Hi. Looking at a well-kept single owner 04 vibe with under 50K miles. But it's a manual 5 speed. Read there were some issues with that year and the 5 speed. Also with the Matrix too. It drives well. I'm hoping not all of them fail prematurely and that the problems are not the norm, but rather exceptions.. Any thoughts as to whether I should move forward with this? Thanks.
Why does an owner of a 17 year old vehicle with so few miles want to suddenly get ride of it? In my neck of the woods, its because they are dead and the family is selling it. I just want to emphasize that you are asking about a 17 year old car. If garage kept and dealership maintained, then great. If not, rust, water, rubber deterioration, electrical issues and fluid neglect are just a few of the things that will have to be checked.
Secondly ... where has this car spent it's entire life (to the best of your knowledge) so far, PLUS update your profile showing your location! Basically need to know if rust/corrosion has been a factor yet.
From what I recall AND as a testimony to one of my friends who had an 04 Vibe where the tranny failed, MOST of them failed close to the 100K mile range. With that said, you'll likely get 50k more miles until you start to have problems. Bearing failure is what you'll eventually experience. Not sure if it would be worth your while to have a tranny shop replace the bearings NOW before any damage is done. Unless doing it yourself, I'm sure it will be pricey $$$.
I’ve heard redline MT90 fluid will extend the life of the bearings for quite some time, if you get it, plan on shanging the transmission fluid as soon as you get it home.
OR, start looking for a 6 speed to swap in. There’s several threads on how to do it
Those are some impressive pictures. It is so clean, I'd serve some blueberry pancakes from atop your "engine griddle". Now get that power steering fluid swapped out for some fresh stuff
Ha ha. In response to your previous comment, it was traded into the dealership so I assume he bought a new car. It was inspected by Lemon Squad and they found few flaws. He said it had plenty of power, shifted well, and handled well. Let's hope the transmission lasts. Thanks again for your input. Much appreciated.
Wow .... definitely EXTREMELY clean for it's age. If the tranny gives you problems somewhere into the future, it will certainly be worth fixing/replacing it at that time seeing how solid the rest of the car is..
Thanks, it is reassuring to know it looks solid. Like you said, perhaps it will last a while before I have to cross that bridge. Thanks for having a look.
I had the bearings go out in the 5 speed manual tranny of my first Vibe at about 75K miles. The replacement from a junkyard (in 2005, although I can't remember what year the donor was) was fine for another 200K miles. A relative's 2005 5-speed has 200K miles on it and no bearing problems. Not every early 5-speed is going to have the bearing failure. At some point you'll need to replace the clutch, which isn't a token cost.
My replacement 03 Vibe had an auto tranny, which suited me better at the time as my driving shifted to more city, less highway.
Any time you buy a used car, whether it be a few years or a few decades old, you gamble. The one you posted pics of looks really nice (both of mine were two tone silver) and the 04 was unquestionably the best front end, with a better gauge cluster than the 03. If its a good price, it has a lot of potential to be a great car for many years
Thanks for the insight Joatmon. I'll post some more pics if it all works out. I do like the color a lot and the style looks similar to a lot of the newer cars. I would have preferred the automatic based on what I've learned, but in this particular case I think it's worth the risk. Thanks again.
HI All,
Here's an update on my 04 Base 5 speed Vibe I ended up purchasing. I've ran into a few issues, but nothing major so far. The gas pump would pop out constantly before filling completely. I ended up replacing the Evap charcoal canistor and that solved the problem. I bought it from Rock Auto thanks to a post I saw here and saved a good amount of money. I also needed to balance the tires. I had a slight shake in the steering wheel at high speeds and that seems to be resolved now. I replaced the horn for a Sharp Tones I saw recommended here. And lastly, the CV axles needed to be replaced. Going at very slow speeds and turning the wheel just slightly I'd hear a tick tick noise. That is now resolved. I also purchased a mat for the back because items sliding around the plastic cargo area was making me crazy. All in all I'm loving the Vibe. Took some time to learn how to drive stick, but I'm getting the hang of it. I find the seats to be much more comfortable than my Accord and I like the seating position which is a little higher. Thanks for all the help.
Mike
My 2003 5-speed Vibe went 280,000 miles before it began to whine. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. Swapped in a 6-speed but didn't like the way it drove after that. (I don't like change, lol) Gears too close together and higher RPMs on the highway. Meh.
Nice find, insteadofaSequia !