New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

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davedyer
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New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by davedyer »

Hi everyone

My first car was a BMW 2002 tii purchased new. Owned many different vehicles over the years. I needed something capable of carrying large items while still being a drivers car. Love the 6 spd, handling, comfort and great braking.
Car has only 55K on the clock. One owner!
Going to slowly do some upgrades like charcoal Prius wheels, Primacy tires and more down the line.
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vibrologist
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by vibrologist »

Welcome tot he Vibe family, Dave.

You caught a nice looking one.

A 2002 tii was your starter vehicle? Not to shabby either!
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

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trb
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by trb »

Welcome, and that's a nice looking GT! Great score with low miles for sure, about 1/4 of what mine has. I know what you mean about a driver's car, especially having a manual transmission again. :D

Good luck with your mods and enjoy it!
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
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davedyer
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by davedyer »

Thanks folks for you kind replies. There are a few issues with the car but minor. The drivers door window run needs to be replaced. The radio LED panel is scratched so much that you can't read it. The dash/console pieces are scratched as well so I will eventually replace those pieces. I will post some pictures soon.
What do you think about these wheels from the Prius?
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KITT222
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by KITT222 »

Welcome to GenVibe!

The Prius rims are nice and lightweight, but if they aren't 16's then I'd pass. 15's on our cars look a little ridiculous, and would need new tires anyway, which wouldn't be as sprightly as the 16s.
tpollauf
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by tpollauf »

Welcome to GenVibe .. Dave! Update profile please so we know your geographic proximity! You'll love shifting through the gears on this Vibe. Mine only has FIVE but still love shifting through them. Visit often and get involved.
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2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

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davedyer
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by davedyer »

trb wrote:Welcome, and that's a nice looking GT! Great score with low miles for sure, about 1/4 of what mine has. I know what you mean about a driver's car, especially having a manual transmission again. :D

Good luck with your mods and enjoy it!

I see you had a 5.0 LX. I bought one in 88 with a 5 spd. Came from the factory with a defective clutch. Hard to drive that car straight on wet roads. :D
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trb
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by trb »

davedyer wrote:
trb wrote:Welcome, and that's a nice looking GT! Great score with low miles for sure, about 1/4 of what mine has. I know what you mean about a driver's car, especially having a manual transmission again. :D

Good luck with your mods and enjoy it!

I see you had a 5.0 LX. I bought one in 88 with a 5 spd. Came from the factory with a defective clutch. Hard to drive that car straight on wet roads. :D
:D Yes, those defective clutches just had a habit of wearing out every 50,000 miles or so. And you can gather how many I've replaced with the miles I have on it! But seriously, I attribute it to mostly driving in Houston city traffic every day. And the occasional power shift. The LX is currently sitting in my garage awaiting a replacement short block. Broke the crank about 3 years ago on it. And it needs another pesky defective clutch! But I really enjoy the manual transmission much better than anything I can afford with an automatic.
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Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
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vibrologist
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by vibrologist »

Dave, those Prius wheels look mighty fine to me. your Vibe is grey, so the wheels will give it a stealthy look. Sublime!

Grey is a great base color for neon accent colors. So if you feel like adding a dash of color....it can make your car stand out.
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Dave, is that a blue heron flying about?
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

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davedyer
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by davedyer »

vibrologist wrote:Dave, those Prius wheels look mighty fine to me. your Vibe is grey, so the wheels will give it a stealthy look. Sublime!

Grey is a great base color for neon accent colors. So if you feel like adding a dash of color....it can make your car stand out.
neongreen.jpg
Dave, is that a blue heron flying about?
That blue Heron was shot in my backyard (The Chesapeake). I agree with the wheels as far as look and color. They are only 16's though. Perhaps I will stay with that size for a softer ride for now. I've always went with lower profile tires in the past. Anyone know what 17 inch OEM wheels are available in gunmetal?
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vibrologist
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by vibrologist »

I have a base Vibe with 16" wheels. Any changes will aim towards a more comfortable ride. That could be an age thing. I am getting too old for penalty boxes. I just had a look at my front struts as I replaced the busted fog lights. One of them is leaking a little bit. There is an excuse to go to Monroe Sensa-Trac struts in the not too distant future.

