Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

General discussions about the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix. New members, introduce yourself here!
Post Reply
you
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:27 pm

Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by you »

Hello fellow members,

I have created an account to solicit your advice on whether it's a good idea to purchase an automatic AWD Vibe, but only the original generation, not the 2009-2010 versions which seem to be unreliable. The engine is solid according to all of the reviews, but does the AWD perform well in snow? I've heard about the AWD failing on here, is there any warning sign I should be looking for when I'm buying a car other than testing the car on snow? And is this a widespread problem? viewtopic.php?t=21811 Car Complaints doesn't seem to mention too many reports of AWD failure, but it isn't always accurate for reliability information. Are there any model years I should avoid? This car seems perfect for my needs. They aren't too expensive, very reliable, and hopefully snow capable. Thanks for the help guys.
Caretaker

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by Caretaker »

Second generation Vibes unreliable??? Well, Consumer Reports has had that model as their poster child for the past couple of years as an example of the best used car to buy. Regarding AWD, the more parts you have on a car, the more parts that fail. Where do you live? U.P. of Michigan? Northern Maine? Do you really need AWD? In general, the Vibe has aged pretty well. It isn't the greatest car on the road as it suffered from Toyota hiring some inferior parts suppliers at NUMMI. If you want a small(ish) car that has impecable reliability, get a used Honda Fit, CRV, or Toyota Highlander. When talking about Vibes, you have to consider that an aging vehicle will show its age one way or another. Road salt, lack of regular maintenance and just plain water takes a toll on a car as time ticks by. Having owned both a first and second generation Vibe, I wouldn't consider buying a used first generation because they are all 10 years old or more and because the second generation is better is almost every category.
ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by ehoff121 »

Welcome to genvibe!

If you're looking for first gen AWD, I'd look for a 2005 or 2006 with low miles from somewhere they don't use salt on the roads.

The AWD is an "on demand" system that 97% of the time just adds weight to the car and makes certain repairs more expensive, e.g., exhaust.

Agree with Caretaker's comments re: age- while the cars are generally reliable, 12+ years on a car is a lot of potential maintenance/issues you will be buying. Have to get a really good deal under $3k to make it worthwhile I guess...
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
User avatar
runningslow
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by runningslow »

In my opinion, an AWD Vibe is unnecessary for 99% of drivers out there. My advice is to buy a FWD vibe and run quality snow tires on it. Plenty of owners out there who do brilliantly with their FWD Vibes in the snow. Honestly, I did great with relatively new all-season tires (Arizonan Silver Edition III) on the front of my GT when visiting my family for Christmas. For a week straight, I drove in some of the worst lake-effect snow I've ever seen in west Michigan.

As the others have said, all Vibes are aging and previous maintenance is a concern. They are generally very reliable with many getting well over 300K miles, but at 10+ years old, you never know what you're really going to get. That being said, I didn't bat an eye purchasing an '05 GT with 138K miles on it 6 months ago (over 150K now). It has some cosmetic issues, but its running strong and I got a great deal on it. The AWD cars have the most to lose from poor maintenance and the rear drive parts are of some of the scarcest things out there. No shortage of donor cars for the FWD models.
Josh
2005 Vibe GT ~ Platinum
2006 Vibe ~ Lava, Base, Auto
2005 Corolla S ~ Silver Streak Mica, Manual (Wife's)
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
you
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:27 pm

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by you »

Caretaker wrote:Second generation Vibes unreliable??? Well, Consumer Reports has had that model as their poster child for the past couple of years as an example of the best used car to buy. Regarding AWD, the more parts you have on a car, the more parts that fail. Where do you live? U.P. of Michigan? Northern Maine? Do you really need AWD? In general, the Vibe has aged pretty well. It isn't the greatest car on the road as it suffered from Toyota hiring some inferior parts suppliers at NUMMI. If you want a small(ish) car that has impecable reliability, get a used Honda Fit, CRV, or Toyota Highlander. When talking about Vibes, you have to consider that an aging vehicle will show its age one way or another. Road salt, lack of regular maintenance and just plain water takes a toll on a car as time ticks by. Having owned both a first and second generation Vibe, I wouldn't consider buying a used first generation because they are all 10 years old or more and because the second generation is better is almost every category.
Thanks for the suggestion. I live in PA so AWD might be helpful sometime. It is not a necessity I suppose (most people can get by with normal cars), but the option is nice in case I need to get up a slippery driveway. I am not sure about the 2ND gen because I have heard horror stories about oil usage with the 2.4L engine at least in the 2009 model year. Was that just a fluke? The Wikipedia page of the engine also mentions oil consumption. It doesn't seem like there is a huge riot about it like Audi, but I would really prefer not to blow my savings on a car that will blow an engine after I've blown my savings on it. :P but I will keep an eye out for newer Vibes and those other suggestions you gave. (also, I was looking at CRVs initially but apparently they have timing chain issues which I would definitely not like to deal with).
you
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:27 pm

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by you »

ehoff121 wrote:Welcome to genvibe!

