Inder, you're right. In the end, it's a personal preference. And to play devil's advocate with what you mentioned, the fact that it's a Ford engine doesn't bug me, just like the Pontiac label doesn't scare me away from the Vibe. In the Mazda 3's corner is the fact that it takes regular octane fuel a...

I realize that most of you guys (and gals) are loyal to your Vibe's to the death. AS IT SHOULD BE!!! I'm older and have come to appreciate that there are many sweet rides available today for under $20K. My wife and I looked at the Mazda3 Hatchback this weekend, and I was blown away. I don't think it...

It's the same here in the NW, but there are zero 2005 GT's on the lots. My point was that there will continue to be a mix of 04/05's until the 04's are gone. Then the 05's will get stocked heavily. The salesman said that Pontiac is going to market the Vibe hard beginning in Fall. We'll see.

Not sure if I told you guys this or not, but I pulled the plug on the base Vibe that I ordered. I've decided to hold off and wait for a 2005 GT. We're in the process of selling our 2001 Maxima, so no hurry here at all. There are currently no 2005 GT's to be found in Washington, Oregon or Idaho. I as...

I'm an older guy, and not into the "cool" mods that a lot of you are. I was when I was younger though. Now most of my money goes into home theater. I am, however, interested in performance mods. What exactly does a CAI do? Secondly, is it a truly appreciable mod? I mean, will I notice it w...

It seems that you almost have to factory order the Vibe if you want the side airbags. I wonder why more of the cars don't show up with this option already installed? It's a nasty trend in the auto industry. I wish the Feds would step in and make it MANDATORY for all manufacturers to include ANY KNOW...

One of the reasons I'm leaning towards the base Vibe is because it's supposed to be more convenient in city driving. Taking performance out of the equation, how does the GT drive in city conditions? Do you get frustrated with the 6-speed, or does it shift easily enough? The more I think about it, ha...

I'm not (nor did he) predict that these incentives would kick in right away. All he said is that sales have been sluggish the past 2 months and that "normally" triggers end of the summer incentive programs. In our case, my wife is driving around in a perfectly loaded 2001 Nissan Maxima. It...

As you may or may not know, I "soft" ordered my Vibe last week. By soft order I mean that I didn't have to put a deposit down because it's the current model year. The pros/cons of this is that I'll get whatever incentives/rebates that are available at the time the car shows up. After talki...

I "soft" ordered it. Because it's the current model year, they didn't require a deposit.

I think the Vibe/Matrix is a fantastic car. Sure, the Subaru is great also, but the big question is how much better is it? Like I said, the Vibe FWD will always get better gas milage than an AWD Subaru and you can even argue that the Vibe/Matrix (Corolla) will be more reliable than a Subaru. Not man...

Just to be fair...The 04 Forester doesn't have the power driver's seat and I DID order my Vibe with ABS/Side airbags. The two cars ave very similar in terms of features. It's not that important to me, but I expect the Vibe's interior and leather quality to exceed Subaru's. Subaru has never been know...

If I opt to take the rebate, my finance terms will jump up to 3.9%. I won't do this, as 0.9% is far greater over 4 years than $1000. The $4,419 over 4 years that I'll save with the Vibe is pretty accurate. Even though the gas milage numbers are estimated, I don't think many people will argue that a ...

I posted this because it's an interesting lesson. What's preventing me from jumping on the Subaru deal is that their interest rate is a FULL 2% higher than GM's. That translates to $2552 over 4 years vs. $736 for the Vibe. Also, the 4 year fuel costs are about $1200-$1500 less with the Vibe. All tol...

Car salesman are funny. Well, perhaps I should say they're interesting. I've been getting called off the hook by our local Subaru dealer who's throwing the kitchen sink at me if I reconsider his 2004 Forester XS. So far, this is what he's down to. 2004 Forester XS 5-sp manual LeatherMoon RoofPower w...

You know the game. You start looking around at "what else" you could have bought for $20K and it kind of freaks you out. I agree with you. Once a year or two has gone by, we'll love our vehicle and it'll almost be paid for. It should serve us well for 5-7 years with a low cost of ownership...

Hi everyone,We pulled the trigger and ordered a 2005 Vibe. Because it's the current model year, they didn't require a deposit to place the order which I really like. The car will be here in 6-8 weeks. Like many people, I'm suffering from a case of buyers remorse. Check out the deal and let me know w...

The dealer says yes, but I'm kind of nervous about it. I understand that the rack is rated for 70lbs, which suggests that it should be ok. One of our Kayaking friends suggested adding additional supports and possibly some protective fabric on the days we'll be transporting it. Our old Nissan Altima ...

I'm ordering a Base Vibe in the next day or so, and instead of upgrading to their factory alloy 16" wheels, I think I'll have the car delivered with the stock wheels and upgrade the rims on my own. Will the tires that come from the factory fit any 5 bolt, 5 spoke, 16" wheel? If so, that wo...

I'm pulling the trigger and ordering a Base Vibe tomorrow with all of the features I want. As this car is for my wife and will be our second vehicle, I'm opting for the base engine for higher gas milage and regular octane fuel. I am interested in adding some other features that I'd like your opinion...

Hi everyone,We're in the process of purchasing a new Vibe for my wife. For starters you should know that this is going to be our "second" vehicle, meaning that we're looking for gas milage and some cargo options. I drive a Saab 9.3, so we don't really need any of the performance features t...