GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I had a 2010 1.8L and it got stolen so I was going to replace it with another Vibe and I wanted to see if there are any known issues or gotchas with the 2.4l and the 5 speed auto. That seems to be the only ones I can find at a decent price.

Any help would be appreciated.

Excessive Oil consumption, but the ones you're finding may not have that issue

pilar: your comment about the 2.4 being the only one you can find at a good price is dead on. I troll the craigslist pages every day just in case one of the ladies in my house decides to destroy what they are currently driving. I too have noticed that the camry engine Vibes are the only ones that seem to be offered at a reasonable price. I think it is because of the poor(er) gas mileage. Even though we are down to 3 dollars a gallon, people are still unhappy about the crappy gas mileage they get with the camry engine mated to the Vibe and seem to be in a hurry to dump those cars. I have the Corolla engine, and for the most part, am glad I have it. The former comment about the oil consumption with the camry engine may be correct. All I can say is that Toyota seals seem to be crap and every corolla engine I have ever owned (3) drink oil like Dean Martin (R.I.P.) drinks whiskey. So the oil consumption will be an issue no matter what engine you choose. Also: by Pat Goss' own words: "anything under 2 quarts per oil change is still within specifications." As such, my bad mouthing of toyota seals probably is unwarranted. For me, I wouldn't want to be driving a small vehicle (Vibe) with no rear seat leg room and getting low 20's gas mileage. Nonetheless, I would like to experience ANYTHING other than the pathetic Toyota 4 speed transmission which is about 10 years out of date. I obviously chose the Corolla-Vibe due to the 30-something mpg I get on a daily basis. I'll stop here because I know there are some readers who have a two sentence span of attention, as was demonstrated to me in another thread.

I think the 05-08 1ZZ 'rolla engines do not have the poor valve stem seals issues. The '98-2001 or so 1ZZ engines also had undersize pistons with oversize rings to compensate, or so I heard, which would wear out the rings faster.

Pilar. Don't let a few mpg's difference bother you by getting the bigger engine in the 09-10 Vibe. Driving behavior is the biggest factor to consider. If you wouldn't mind shifting some gears, then look for a manual along with the 2.4l. More fun to drive and even better mpg's I get mid to upper 20's city and low to mid 30's highway with my 09 Vibe GT manual 5-speed. The biggest reason is that I can control shifting and coasting in neutral (which I do a lot of) and it makes a big difference. Keep us posted as to what you get. Good luck

35000 miles on my 2010 2.4. ZERO oil consumption. 30.5 mpg overall calculated by using a spreadsheet.

Vulcan05 wrote:35000 miles on my 2010 2.4. ZERO oil consumption. 30.5 mpg overall calculated by using a spreadsheet.

Just under 54,000 miles on both our 2009 Vibe GTs (both 5-speed autos). ZERO oil consumption (oil changed every 5000 miles with Penzoil conventional 5W-20 and Toyota OEM oil filter). My overall average MPG is 28.126 and my mom's is 27.187. The majority of our driving is 50% city / 50% highway. I have gotten as high as 34 MPG with 100% highway driving. My Vibe has K&N Typhoon short ram air intake with an AEM Brute Force Dryflow air filter and a Magnaflow catback exhaust. My mom's Vibe has a K&N Typhoon short ram air intake with an AEM Brute Force Dryflow air filter.

If for some reason I needed another vehicle, I absolutely would not hesitate to get another 2nd gen (2009-2010) Vibe with the 2.4L and 5-speed auto. It's nice to have the get up and go when you need it and still get decent gas mileage.

A little late to post but I really like the 2.4L engine with the 5 speed auto trans. I check my oil weekly and haven't had a problem with it.I haven't changed the oil yet since it got changed before I bought it and still has a few thousand miles to go before it is due. I had a 2003 Vibe and as much as I liked that car,I have to say I like the 2010 a lot more but wouldn't hesitate buying another 1st Gen Vibe.

My 2009 2.4 has slight oil consumption. I put half a quart in over 1500 miles. I use full synthetic 5w20 walmart oil with a fram filter. Mine is at 87k. Been a a good car, but worry a little about how long the motor will go.

Welcome to the world of Toyota Buckeye. Oil consumption is the norm on Corolla engines and apparently with Camry engines like yours. I lose about 1 quart per 3000 miles. Believe it or not, 1 quart per 1500 is still within normal operating parameters. My Fit and Elantra Touring on the other hand lose ZERO quarts of oil every 5000 miles, and in the case of my 120,000 mile Fit, doesn't burn a drop of oil in between 5000 mile oil changes. I'm now hooked on Korean cars and tires, so I for one on this board will not even entertain the notion of buying a Toyota the next time around. They have sunk very low on bidding for parts suppliers and are now more interested in profit over quality, following in GM's past.

