Getting a bad vibe! Input needed.

[njohnson]

Hello all, figured i would go to you all for some time sensitive help, your input would be greatly appreciated.
A few days ago I purchased a 2003 vibe with 130k miles on it with the intention of replacing my 08 civic hybrid for various reasons.

Everything operates smoothly, but there are symptoms that point to otherwise. After buying it a friend of mine pointed out a solid cake of carbon buildup on my exhaust pipe. I'm no car expert, but I know that's not good. I inspected the engine air filter and found it was very dirty with holes around the edges with a singed look. My mpg before replacing the filter was approx 28.8 with about 150 miles of 100% highway driving, which seems low. To boot a check engine light came on saying the car is operating at too low of a temp.

So my question to you is this, do I keep it and just do some much overdue maintenance on the vehicle? Or is the risk of significant damages to high and should I return it? Paid $2600 for it and the cosmetic list is as follows:

Various scratches and dents to the hood
Center console hinge broken
Also missing a plastic cover under the shifter
Plate light is out
No remote for locks
2 bad door checks
Passenger door lock doesn't work with key
Same for the trunk

[Derf]

Various scratches and dents to the hood - Are they big, or just light scratches? The hoods are known to chip easily, as long as there is no rust, could hold for a while
Center console hinge broken - replacements on ebay, as long as the bottom console plastic is still good. http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-08-Pontiac-V ... J~&vxp=mtr
Also missing a plastic cover under the shifter - replacements are available
Plate light is out - easy fix, could even upgrade to LED
No remote for locks - Is their a chance the previous owner can find them? Appears to be a dealer update item
2 bad door checks - Do they still try to stop the door? Can also be replaced. Link to topic viewtopic.php?f=28&t=34305&p=496436&hil ... ap#p496436
Passenger door lock doesn't work with key - does it at least turn?
Same for the trunk - does it turn? There are two stops, one for the liftgate and one for the liftglass

Many of the parts could be obtained from a auto junk yard if you are up to picking parts off a vehicle.

[ColonelPanic]

If the locks aren't turning, maybe just try a shot of some sort of spray lubricant. The locks on ours previously didn't get used often so I would find they were seized... A quick shot of WD-40 and some time for it to do its thing freed them up. If you can get them to move again, make sure you use them with some sort of frequency.

If you can find new remotes, they can be programmed yourself (see here and and here). I don't know of part numbers off hand for the remotes but they're probably on the site somewhere.

Good luck!

[jolt]

To boot a check engine light came on saying the car is operating at too low of a temp.

Operating at to low of temperature is never a good sign. You need to get this looked at right away because it could possibly be a very bad sign. If you are very lucky, it may just be a bad thermostat. It could also be a sign that someone has tried to cover up an expensive problem like bad water pump, bad radiator, cracked cylinder head, bad head gasket, etc....... I have seen people go so far as to remove the thermostat to try to cover up overheating problems in used cars. Also check your radiator pressure cap and make sure that it is in good condition. The rest of the stuff is more cosmetic and you know what you can do with that. It sounds like this car has suffered major neglect and no servicing.

When an engine does not get up to operating temperature the fuel mileage will suffer. If the computer thinks the temp is low for the engine, it would be like driving around with the choke half on, which is not good for the engine. Low temps on an engine is also another way to cover up computer/emission problems that can be very expensive to repair. Get that check engine light looked at before going any further!

[petervivian]

Can you read the code from the OBDII?
But it seems you have the option to get your money back? You can get a car of better condition for 2600.