my vibe story

[lavaman]

It all started in the summer of 06 when my wife got fed up with her very problematic 99 VW Cabrio. Her boss had a vibe & she really liked the looks of it & asked me what I thought about them. I told her they were actually Toyotas & Toyota had an excellent track record, so we decided to go car shopping. Our first stop was the GM dealer in Hillsboro, Ohio. I have a good relationship with the owner as I used to work there in his body shop.
They had 3 new vibes in stock but I noticed when we were pulling in there were also 2 on the used car lot. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see what they were.
The first one we came to was a neptune/gray 03 or 04 GT. Since my wife was developing arthritis in her hips, a manual transmission was no longer an option for her.
Sitting beside it was a very sharp lava/gray 05 base. We inquired about it & were told it was bought new there by a family who decided they needed more room & traded it back in on a Chevy Equinox & it only had 5500 miles!
Since it was same as new we decided on it.
The first week she had it, she was rear ended at a red light.I found a good used hatch & a new rear bumper cover & made it good as new again.
A few months later she was hit in the right rear. I straightened the quarter panel & put in a new taillight.
At around 100,000 miles, she encountered her first deer. I straightened the hood & left front fender.
At 190,000 we were coming home one evening from dinner out. I was driving & I hit a deer. This time it - although very repairable - was totalled.
We got enough insurance money (I think about $6000) to buy it back & , after combing Craigslist for deals, bought the frosty 04 base with 140,000 miles. After new front brakes & all new tires (it had 3 different brands on it) she was back in business as I began to acquire parts for the red one. By spring I had accumulated a new radiator, a.c. condenser, radiator support & right headlight & a used black hood & left headlight. She wanted it back so badly, she didn't want me to bother painting the hood. It is still black to this day.
So at this point, she is the proud owner of 2 vibes. She would drive each one a week at a time.
About a year after I got the red one back together, the night before she went in for gallbladder surgery, she hit a deer with the white one, taking out the bumper, hood, left fender & headlight.
During her recovery, I got on Craigslist again & found a rear ended silver 04.
I had it back together, now with a silver bumper, hood & fender.
A few months later, my 99 corolla swallowed a valve at 270,000.
She gave me the white vibe. Finally, I have one of my own!
Just about a year after she hit the deer with the white vibe, I hit one with it, destroying the exact same pieces I had put on it before. It wasn't quite totalled, but with the damage, & now 280,000 miles, I felt it was time for another vibe.
Back to Craigslist again!
I called about several but some were sold & others didn't quite suit me. I happened upon a silver 05 at a decent price. It didn't have a sunroof, which I really wanted, but we went to look at it. When we pulled in, we saw another vibe next to it that they hadn't put on Craigslist. It was a neptune mono awd with sunroof,satellite radio,side airbags & tire pressure monitor.
My wife fell in love with it, so she bought it & gave me the red one.
So for the next 3 years we enjoyed our red & blue vibes while the white one sat next to my garage behind the silver one that I took the first front end from.
Then one day I was looking at Craigslist again (I'm addicted now) & happened across a white 04 vibe with a blown engine for $400.
I made arrangements to pick it up, made the 3 hour trip to Muncie Indiana with my nephew & his truck & trailer & brought it home & as of December 2018, the white vibe is back in action... & it's all white again!
The red vibe is my main ride with now 342,000 miles.
Since my wife retired right before buying the blue one with 93,000 miles, I believe it's only at about. 120,000 miles currently.
The white vibe is now our backup vehicle & my alternate ride & currently has 287,000 miles.
So that's our story. I hope you've enjoyed our journey

[Transylvania]

Very much enjoyed reading the story and thank you for posting. Never stops amazing me the love we have for these cars and how long they last with proper care.

[zbyers]

Nice story. Glad to hear they've been reliable outside of those darn deer knocking them out!

[Caretaker]

Big thumbs up on buying your cars from individuals on Craigslist. Very smart. You can look the actual owner in the eye and pepper them with tough, specific questions knowing that you will learn exactly what is wrong with the car and how it was maintained. Moreover, with dealers hiring trolls to scour auto ads on a daily basis to pick up bargains and resell them for $2,000 more, you get to make a connection with an emotionally vested owner who would rather see their "baby" go to a nice family rather than to a cold heartless dealer. Happy motoring.

[tpollauf]

Nice story and with good ending(s). About them Deer Ever considering moving somewhere where deer don't exist ??? Based on your odds, it's just a matter of time before you hit one again. Keep plenty of Vibe parts around as you'll likely need them

[lavaman]

Nice story and with good ending(s). About them Deer Ever considering moving somewhere where deer don't exist ??? Based on your odds, it's just a matter of time before you hit one again. Keep plenty of Vibe parts around as you'll likely need them

Well, I look at it this way, deer have made me a lot of money in the collision business over the last half century, so as long as I have good insurance & can fix them myself, I can stand a little payback. lol. Actually I only told about the vibe's encounters with deer. I also had to repair my wife's 84 celebrity, her 99 Cabrio & 4 days after I hit the last deer with the white vibe, I totalled my 91 S-10 by hitting a car that had just hit a deer.
As far as parts, I'm with you there. The 2 vibes I've bought for parts have yielded a number of goodies.

[vibrologist]

Nice story indeed! And thank you guys for culling the deer herd!

[1zzgt]

That's some story, what does your insurance Co. Say about all them collisions? Rates go up? Any cancelations? I'm driving my Subaru until the snow melts but looking forward to spring and driving my Vibe GT, my previous summer car 10 years or so has been my Celica, do you all think the Vibe will give me the driving enjoyment the ole Celica has? Thanks and watch out for them critters

[zbyers]

do you all think the Vibe will give me the driving enjoyment the ole Celica has?

Yeah, it should be comparable. Basically the same car; just with a few added pounds.

[vibrologist]

do you all think the Vibe will give me the driving enjoyment the ole Celica has?

I only once drove a Celica. You will notice a much higher seating position in the GT and I remember that the Celica had a very, very stiff suspension. I don't know if the GT has the same suspension as the Base. But the Base is very stiff. Note: only one "very".

[lavaman]

That's some story, what does your insurance Co. Say about all them collisions? Rates go up? Any cancelations?

Fortunately deer hits come under comprehensive, same as weather damage & vandalism. It doesn't affect your rates & actually has a lower deductible than the collision part of your policy - at least in Ohio - insurance rules may differ from state to state.
Insurers are very understanding with deer hits in this part of Ohio, it's pretty much a way of life around here.