Hi,
I've actually been reading this forum for months now on and off but just decided to sign up.
I have a 2004 Vibe Base Automatic with the moonroof and amp/door tweets. It was purchased as a gift for me to replace a death trap mold incubating dodge that leaked all over the place
I have to be honest that when I first saw it on the lot (had originally come in to test drive a Saturn L200 but the rust underneath it and dented gas tank quickly ended that notion) I did not like it. I have always resisted the trend towards aerodynamic looking cars and such but it also just looked kind of funny to me. However it was a very good test drive and the car has continued to grow on me.
I bought it with around 167k miles on it, and it was very clean all things considered. I am always amazed how clean the undercarriage is when its up on the hoist at my mechanic. Not just the interior, even the engine bay was very clean. There are no major leaks or anything so far and I hope it stays that way. The only thing that bothers me is the way water leaks through the sunroof seals (4 corners, etc) and how the A/C seemed underpowered for a hot/humid climate.
But other than that its great. I like it
I love how easy it is to get in and out of the car especially and how the ride height and field of vision is a step between a car and a truck.
So far I have done my best to take care of her, but I did hit a deer the other month
It cost me a new hood, and it cracked my grill near the emblem / hood latch but I am living with it. The upper/lower bumper already had cosmetic damage, along with other parts of the car (gashes in plastic, chipped paint, some rust spots I need to take care of with touch-up). It was in a previous accident of some sort that caused all the cosmetic damage but I can't gather exactly what happened. Perhaps a side-swipe with a concrete road barrier and some gravel was involved.
When we bought it from the dealer the front struts had been replaced. I have since had new rear shoes put on, regular 3k oil changes, I also had the transmission flushed because this thing does shift kind of hard, and I don't think it had ever been done (very dirty looking). I believe I have noticed an improvement although it still doesn't shift as smoothly as I would like. I have also replaced the factory alternator with a high output alternator (see my audio upgrade thread) from Singer, put a new smaller belt on along with it, and also upgraded the factory charging and ground wires. Also put a new hood on and new headlights as a result of the deer accident. and new washer spray nozels
the old ones were kind of gunked up anyway. I also put on some brand new tires (Pirelli Cinturator P7 all season)
Once my audio is done I will probably replace the front rotors, pads, and possibly calipers too.
Don't have any pictures yet but will take some soon. Not fond of showing off my scratch up paint and plastic exterior though.
Edit: Here are some pictures I took as it had just rained and the car looks better wet
- car1
- clipimage.jpg (70.02 KiB) Viewed 4995 times
- car2
- clipimage.jpg (91.77 KiB) Viewed 4995 times
- Yes I bought it from a Toyota Dealer
- clipimage.jpg (65.47 KiB) Viewed 4995 times