Cougar Vibe's '05 (Original Owner), Long Overdue Visit/Update.

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Cougar Vibe
Posts: 412
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:03 am

Cougar Vibe's '05 (Original Owner), Long Overdue Visit/Update.

Post by Cougar Vibe »

Haven't been here in a long while, but I was detailing my engine yesterday and thought about how my OEM battery is still going strong after 11 years. That prompted me to drop in...

My Vibe is a '05 AWD, Moonstone Grey w/Moon & Tunes; currently 108,000 miles on the odometer. Over eleven years of ownership, I've averaged ~27mpg (always 87 octane, mostly Top-Tier gas).

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Anyway, what can I say about this car? Except for the airbag recall, IT'S NEVER BEEN IN TO A REPAIR SHOP/DEALERSHIP. Thanks to following the basic maintenance schedule, which I've done myself, it's been CRAZY RELIABLE.

What I'd done over the years:

Been through three sets of tires (crappy OEM Goodyears "died" after 30K miles), one set of mounted studless snow tires, twenty-two oil changes (mostly Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum), eight air filters, new serpentine belt (~60K miles), new brake pads (~60K miles), drain and fill A/T fluid (~60, 61 & 62K miles), drain & fill coolant (~75K miles), new plugs (~75K miles), eleven sets of wiper blades, one set of new hatch struts and God knows how many "Little Tree" air freshners.

The wear & tear:

At ~35K miles I had the front bumper cover re-shot due to roadrash from a x-country trip. There is a tiny bump/crease in the hood where a box fell off a shelf in my garage. One tiny rock chip, driver's side, will need to replace windshield when I sell it. Some tiny curb rash "flecks" on a couple of wheels. OEM radio buttons "peeled" (pretty common), the elastic bands on the visors gave up (ended up cutting them off), floor mats are on their last hurrah (I've kept them clean over the years, but it's time to replace) and one of my kids peeled off the info sticker on the back of the front passenger seat.

Tomorrow we'll be taking it on our last road trip together (going out to the Oregon Coast); already have the cargo box on top. Barring a financial misfortune, the Vibe will be sold next summer (private party) and I'll be getting a new truck. It bothers me a little bit to think about getting rid of a perfectly fine automobile that has another 100-200K miles ahead of it. However, I've got the financial wherewithal now to be able to drive something really nice and I think I've got my money's worth out of the Vibe. If my daughter were a little closer to 16 (she's 12), I'd hold on to it and pass it down; however, I already have one extra car in the garage...

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So that's about it for my Vibe experience. This car, along with the Matrix & Corolla, will always be a great value proposition for anybody who appreciates reliability over performance (GT owners excluded); I wouldn't even think twice about sending my kid off to college in one of these cars. If you do the basic maintenance, pay attention to the fluids/air pressure/noises/smells/etc. and appreciate its overall value, you'll always be a happy owner.

Take care!

Cougar Vibe
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vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: Cougar Vibe's '05 (Original Owner), Long Overdue Visit/Update.

Post by vibenvy »

Great to see you check in! Also great to hear the Vibe is doing so well! It looks great! If I were you, I'd hang on to it...
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: Cougar Vibe's '05 (Original Owner), Long Overdue Visit/Update.

Post by tpollauf »

Nice testimonial and proof of how dependable these cars really are :D Oh, a lot of us have "extra" cars in our garage BUT yours really takes the cake! Very nice ;)
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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