If you're looking for first gen AWD, I'd look for a 2005 or 2006 with low miles from somewhere they don't use salt on the roads.

The AWD is an "on demand" system that 97% of the time just adds weight to the car and makes certain repairs more expensive, e.g., exhaust.

Agree with Caretaker's comments re: age- while the cars are generally reliable, 12+ years on a car is a lot of potential maintenance/issues you will be buying. Have to get a really good deal under $3k to make it worthwhile I guess...
Thanks for the welcome! I'll have to look pretty far to find one that lives in an area without salt, but is there any reason why I shouldn't buy one that's been through salt? Do they rust? I'll try to find newer ones, but I don't have a massive budget.
you
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:27 pm

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by you »

runningslow wrote:In my opinion, an AWD Vibe is unnecessary for 99% of drivers out there. My advice is to buy a FWD vibe and run quality snow tires on it. Plenty of owners out there who do brilliantly with their FWD Vibes in the snow. Honestly, I did great with relatively new all-season tires (Arizonan Silver Edition III) on the front of my GT when visiting my family for Christmas. For a week straight, I drove in some of the worst lake-effect snow I've ever seen in west Michigan.

As the others have said, all Vibes are aging and previous maintenance is a concern. They are generally very reliable with many getting well over 300K miles, but at 10+ years old, you never know what you're really going to get. That being said, I didn't bat an eye purchasing an '05 GT with 138K miles on it 6 months ago (over 150K now). It has some cosmetic issues, but its running strong and I got a great deal on it. The AWD cars have the most to lose from poor maintenance and the rear drive parts are of some of the scarcest things out there. No shortage of donor cars for the FWD models.
Hmm..I was hoping that because this was a Toyota, parts would be cheaper or more commonplace, but I guess not for the AWD model. I have driven a FWD vehicle in the snow before, and while it isn't bad, it has trouble with hills. Did your car really do well without AWD equipped?
Caretaker

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by Caretaker »

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in PA so AWD might be helpful sometime. It is not a necessity I suppose (most people can get by with normal cars), but the option is nice in case I need to get up a slippery driveway. I am not sure about the 2ND gen because I have heard horror stories about oil usage with the 2.4L engine at least in the 2009 model year. Was that just a fluke? The Wikipedia page of the engine also mentions oil consumption. It doesn't seem like there is a huge riot about it like Audi, but I would really prefer not to blow my savings on a car that will blow an engine after I've blown my savings on it. :P but I will keep an eye out for newer Vibes and those other suggestions you gave. (also, I was looking at CRVs initially but apparently they have timing chain issues which I would definitely not like to deal with).
Yep, having driven everywhere in PA from Centralia to Erie to Milford, I can say that the twisty, turning hills can be deadly, especially when the sun never reaches the ground through the trees. And when you throw in lots of "hitchhiking" deer and wet leaves collecting on forever wet roads, not to mention a state with an awful history of road repair, you need every advantage you can get.

Some points to counter in your notes: 1: the CRV has had a near bullet proof record. Just because one or two parts has gone astray does not mean the car is not outstanding. I don't know if Honda always offered AWD with the older CRVs, but there is a reason why so many of the older ones are on the road today. 2. the Camry-Vibe ain't the only one with a drinking problem. The Corolla-Vibes also consume oil like a drunk uncle. I have had 3 Corollas and they all drove themselves to the corner bar for a drink every night. While adding 2 quarts of oil in between 5,000 mile oil changes seems excessive, it is still within specifications for all engines. 3. Yes, salt is bad; salt brine is worse. All cars can rust, but the larger issue is all that salt spray and brine getting into your engine compartment, into the brake components, etc. Time is hard enough on a car. Having a corrosive matter constantly attacking exposed components takes a much harder toll on a car.

