Lots of questions, zero answers

General discussions about the Pontiac Vibe & Toyota Matrix. New members, introduce yourself here!
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Cpasley
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Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Cpasley »

With so many members why is there so little interaction
Caretaker

Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Caretaker »

It is astonishing in a way. Crickets have been chirping here for several years now. 1: the car has been out of production for 11 years; 2: people "sadly" have migrated over to Facebook. But in the end, I agree with you. It amazes me how many pages of names have taken the time to sign up, and how many have never posted or shared their experiences with the rest of us. Nonetheless, the recent posts by cmgreyhounds and the hours of cataloging of part numbers and how to "sticky's" on this site have been immensely invaluable over the years. Ha, with this post I actually match the calendar year. I must be posting too much. :lol:
tpollauf
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by tpollauf »

Caretaker wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 11:51 am Ha, with this post I actually match the calendar year. I must be posting too much.
Good one :lol: No one can EVER post too much on this site!

Totally agree with your comments and clearly the biggest reason is Facebook. The younger crowd (likely the most owners of these great cars) were poisoned with that social media bug and there's no turning back. There are a few loyal members who keep us dinosaurs here informed as to what's going on in that other world, if it has any meaningful importance.
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zbyers
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by zbyers »

tpollauf wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 6:42 am
Caretaker wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 11:51 am Ha, with this post I actually match the calendar year. I must be posting too much.
Good one :lol: No one can EVER post too much on this site!

Totally agree with your comments and clearly the biggest reason is Facebook. The younger crowd (likely the most owners of these great cars) were poisoned with that social media bug and there's no turning back. There are a few loyal members who keep us dinosaurs here informed as to what's going on in that other world, if it has any meaningful importance.
Speaking of staying informed, Nick is planning GV21 Meet in Pontiac, IL...weekend of August 13-15. More details to come.
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tpollauf
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by tpollauf »

zbyers wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 4:16 am Speaking of staying informed, Nick is planning GV21 Meet in Pontiac, IL...weekend of August 13-15. More details to come.
That's great news. Have is b u t t get back over on this site and start promoting it. Those dates should be OK For me.
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2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

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joatmon
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by joatmon »

While I think that social media sites such as bookface, twister and mistergram seem to be preferred over internet forums these days, I think caretaker's first point is a bigger reason. The newest Vibe is about 11 years old now. It is uncommon for people to keep a car that long, few are still the original owners, and there are a lot less Vibes on the road than there used to be. This place would still be hopping if GM still made new Vibes

When I joined, the site was full of excited people new to the car, a time of discovery, new mods, lots of people looking for aftermarket tweaks, the shared excitement of discovering some feature that the owner had never noticed before Now its mostly obscure maintenance, things that haven't come up over the last 19 years. Topics that come up are about how to keep an old car running, which doesn't foster the excitement of the new discovery topics. A lot of questions can be answered with a search so people with old Vibes can often find answers without needing to sign up or post. ( and while the search tool here has some limitations, I often use google and throw in a site:genvibe.com at the end of the search string)
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Houston
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Houston »

I agree with the replies already posted here. I've been a member of GenVibe for almost twenty years and the primary reason for so few posts here anymore is Facebook where so many young Vibe owners hang out. Some of us old geezers do, too. I check here every now and then to see what's happening, which unfortunately, isn't very much. This was the greatest site of all back in the old days - nothing else even came close. Most Vibe owners back then have gotten rid of their Vibes and moved to newer cars, so no longer come here. I have to admit I've been keeping my eyes on the Buick Encore, Encore GX and Chevy Trailblazer, but as long as my Vibe continues to be a great car I'll be a happy camper.
2009 Base 2.4L with a few add-ons.
Bookworm
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Bookworm »

For me, there's been a long haul of time with a lot of different issues, so I haven't really been here.

I also don't get email notifications, so not sure if those even work.

One of the big failures of Facebook is that you can't really archive data, and then search it. The average forum lets you search reasonably well, and stockpile information for years. Facebook is more of a "Right now" social group.

As a real example, I'm now 50 years old. I've been driving a Pontiac Vibe since February of 2003, where I bought my first Vibe from Enterprise Car Sales (the sales division of Enterprise Car Rentals). I replaced that car, with over 299,999 miles, with a 2007 with 135,000 miles. We'd moved into town, so I put fewer miles on it than the previous vehicle. I'm now back out of town again, and I've just put money down on a 2007 Toyota Matrix, with 155,000 miles.

That means that as of next month, I'll have spent 19 years driving a Vibe. (I'll be doing repairs/upgrades to the car before making it my daily driver)

I was just over 30 years old when I bought the first Vibe. We're all aging. What was new and exciting isn't as much any more.

