98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM

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star_deceiver
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98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM

Post by star_deceiver »

Name: Jamie AntonAge: 34 (dang, when did that happen?)Occupation: Mechanical EngineerRide(s): 03 Vibe base, 03 Forester XS, 62 CorvetteCongratulations on being voted GenVibe’s Member of the Month. How does it feel?Surprising. I have no idea how it happened. Maybe karma after bringing my “new” 03 Vibe back from the dead…?How did you find GenVibe and what made you join?I joined years ago when we had our first 03 base. That was my wife’s car, which was sadly totaled in an accident in early 2011. The Forester is her replacement. Now as of Feb-2012, I have my own 03 Vibe. Picked it up for $2k with a blown engine and leaking steering rack. $1k later (and a lot of my own labor hours), she’s back on the road. What is one of the more memorable things you have seen on GenVibe?Hmmm… the guy with the huge racks for his parasail? What is your favorite thing about the site?Diversity of owners. Seems these cars attract a wide range of enthusiasts, from kids who want to trick them out and get maximum performance, people who want to hypermile each drop of gas, or people who just need a practical car for the family (like me).If GM brought back the Vibe what would you like to see in the new model?GM would probably ruin it if they tried to do it alone. Sadly, they seem to have zero interest in practical hatchbacks, and I can’t hate on them for going with what sells in mass quantities (Americans love sedans for some stupid reason). Hopefully Toyota doesn’t give up on the Matrix, perhaps they will just do a Corolla hatch in the next generation. Keep it simple is my suggestion. Use the first Vibe/Matrix as a template, don’t change the formula too much. Make sure to keep the rear hatch glass that opens As you know we love animals at GenVibe, do you have any pets?2 dogs, both rescued pitbull mutts. Sadly, I usually try to take them for rides in the Forester, since it has leather seats. Something about short white hair and the Vibe cloth that just doesn’t get along (or perhaps gets along a bit too well…)You’re given $250,000 to spend only on a new car, what do you buy?Hmmm… if it were one car, I would probably get the nicest Porsche or Ferrari that could be had. They seem to know what they’re doing. If it could be spent on multiple cars, then I would probably track down one example of each of my favorite cars from my past (87 Sunbird GT, 90 Lumina Euro, 98 Maxima SE, 88 Caravan ES, 99 Infiniti G20, 92 Sentra SE-R) and restore/modify them to my exact liking. I’m way more about the soul and character of older cars than fancy new ones. If you didn’t have to answer to anyone for anything, what would you do?That sounds like a divorce. No comment. (even though my wife surely isn’t reading).If the question is meant towards occupation, my dream would probably be to own a used car sales lot and repair shop. I’d probably go out of business trying to only sell all of my favorite cars, which always tend to be extremely rare and particular. Why again do Americans have a love affair with the sedan? I know I’ve owned a couple of them, but dang they suck. What’s your favorite?:Movie: The MatrixFood: steak burritoColor: can’t really name one. If it’s car color, anything but green. TV Show: Top GearGilligans Island cast member: Barely watched in my youth, but I say Mary AnnGame: Megaman? Chess? I should really play more games…Season: SummerSport: FootballHobby: Car repair / modificationBook/Magazine: Motor TrendPerson: Usually me. Just ask my wife. Any last words? Thanks for the award! Did I win something besides fame on GenVibe? Great site, so much useful info. Good to communicate with others that know what a great car this is.
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vibenvy
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Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM (star_deceiver)

Post by vibenvy »

Quote, originally posted by 98se5speed »If it could be spent on multiple cars, then I would probably track down one example of each of my favorite cars from my past (87 Sunbird GT)Very interesting choice ! My first car was a 1994 Sunbird LE Sedan. My parents bought it brand new in January of 1994 and it's still going strong to this day with 266,xxx miles on it. I love that car ! A GT would certainly be awesome to have ! I have a mint condition poster of a yellow late 80s (I believe) Sunbird GT. I'll have to take a picture of it to show you.Congratulations Jamie! Great pictures! Your dogs are so adorable ! It's awesome that you brought a neglected Vibe back from the brink of demise ! You should come to this meet in a few weeks. I'd love to meet you and check out the resurrected Vibe in person !
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
98se5speed
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 11:46 pm

Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM (J_TO_ENVY)

Post by 98se5speed »

