Was there a Vibe sale at the retirement home?

[gargoyle]

I've seen alot of Vibes in my area lately, but just about every one of them has been driven by an elderly person. Maybe they've selected it for the economic mileage or the high safety ratings... I dunno. But it just seems weird to be cruising along, fully utilizing the Moon & Tunes, thinking I'm looking cool, feeling kinda sporty zipping around in my Vibe, only to pull up next to another one and see a grandma behind the wheel! They don't even realize or acknowledge that we're driving the same car! This isn't meant to be offensive to those elderly drivers... heck, I think they made a great choice of vehicle, but I just thought of the Vibe (as it's name implies) as a sporty, fresh, trendy, hip, fun, cool ride rather than a granny mobile (like a buick or something). And now that I think about it... I don't recall seeing any Matrix's being driven by grannies... so why the Vibe?!?!

[MSR]

The Vibe demographic is definitely younger folks, but it seems older people are getting into safe, fuel efficient vehicles regardless of marketing. I noticed a trend in my area, which has a very high percentage of retirees. About half of all the Scion xB owners around here seem to be retirees. I never thought in a million years that I would see grandpa and grandma cruising around in an xB, but the interior room, fuel efficiency and safety ratings combined with the low sticker price seems to have won over a lot of them. Go figure.

[michaelgt]

Yes, there are many older people that are driving Vibes. I am guessing that you see more Vibes than Matrix because they are probably all GM retirees, get the discount for life, and want an economical, comfortable, nice-handling car.My daughters have been making fun of me for driving an "old man car" since I bought it. They see "experienced" individuals that drive them in my area.

[BOZACK]

I have noticed the Vibe ownership covers all age groups in my area. Younger groups being the least. Most are in the thirty to fifty group. Like me. But I do see older people in Scions and even Mustangs. Any car that gets good gas milage and is affordable will attract anyone to buy it. It is funny to see a 2005 Mustang Gt with a 70ish old woman behind the wheel. But then the Mustang was an economical car when it first appeared.

[4X4CHICHI]

A lot of gramps and grannies around here have them, but no GT's

[Charlievibe]

Quote, originally posted by gargoyle »I've seen alot of Vibes in my area lately, but just about every one of them has been driven by an elderly person. This isn't meant to be offensive to those elderly drivers... heck, I think they made a great choice of vehicle, but I just thought of the Vibe (as it's name implies) as a sporty, fresh, trendy, hip, fun, cool ride rather than a granny mobile (like a buick or something). And now that I think about it... I don't recall seeing any Matrix's being driven by grannies... so why the Vibe?!?! The very first Vibe I saw in my area was being driven by a lady in her late 50's to early 60's. I stopped her and was looking at the car in person and when I asked her why she bought it, the first comment out of her mouth was, "It makes me feel young again." She then went on that the cars "older folks" are supposed to drive look like old people and she didn't feel old. I told her I thought that was awesome and cool to enjoy being young at heart. And, she was driving the GT.So, just because someone is over 50 doesn't mean they need to curl up and die and drive "old people" cars. I know a lot of people over 50 who say that even though their bodies are aging, they still feel like teenagers inside. A perfect example is the men in their 60's and 70's who refurbish the older cars and drive them around. The cars look cool, so do they. I don't personally judge them because of their age - I just enjoy the fact this is something they want to do and have fun doing it.I think it is cool to not be caught up in societies vices of what doing what society says you should do because of your age.And true, some of them may be buying them because of the good mileage, etc.As for why they aren't driving the Matrix, maybe it isn't cool enough looking for them?!?!?!?! Edit: I just wanted to let you all know that I chose the age of 50 rather biasedly (is that a real word?). I have seen some of our younger members refer to the "old" as being 50 and above. Personally, as I age, I am looking at 100 as being old!!!