My new to me '09 AWD 2.4 gets between 25.4 & 27.4 mpg so far, computed individually at only 4 fillups. The oil was changed about 1000 miles before me, I'll know more after I get it changed. I'm hoping this car will go at least 200-250k, I really like the performance of the 2.4.

My '09 Vibe GT with the 2.4 liter consumes about 3/4 of a cup of oil every 1,500 to 2,000 miles or so. I check it once every couple of weeks. Other than that, it's been a bulletproof engine at 130,000+ miles to date. I get about 27.8 mpg on the highway, too.

tpollauf wrote: ↑Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:37 pm Pilar. Don't let a few mpg's difference bother you by getting the bigger engine in the 09-10 Vibe. Driving behavior is the biggest factor to consider. If you wouldn't mind shifting some gears, then look for a manual along with the 2.4l. More fun to drive and even better mpg's I get mid to upper 20's city and low to mid 30's highway with my 09 Vibe GT manual 5-speed. The biggest reason is that I can control shifting and coasting in neutral (which I do a lot of) and it makes a big difference. Keep us posted as to what you get. Good luck

I’m picking up an ‘09 Vibe GT 2.4 liter 5 speed manual today! Any surprises to watch for? It has 99k on the ODO. My previous was an 09 vibe 1.8 l base.

Mumbledore wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:45 am I’m picking up an ‘09 Vibe GT 2.4 liter 5 speed manual today! Any surprises to watch for? It has 99k on the ODO. My previous was an 09 vibe 1.8 l base.

That's great news! I'll give you what little advice I can on the few issues known to these cars. First off, I have TWO 2009 Vibe Gt's in my fleet. Mine (the red one) is the 5-soeed manual and sitting at just 36k miles, and my son's (the blue one) is an auto and around 150k miles. Mine has been garaged since new and has seen VERY little salt/brine over the winters due to me having a commercial service vehicle truck. Thus why the mileage is so low My son's on the other hand has been outdoors the entire time and has seen EVERY winter we've had so far. A quick look under our hoods and you'll clearly see the differences

Getting back to specifics, the 5-speed manual Vibe, I have had ZERO repairs so far. Four oil changes, one set of new tires (due to dryrot .... not tread wear) and a new battery (due to it not being started/driven more regularly). My son's car only had a transmission cooler line corrode/rot out due to salt/brine BUT seeing how you're getting a manual., you won't have that problem.

Curious as to the climate this Vibe you'll be getting came from and where will it be primarily driven? Update your profile for us. Also are you getting it for a good price? Post pics and other info once you get it so we can all check it out. Thanks for inquiring with me ............... Tim

tpollauf wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:57 pm

Mumbledore wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:45 am I’m picking up an ‘09 Vibe GT 2.4 liter 5 speed manual today! Any surprises to watch for? It has 99k on the ODO. My previous was an 09 vibe 1.8 l base.

That's great news! I'll give you what little advice I can on the few issues known to these cars. First off, I have TWO 2009 Vibe Gt's in my fleet. Mine (the red one) is the 5-soeed manual and sitting at just 36k miles, and my son's (the blue one) is an auto and around 150k miles. Mine has been garaged since new and has seen VERY little salt/brine over the winters due to me having a commercial service vehicle truck. Thus why the mileage is so low My son's on the other hand has been outdoors the entire time and has seen EVERY winter we've had so far. A quick look under our hoods and you'll clearly see the differences

Getting back to specifics, the 5-speed manual Vibe, I have had ZERO repairs so far. Four oil changes, one set of new tires (due to dryrot .... not tread wear) and a new battery (due to it not being started/driven more regularly). My son's car only had a transmission cooler line corrode/rot out due to salt/brine BUT seeing how you're getting a manual., you won't have that problem.

Curious as to the climate this Vibe you'll be getting came from and where will it be primarily driven? Update your profile for us. Also are you getting it for a good price? Post pics and other info once you get it so we can all check it out. Thanks for inquiring with me ............... Tim

Thanks for the info! The car fax said 2 previous owners, both in Ohio. I bought it in Louisville, KY, but I live in Cincinnati. I got it for 7,950 (bought my 09 1.8 base for 10k 8 years ago and it had 114k miles on it). Somebody pinch me! Also I don’t know how to get photos on my profile just yet, but I’ll update when I can. And thanks again.

Well, 2 years later and still going strong on my 09 GT 2.4 Manual. Little sunburn on the roof, but it’s just cosmetics. The worst thing was having to replace all four OEM wheels due to bent rims (THANKS CINCINNATI). I use about 1 quart every 2,000 miles, though sometimes less. Going to flush out the coolant system today and use Asian pink POAT as a replacement WIsh me luck.