Well, the Sunbird was my first car. Sadly wasn't a turbo, but looked pretty cool. Grandma bought it for me the summer after I turned 16, for $600. I should have taken some pictures of it the day I brought it home. It had been very poorly repaired from a previous front-end accident, and the upper headlight panel was bright red instead of black/silver. The front tires were waaay too tall, and the rear ones were proper sized, but nearly bald. Grandma helped me out with some new tires, I painted the red headlight panel black, and cleaned it to like-new condition inside. Aside from needing a head gasket, it usually ran pretty good. Then, 2 summers later, soon after I graduated high school (1996), it developed a nasty rod knock, and the engine blew. It sat next to the garage at my grandma's house for a year or so, then I towed it home and did my very first engine swap in the summer of 97. It was then passed down to my sister, who wrecked the front end again, then my little brother cobbled it back together and drove it for a year or so. Quite a rough life that little Sunbird endured. My brother eventually sold it to a friend who had a similar Sunbird and wanted to use ours for parts. I can still hear that crappy little 2.0 engine starting in my head... Sadly, I doubt I'll make that meet. We've had some crazy-busy weekends lately, including this one coming up. If I tell the wife I/we need to hit the road to WI for a car meet, she'll likely shoot me on the spot. Hopefully there's another one some time soon, in the Chicagoland area.
JamesChicago, IL03 Vibe silver (totaled Jan-2011)03 Vibe black (bought Feb-2012) Garage Thread
MrHatchWagon
Posts: 443
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Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM

Post by MrHatchWagon »

Congratulations 98se5speed on MOTM! As a reward, you get this custom Pontiac Firebird, which this lovely lady will deliver to you as soon as she finds the pants that go with her jacket.
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* Voted May 2012 MOTM! *
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mac99d
Posts: 544
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Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM (MrHatchWagon)

Post by mac99d »

LOL Nice prize.
Mac's Vibe.
My garage viewtopic.php?f=30&t=37677" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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vibenvy
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Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM (mac99d)

Post by vibenvy »

Quote, originally posted by 98se5speed »Well, the Sunbird was my first car. Sadly wasn't a turbo, but looked pretty cool. Grandma bought it for me the summer after I turned 16, for $600. I should have taken some pictures of it the day I brought it home. It had been very poorly repaired from a previous front-end accident, and the upper headlight panel was bright red instead of black/silver. The front tires were waaay too tall, and the rear ones were proper sized, but nearly bald. Grandma helped me out with some new tires, I painted the red headlight panel black, and cleaned it to like-new condition inside. Aside from needing a head gasket, it usually ran pretty good. Then, 2 summers later, soon after I graduated high school (1996), it developed a nasty rod knock, and the engine blew. It sat next to the garage at my grandma's house for a year or so, then I towed it home and did my very first engine swap in the summer of 97. It was then passed down to my sister, who wrecked the front end again, then my little brother cobbled it back together and drove it for a year or so. Quite a rough life that little Sunbird endured. My brother eventually sold it to a friend who had a similar Sunbird and wanted to use ours for parts. I can still hear that crappy little 2.0 engine starting in my head... Sadly, I doubt I'll make that meet. We've had some crazy-busy weekends lately, including this one coming up. If I tell the wife I/we need to hit the road to WI for a car meet, she'll likely shoot me on the spot. Hopefully there's another one some time soon, in the Chicagoland area.Yeah, I swear our Sunbird is never going to die! It doesn't get driven too much as it's become our extra car, but that little 2.0L still runs like a champ after 18 years and 266,xxx miles. It's got quite a bit of rust on it i.e. the rocker panels are almost non-existent, but overall it's a great little car. I'll have to take a picture of it to post.I'd love to find a low mileage one someday to get as a second car. I've seen some nice late 80s Turbo Convertibles in mint condition, but they wanted crazy prices for them. One was in Michigan and was black and silver like yours, but they wanted almost $9000 for it because it only had like 3x,000 miles on it. That thing looked like it just rolled out of the factory!Yours had the same wheels that our 1989 LE Sedan had. My parents bought that one brand new too. Unfortunately it was totaled in 1997. My dad said when it was totaled it had 3xx,000 miles on it and even though it was rusted pretty bad, it ran great. Heck, the guy who came and towed it started it up and it still ran after being totaled! My parents ended up getting $1200 for it from the insurance company. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has a passion for those great little cars !Don't worry about not making the meet. I understand life is busy for everyone. Hopefully we can get one setup some time this year in the Chicagoland area. We had one 2 years ago at Busse Woods and we had a lot of fun and a pretty decent turnout. We had 7 or 8 Vibes if I remember correctly. Unfortunately two of those guys no longer own Vibes so it would likely only be a few of us, but would be fun nonetheless.
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
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colterk
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Re: 98se5speed is our April 2012 MOTM (star_deceiver)

Post by colterk »

Congrats on MOTM! Kudos for saving not only the beautiful car but 2 beautiful dogs, they are adorable!
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