It's time for an update 2 1/2 year after the last one.
The car has now more than 131K miles on the clock. It did very well indeed. Beyond the oil changes there were very few things that needed attention:
Wipers
battery
loose heat shield
brake light bulbs
plastic fasteners for the under tray
starter
recirculation door actuator
and a minor exhaust repair.
That's pretty darn low maintenance for a car of this age. That gave me the time to bring my son's '08 Sonata up to snug.
What's more, I found what caused the mystery rattle in the rear. it sounded like a plastic piece that got excited after a bump in the road or by engine vibration standing still with the foot on the brake at the red lights. Many years ago I investigated the back of the cargo area, removed the plastic panel from the hatch, I even peeked in the space between the headliner and the roof to no avail. At the pre-winter wash I cleaned and waxed the area covered by the glass hatch. Just for the heck of it I removed the cover for the high mount brake light and there it was: the lens was loose. I snapped it back in place and the rattle was no more.
A few weeks ago we lost our English Springer Spaniel. He was 10 years old and he was the reason I chose the Vibe. We will see how long I will keep the Vibe from here. I consider getting another Sonata for long distance travel and weekends. I am in no hurry though.