In 07, I think, we had a boy scout adventure canoeing the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, we camped on a different island every night and had some time for exploration. One night we happened to disturb a Blue Heron he or she was only about 20ft away. What a majestic bird! On the way back we saw the same bird again.
Just two days ago a Crane or Heron was flying over the building where I work. It seems large birds make a come back in these parts.
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

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zythr
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by zythr »

Welcome
cptnsolo77
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by cptnsolo77 »

OOOoooooo.....Fox body with bullit wheels.... 8-)
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
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vibenvy
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by vibenvy »

Welcome to GenVibe! That's a gorgeous 1st gen GT you've got there! I really like those Prius wheels! Definitely keep us updated on modifications you do to your "new" Vibe ;)!
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Salsa Guy
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by Salsa Guy »

Have you hit LIFT yet! Congrats on your car!
05 Matrix XR 4WD and 03 Vibe GT
"If you want Government to solve your problems, then you are the problem!" BMSR
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davedyer
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by davedyer »

ImageFound a set of those Prius wheels from 07 Touring.I like the way the color looks with the charcoal color GT. They're 16 X 6" offset +45. Next will be Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season Plus Tires. The Pontiac caps are too big (the inner diameter). Going to look for an alternative from Pontiac or just use the Toyota caps.
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kaflex
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by kaflex »

They do look pretty sharp there, might have to find a set for my GT
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Flip-Side
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by Flip-Side »

davedyer wrote:Thanks folks for you kind replies. There are a few issues with the car but minor. The drivers door window run needs to be replaced.
There was a recall for bad rivets on the drivers side door. It caused the window to tilt and jam, which did sometimes damage the guides. To be blunt, go to a gm dealer and have them take care of all the recalls. This obviously includes the airbag system recall. Thats a nice GT in great shape, congrats!
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vibenvy
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by vibenvy »

davedyer wrote:or just use the Toyota caps.
Well, it is basically a Toyota afterall :P!
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SirLinux
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by SirLinux »

Flip-Side wrote:
davedyer wrote:Thanks folks for you kind replies. There are a few issues with the car but minor. The drivers door window run needs to be replaced.
There was a recall for bad rivets on the drivers side door. It caused the window to tilt and jam, which did sometimes damage the guides. To be blunt, go to a gm dealer and have them take care of all the recalls. This obviously includes the airbag system recall. Thats a nice GT in great shape, congrats!

When I lower or raise the driver side window there is a clunk like it is hitting something in there. Does that sound like what that rivets issue is about? If I would take off the door panel would I be able to resolve that myself? If it is just something loose then it doesn't seem like it would be difficult to fix.
BTW - I took my Vibe in to a GM dealer today for them to determine whether or not the passenger side airbag is of the type covered by the last recall. It was, so they need to order the replacement and was told it would be a couple of weeks to get it in. I suppose I could ask the service dept. to look at the window but if it is an easy fix I'd rather not pay to have them do it.

Regards.
kaflex
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by kaflex »

best thing to do is just have the dealer check to see if there's any open recalls that still need to be done, and do them all at once. I had my gt for a year and had 2 done, need to make an appt. for another one still.
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doublesharp
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Re: New 2003 Vibe GT Owner

Post by doublesharp »

There are several Wheel visualizer sites where you can compare a wheel style's appearance to that of your present wheels. Cheaper than buying new wheels and trying them on. I actually like the factory 17" wheels better than any I have seen (Toyota has an almost identical wheel). I really wanted to go down to a 16" hoping for a softer ride but can't get a sidewall that is distinguishably different/taller than the 215/55/17s I have on the car now. Still too harsh of a ride.
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