In the market...

[LookingATtheVibe]

for a new car and a 2003 pontiac vibe was brought to my attention. i don't remember off the top of my head which model it was (basic, GT, or AWD) but it already had 73k miles on it!! i have seen bad things about the vibe's handling in snow...living in NH, I need a car that handles decently in the snow as I travel about 70 miles a day RT to work and back. Its about half-n-half for highway driving and "backroad driving" typically i travel an average of 50-55mph on this leg of the trip and the usual 70mph average on the highway.so i guess my question is the 73k miles thing. is that too much for a new car? my gut says for a 2003, it is!

[northvibe]

i would rather have a 04+ than a 03, the 03's have the all red guages (hard to read) and some first car issues. I have not heard that they handle bad in the winter i heard the exact opposite as long as you have good tires (specially winter ones). I will be driving mine for the first time in the winter this winter, but if your worried get the AWD version. right now i have a base FWD vibe and ive always had fwd cars and live in MN with out a problem unless the snow is above my bumper..

[GMJAP]

The 2005's have stability/traction control available as an option also, if you are concerned about snow handling.I think one member here had an issue with a souped-up GT in the snow; essentially it had too much torque to handle well in snow. But other than that I don't recall any complaints.

[sloth]

As long as you have good tires on the vibe it performs awesome in the snow. I've driven it in 9+ inches of snow and it performed great and I have a GT.73k is a lot of miles. But the vibe should still have a lot of life left in it. All depends on the price of the car.

[ArcsVibe]

Speaking from experience driving now in 2 winters I have to agree. Get a great pair of winter tires and you will have no problems. I would get an 04 though and right now with the employee price maybe an 05? The only thing that sucks about the Vibe is the puny battery.Good luck with your purchase and hopefully you will settle on the Vibe. It is a great car!

[ToolGuy]

Potentially welcome!That mileage is kind of a lot and by the amount you drive it will add up even faster. However just look at the repair history, records if kept and run the VIN to see the warranty repairs if any. It is a great running car so if you bought it I am sure you will have it for a long time. Also, look through the manual to bring it up to the maintenance it needs. Over maintaining is obviously better than not enough.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe »The only thing that sucks about the Vibe is the puny battery.Another reason to get an 05, with the employee pricing. They beefed up the battery.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »The 2005's have stability/traction control available as an option also, if you are concerned about snow handling.I think one member here had an issue with a souped-up GT in the snow; essentially it had too much torque to handle well in snow. But other than that I don't recall any complaints.*raises hand* that was me. the previous winter, without all the mods on the car, i had no problem. i also drove about 50 miles RT to work and back, but mostly highway miles. however, my job is in outside sales so i had to drive on back roads and deep snow. the deep snow was tough, but i also lowered the car about 1.5" so that didn't help me. lol. if you are worried about winters, then i suggest going with the awd. 73K miles is a lot, but then again, if it were all hwy miles, then it'd be no different than you driving your 70 miles/day for 2 almost 3 years. have the car thoroughly checked out (not by the dealer who's trying to sell the car).

[Jaycie685]

Hello and welcome to GenVibe! Where did you find this particular Vibe? Have you tried searching http://www.autotrader.com? They seem to have a lot of good finds. That's where I found mine. I have a 2004 base model and it had 25,000 miles with a price of $11,995. With taxes and fees the total came up to $12,995 which for the mileage was a really good deal! I would suggest doing further research and see if you can find other cars with lower mileage and maybe better pricing. It took me a month of research before I finally found mine.As for the Vibe, it is a most perfect vehicle! I haven't had a problem so far. I've never driven in snow as it doesn't really snow here in CA.. heheh... but from what a lot of people who live in the snow have posted, you should have no problem with the proper tires.Good luck and hope this helps!

[michaelgt]

The 73k miles is not an issue (ok - I have a 2003 with 72k miles from 4/2003). I used the stock tires for winter 03-04, and had new all-season tires for 04-05. This was the worst handling car on snow that I ever had. I think that it is too light to feel in control. If the price is right, I believe that you will have many miles from this car. I continue to put 600 miles a week on mine. I average between 30 and 34 mpg for similiar driving.

[northvibe]

if you want a deal, look at hertzcarsales.com they usually have the best prices around for used cars and sell them before the warranty is up, so you will have that protection. i got mine with 26k on it for 12k, base vibe. the tires are also on the cavy 03' my friend has and he said they do ok in the winter and his car is lower, so aslong as it has some tread left you should be ok.