[joatmon]

some people like them because they are easy to get in and out of

[kostby]

The old auto industry adage goes something like this, "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can't sell a young man an old man's car." In other words, geezers MIGHT (and some actually do) buy Grand Prix GT's and GTO's, but a 20-something WITH the money in hand will NEVER buy a luxo-barge Buick LeSabre. They'd look at imports first.Buying a Vibe as a family-friendly car for an old geezer like me makes a lot more sense when you look at the other 4-door 5-passenger 'low-priced' choices in the Buick/Pontiac/GMC lineup these days...Buick killed off the Century and the Regal which WERE the Grandma/Grandpa car of choice at Buick/Olds/Pontiac/GMC dealers in years past. My 80-something mother-in-law owns a Century!Now, look at the 'low' prices:GMC Canyon Crew cab (4 doors, remember) STARTS at $22,225 with a manual tranny.Buick LaCrosse CX Sedan MSRP STARTS at $23,985. Remaining 2005 LaCrosses with 'Employee Pricing' are STILL $20,000 and above!Pontiac G6 Sedan MSRP STARTS at $17,990, but real-world G6's sticker at $21,000+ and are 'Employee priced' at $18,000 and above.Vibe MSRP begins at $17,690, but many well-equipped base Vibes are out the door with 'Employee Prices' of $16,000 to $18,000.$20,000 plus is pretty steep for retirees on a fixed Social Security income.

[jake75]

Maybe us "old guys" like the fold down seats . [Snow on the roof doesn't mean there's no fire in the furnace!]

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by Charlievibe »So, just because someone is over 50 doesn't mean they need to curl up and die and drive "old people" cars. I know a lot of people over 50 who say that even though their bodies are aging, they still feel like teenagers inside. thank you. not that I'm over 50 but I'll be there soon and I feel 20 mentally. just remember all those 50 year old elderly people lived thru Woodstock, and back then the saying was "better living thru chemistry"......

[Z600]

Vibe's aren't the only one attracting older people. The funniest thing I've seen to date is a brand spankin' new, bright blue Volkswagen Beetle with two little old white-headed ladies sittin' up front, niether of which could see very well over the dash. Now that's sporty! ~Z600

[nortsr]

Remember when the used car salesman used to tell you that "This car was driven by a little old lady and only used to go to church on Sundays"!!!!!!!!

[ColonelPanic]

There aren't many Vibe owners here at all down in this part of the state... But those that do have these cars appear to be below 50 for the most part, if I had to guess. The Matrix owners don't have it so well, heh. They easily outsell the Vibe at least 10:1 and the average age appears to be older than that of the Vibe, I'd say the 50+ crowd. General rule of thumb here: Stock Matrix = older owner, tacky riced out Matrix = younger. I guess the young folks are feeling threatened by the massive split in demographic between Matrix owners so they have to compensate. The young guys are still quite the minority though.I'm actually of the type who would rather drive something that the kids aren't driving. I'd rather not be associated with their group. I'm the opposite of what Kostby said earlier - I'd take a friggin' Buick Lacrosse over some import anyday. I'm generally attracted to more conservative vehicles instead of something flashy. I'm really surprised that I ended up with something as youth-oriented as the Vibe, I should be in some bloated luxocruiser right now. Glad I bought the VIbe though, I have to say. But I plan on going back to my old ways, so the #1 car on my shopping list is far from exciting, but I'm looking for something bland, but comfortable even if it's not so fun to drive...

[Jaycie685]

There are two Matrixes on my street and both are driven by high school/college aged guys. There is also another Vibe on my street and I usually see a couple in their mid-40's (?) driving it so yeah I've noticed that trend too.I'll usually see a Matrix somewhere else and the driver is usually young while the Vibe drivers I see seem to be a bit older.Maybe it's the fact that the Vibe is less sportier looking than the Matrix and so older people get them?What's funny is the other day on the way home I passed a 2005 Mustang with a grandma in the driver's seat! I was like "so that's what grandma's been spending her retirement money on!" It was funny!