Since AWD seems to be a priority, I would continue to search for newer high mileage Vibes and Matrix vehicles, along with the CRV. Subarus have never aged very well, although their current lineup of Foresters seems to be holding up well. We'll see how the current one fares when it turns 10. My last piece of advice is to move out of the snow belt like I have. My cars will never see a wintery day again. 8-)
User avatar
runningslow
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:16 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by runningslow »

you wrote:
runningslow wrote:In my opinion, an AWD Vibe is unnecessary for 99% of drivers out there. My advice is to buy a FWD vibe and run quality snow tires on it. Plenty of owners out there who do brilliantly with their FWD Vibes in the snow. Honestly, I did great with relatively new all-season tires (Arizonan Silver Edition III) on the front of my GT when visiting my family for Christmas. For a week straight, I drove in some of the worst lake-effect snow I've ever seen in west Michigan.

As the others have said, all Vibes are aging and previous maintenance is a concern. They are generally very reliable with many getting well over 300K miles, but at 10+ years old, you never know what you're really going to get. That being said, I didn't bat an eye purchasing an '05 GT with 138K miles on it 6 months ago (over 150K now). It has some cosmetic issues, but its running strong and I got a great deal on it. The AWD cars have the most to lose from poor maintenance and the rear drive parts are of some of the scarcest things out there. No shortage of donor cars for the FWD models.
Hmm..I was hoping that because this was a Toyota, parts would be cheaper or more commonplace, but I guess not for the AWD model. I have driven a FWD vehicle in the snow before, and while it isn't bad, it has trouble with hills. Did your car really do well without AWD equipped?
Parts for the FWD are extremely commonplace, being shared with Vibe, Matrix and Corolla, as well as some shared parts with the Celica. Of those cars, as far as I know, only the Vibe/Matrix were available in AWD. The rear diff is generally the weak link and I've heard they can be expensive and hard to come by used.

As for my experience on hills with my FWD GT... I can't say I drove on too many hills. The ones I did, which would have been mostly the gravel roads into my mother-in-law's house, I didn't have any issues that I recall. I only had relatively new all season tires on the front and highly worn tires on the rear. The part of the story I left out is that I when I left Texas, my tires were mismatched (because apparently the Discount Tire I went to didn't bother matching my tires with similar treat life remaining). I had good tire up front, but the other was on the opposite side rear. With that setup, I was having horrendous traction issues. It was so bad, that after a few days I pulled the car into my brother's garage and rotated the other good tire to the front. After I did that, I nearly felt invincible driving, except for some controlled fishtailing around some particularly icy corners due to the worn tires in the back.

The key is really just making sure you have good tires. If you're particularly concerned about hills and severe road conditions, then you'll want to invest in a good set of snow tires. If I regularly had to drive in that sort of weather, I probably would have a set of snow tires. However, I live in Texas and I usually only deal with those severe road conditions when visiting family up north.
Josh
2005 Vibe GT ~ Platinum
2006 Vibe ~ Lava, Base, Auto
2005 Corolla S ~ Silver Streak Mica, Manual (Wife's)
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something
completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by ehoff121 »

you wrote:I'll have to look pretty far to find one that lives in an area without salt, but is there any reason why I shouldn't buy one that's been through salt? Do they rust? I'll try to find newer ones, but I don't have a massive budget.
All untreated vehicles (no undercoatings) that run on salted roads will "rust" because salt water is corrosive to the metals used in cars- like iron, steel, and aluminum. If you can find a car from Florida or Texas (assuming it's not a hurricane flood casualty :? ), the under carriage will be dirty, but not much different from when it left the factory. A snow belt vehicle will have a rust everywhere that's not painted.
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
Coolharts
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:55 pm

Re: Is the 1st Gen Pontiac Vibe AWD a good bet?

Post by Coolharts »

I have owned my AWD 05 Vibe since new and it has just shy of 260,000 miles. I drive mine 100+ miles a day and generally it has held up well.

The rear axle seals can leak and cause grease loss. I had bearing failures in the rear end but it was 160,000 miles. I have also had to replace rear wheel hub assemblies. The biggest problems with mine has been the ABS system. I had a pump go out at 80,000 and multiple wheel sensors, they are $200+ a piece. At 240,000 I replaced the front A-Arms. Engine wise it is reliable, low maintenance and durable. I have everything original except for hoses, belts and downstream O2 sensor. The transmission and transfer case have been fine

Parts availability for the AWD are different, even engine parts and with the low build numbers of an AWD they will be the first to become unavailable. Car-part.com is helpful with some things.

Living in Central NC I do not use the AWD much. I have found that the AWD is more of a 70/30 split and it always in use. On rainy days the car is sure footed, the rear wheels push nicely and on snowy days the car really digs in. Do you need AWD? No, but is nice to have.
Post Reply