failure, but Yakima now uses a different and much better design.
I'll say this for Yakima: after I showed them the pictures, they sent me a new set of Q towers, free of charge. Standup company, for all their goofy marketing.
With the new rack, I've had no problem strapping on the same load.
You should be alright with your 120 lb. boat. Just make sure you strap it down well front & back. Notice how I protected the nose piece with electrical tape. Not pretty, but functional.
Oh yeah, the link:
http://www.msu.edu/~steine13/vibe.html
Good luck,
-Mathias
i am now reviewing the paperwork and I do not see anything in writing about the warranty. all i have is a inspection report for GM certified.
is there a way i can check. i tried the gm websites but they do not seem to have a registry.
So far I am very happy with my Vibe. I just filled up the tank for the first time and got 28 mpg in town/rural driving. It's a great little runabout and has a ton of room for my dogs and garden supplies. I hope you enjoy yours!
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
The Toyota website has the new 2008 Matrix up for viewing. And the big surprise is that it is identical to the 2007 Matrix! I have no doubt that Pontiac will follow soon. Does anyone have a contact at the NUMMI plant who can confirm?
Looks like the big decision this fall will be a new 2008 Vibe or 2008 Saturn Astra. Hmmmmmm...
-Mathias
1st: Preferred Pckg, Sun and Sound Pckg, Monotone Pckge, Auto trans. sticker price 20,105. dealer's phone deal: 16,538 with a 7.49% apr rate for a 60 month finance. (as of now no money down, but could be $1,500) PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS IS A GOOD DEAL!
2nd: same as above, but instead of Monotone Pckge it has ABS. don't have a deal yet on this.... but do you recommend this one instead? PLEASE HELP! I'll appreciate any advice. thank you!
get invoice from edmunds.com, subtract the rebate, and see if you like it... near as I can tell, the $1,000 "bonus cash" is gone, but the rebate itself has increased from $1,000 to $1,500, so the car is effectively $500 more than last week... or should be....
However: $20,105 msrp argues an invoice price of $19,000 or a touch less; subtract $1,500 to arrive at $17,500... if they're ofering $16,500, it sounds like a very good deal indeed... dunno how this works out; do you have a trade?
As far as which one is better; ABS or monotone? The monotone is useless, IMO, never mind that my car has it... in a black car, you can hardly tell, plus the paint doesn't stick all that well to the plastic. The ABS isn't stricly necessary, but at freeway speeds, it keeps the car under control if you have to haul it down fast in the rain, so I'd choose the ABS in a heartbeat.
Good luck,
-Mathias
'07 Vibe 5speed
dark gray monotone
ABS, side air bags,
pwr package
http://www.geocities.com/auto_world_blog/
It was posted Oct. 10, 2007 on that website.
NEVERMIND - I just priced one out and I see that 16500 was after allowances, not before. Your invoice was 19090 + tax/lic/docs.
One last comment. If I were going to buy new, and I plan to look for end of year pricing late next summer, I might look for a Matrix similarly equipped because of the better value retention. But If you can buy a Vibe for $1000 better than sim equip Matrix, then it's about a wash, using Edmunds forecast of depreciation/resale value. The first year hit on the Vibe is at least 1000 more, and after that they are close.
I made a web page back then and got a lot of good advice on this site, esp. from Terry on Real-World Trade-In Values:
http://www.msu.edu/~steine13/charvan2.htm
In deciding whether the car is fixed or not, your parents should keep in mind that the value of a car with repaired frame damage suffers 30-40%. In my case, that meant that the van was hardly worth $6k after the repair; that's why I didn't do it.
The ins co. could care less; if it's cheaper to fix than to total, they'll fix it even if it doesn't make sense.
Good luck,
-Mathias
My question is really regarding the failure of the airbags to deploy. It seems that if you hit a tractor trailer head on, they should deploy. Has anyone had anyone had problems with the airbags in a Vibe?
Air bags are no fun when they go off; people get scrapes, burns, sometimes eye injuries. The idea is that they blow only when you hit *hard*, and since it doesn't sound that your parents were hurt at all, it sounds like everything worked the way it should, no?
-Mathias
P.S. Very sad that they're getting rid of the roof rack in the only 2009 model with leather available. I want both a roof rack AND leather seats.
I own a 2006 vibe and I recently had a collison with a 100 lbs deer doing about 40 mph and my air bags failed to deploy I immedialty called my insurance co, and my dealership and they way they explained it to me is that all sensors are different and that the pontiac vibes sensors must be more in toward the firewall of the engine not the front in light most are.
Dont know if this helps ... it didn;t help me but I thought I'd offer
I own a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. I take extremly good care of my car and recently had a collison with a 100 lbs deer, doing about 40 mph. I hit the deer in the very front head on. My air bags failed to deploy. After shutting my car off and then starting it the check engine light popped in. So when I drove my car home and then to the collison repair place it was determined that my computer fried. Now my insurance is trying to tell me that the computer frying is not accident related. Can they do that?
We check recalls and the manufacturer and there were no "known" problem areas with the Pontiac Vibes. I still owe a good 15k on my vibe.
Has anyone experienced then or does anyone have any advice?
Waiting tranportationless
kmachleit@laborready.com
GT Vibe ~ What fuel do you use?
87 Octane in a GT
Vibe GT and octane
Is Premium fuel really necessary on the GT and Matrix XRS ?
Assuming you purchase 10 gallons of fuel on average when you fill up, that's about and extra $2 each time. If you really want the performance of the GT, go for it. If you fill up once a week, your average annual cost to gas up the GT with premium fuel will be about a hundred bucks. Now, insurance rates may be a different story.
Enjoy! :shades:
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
The car (according to Car Fax) was not in any accidents and was not a salvage title. Just needed a little maintenance from my mechanic who only repairs Toyota's, Lexus and Scion's. As soon as I brought it in (he's from Thailand so the communication skills between us are not always the best, but we make it work) he said oh great you got a Matrix, but he took another look and relaized it was a Vibe.
All the parts he installed were from Toyota.
The great thing here after having a tune-up and the transmission system flushed, new belts and new tires, the car runs like a champ. The seating is great (I'm tall) and the a/c is very cold. The only thing I don't like is the lack of power windows and locks, but for the price, we work around those things.
We needed a car for four Golden Retrievers that we take to the foothills and the beach and did not want to spend a pile of money for a dog car. We thought about a pick-up truck, but felt that being enclosed was safer for the dogs than being in an open cab with such as a pick-up truck, and for vehicle that we would not use that often. Ironically, it has become our vehicle to haul things in so that we don't dirty up our nicer, newer cars.
The plastic trim in the cargo area and on the back of seats is the greatest. Just fold down the back seats and the dogs have plenty of room for our short rides to the park and/or beach. I like the fold down passenger seat with it's hard plastic surface to boot-up the laptop and use that nifty electrical outlet.
Too bad that with GM de-contenting the car for 2009, the base Vibe will no longer have air conditioning, the roof rack or the fold down passenger with hard plastic as standard features. I guess they had to make-up the costs somewhere. The cost to upgrade will be more expensive.
If I were buying new, I probably would not buy a Vibe simply because of the resale value as compared to the Matrix. As a used car, the Vibe is a great deal.