I'll admit, I want to see the Vibe resurrected, even if it's under a different name. It was the "first" crossover vehicle (stupid names. They're enclosed trucks and station wagons). It STILL gets fantastic fuel mileage for the cargo space, even compared to the most modern miracle vehicle out there that isn't a hybrid. I think they never really understood the opportunities to make customizable Vibes, like the earlier Honda Civic hatchbacks in the 90's, that were turned into ricer racers. But then, the manufacturers generally abandon the vehicle after initial manufacture, turning any custom features over to the dealers - who mostly just want to sell service, because it's the profit center.

So, people aren't here because there's no real push to make the car an icon, because it really wasn't unique enough. In another 5 to 10 years? The car might start making a comeback, much like the ubiquitous "Woody" did. Hopefully the site owner will keep it around, or pass it on to someone else that will keep it going, so all of those people will have the resources from here - even without the pictures.

I wonder what happened to the picture folder? It should be retrievable, even if the pictures can't be directly linked to the original posts.
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joatmon
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by joatmon »

Lots of questions, zero answers
What is the metric freezing temp of water?

How many sasquatches have I seen in the woods behind my house?

What are the chances of me marrying a supermodel?

How many times have I seen the name of car maker KIA and not thought "killed in action"?

How many times have I undertaken a plumbing job on my house that didn't require additional trips to the hardware store?
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Houston
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Houston »

Hi guys. Haven't been here in a long time, but decided to stop by to see if this site was still here. I suspect some of the older folks have died, while others have either moved on to different cars, or to that Facebook Vibe site (GenVibe - Pontiac Vibe Owners & Enthusiasts). Ii's quite active and I usually check out that site daily. It looks to me like most of the people are young and quite a lot of childish bs goes on there, but there are also some knowledgeable people who are frequently helpful. It got to where there were so few posts here that I started looking around to see if there were other, more active, Vibe sites. This site was a much more active and enlightening site back in the old days. You probably don't know, but I joined this site back in 2002 when I bought my 2003 Vibe. Sold it several years later when I bought this great 2009 Vibe. Never a serious problem after all these years, probably due to the fact it still has less than 18,000 miles on it - still looks and drives like new (which it should). Hope I haven't jinxed anything by saying this.

I'd love to see this site return to what it was.
2009 Base 2.4L with a few add-ons.
tpollauf
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by tpollauf »

Houston wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 8:41 pm It looks to me like most of the people are young and quite a lot of childish bs goes on there,
That's exactly why I'm not a part of that "other" group and want nothing to do with Facebook.
Nice to hear from you and glad you're still around :D When my Vibe turned over 36k miles last year, I was thinking of your Vibe seeing how you too don't drive it much. You may (if not already) need to upgrade tires, and somewhere down the road, belts hoses and all other rubber products. Dryrot will eventually kill the elasticity in the rubber and they'll fail you.

This site likely will never be as active as it used to be BUT I'm thankful that it still exists and hope the moderators keep it active for quite some time
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

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Caretaker

Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Caretaker »

Facebook and the like is either:

1. for people who don't understand that there are 7.7 billion people on planet earth, 7.7 billion of which don't give a dam about you or your opinion........or
2. for people who fully understand #1 and can't live with that reality
3. for those who think that identity theft only happens to someone else

My car question for the day is: since my 50 year old auto buying service in the DC metro has disconnected their MD and VA phone numbers and appear to be a victim of the chip shortage and MSRP+ only pricing policies, should I consider getting a Costco membership in order to buy my next car knowing they are one of the only ones left who don't fall under the True Car banner? According to several sales managers I've spoken to over the years, Costco's buying service has traditionally been a huge PITA for dealerships, especially when they have their targeted deals on specific models which net dealerships next to no profit whatsoever. I've thought of joining and calling a Costco buying representative to see if any of the Orlando dealerships (who don't charge dealership fees) fall under the Costco program. There has got to be a way of beating the MRSP+ game in 2022.
Houston
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Houston »

tpollauf: I got new tires about two years ago and am, like you, concerned about all the other rubber parts on my Vibe, but will probably wait until something looks or feels bad or outright fails before doing anything about them. Have you had to replace any of those rubber parts yet? If so, which ones?
2009 Base 2.4L with a few add-ons.
Bookworm
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Re: Lots of questions, zero answers

Post by Bookworm »

The serpentine belt is always a good one. It can harden and spin/crack even without running, just from the tension.

As long as the car is driven regularly enough to circulate fluid, the radiator hoses are probably fine at low miles.

Check the donut spare. I had the one in my 03 fall apart by 2016, just from sitting in the car in the Houston heat - even covered (and not overinflated. I carry an air compressor)

Power steering hose(es). The one in my 07 was disintegrating.
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