[kostby]

Quote, originally posted by Jaycie685 »... the other day on the way home I passed a 2005 Mustang with a grandma in the driver's seat! I was like "so that's what grandma's been spending her retirement money on!" At least she got something fun & functional for her money. Lots of grampas & grannies are spending "their kid's inheritance" at the casino! What a waste!

[BryanC7020]

my mother is 55 and she has two cars, one is an SUV cuz she likes to have something to haul big stuff in when need be, and the other is a 97 Civic Coupe, seems harmless, until you consider that she's got it dropped on custom rims with a custom exhaust and a 25 shot of NOS and a cold air intake....... my mother is a ricer! o_0she had an excuse for ever bit of it. She spun it out (yes, I kid you not, she lost the rear end in a corner), and it freaked her out so bad that she immediately got a custom suspension installed to "tighten things up so it wouldnt come loose again". Then she accidently curb rashed a curb so hard it broke one of the wheel covers (hub caps, whatever), and decided it was a good excuse for "some decent wheels", so on the go the Ray's white rims, her excuse was "well they are light and make the car feel more responsive." ok... Then one day she decided that she didnt like the way it sounded when she put her foot in it, and wanted "a little more power", on goes the $1,000 exhaust system and the $200 cold air intake, and then the guy at the shop that installs all this for her made the mistake of saying "well since you have a cold air intake now, it wouldnt be too hard to install a NOS system for you.", so of course she went with it. So now she has a riced out 97 Civic EX Coupe with HID headlights, dropped, on Rays Engineering rims, with a custom exhaust, a cold air intake and a 25 shot of NOS...... what next?!at least she isnt going to put a gauddy body kit on it.

[ColonelPanic]

Oooookay, that's, quite interesting.

[gargoyle]

Quote, originally posted by BryanC7020 »So now she has a riced out 97 Civic EX Coupe with HID headlights, dropped, on Rays Engineering rims, with a custom exhaust, a cold air intake and a 25 shot of NOS...... what next?!at least she isnt going to put a gauddy body kit on it.Well, if she runs over a squirrel, she'll have an excuse to put on a body kit... sort of like a squirrel pusher... you know... to push the cute little squirrels out of the way instead of squishing them.

[jmf2]

First vibe I saw on the road was being driven by a older couple (mid 60's?) My parents bought their the same day we got our replacement vibe, I think they were impressed with how well it protected their grandson in the rollover. My dad is 87 years young! He even got the extra dark window tint put on. I don't think anyone is ever too old, unless they want to be!

Attached files

[Atomb]

the first few sentences from a review of the vibe in the Globe and Mail earlier this year..."By DAN PROUDFOOT Thursday, May 12, 2005 Updated at 11:11 AM EDTGlobe and Mail Update Drivers who choose the Pontiac Vibe are educated, well-informed urban achievers in their mid-20s to 30s, who are active, social and technologically savvy. So says General Motor Canada, identifying Vibe's target audience on its media website.And although that may indeed reflect its marketing plan, it's a fact that this sedentary, solitary, Mac-fearing lover of everything old, well into the mid-50s to 60s, also happens to find the Vibe an uncommonly comfortable fit.Furthermore, if you make a point of looking, a broad spectrum of urban humanity can be seen driving either a Vibe or its Toyota Matrix cousin. One suspects that all these people really have in common is a liking for exceptional practicality in a somewhat stylish package."

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »Drivers who choose the Pontiac Vibe are educated, well-informed urban achievers in their mid-20s to 30s, who are active, social and technologically savvy.Boy, they missed the mark on that one when I think of myself. Educated, I suppose, well-informed, maybe. Urban? Nah, I'm no a fan of such places, gimme wide open spaces with miles and miles of nothing. Active? Unless you call walking out to the car and driving down to the ice cream shop for a shake active... Social? Great big no there, I'm pretty much a hermit. I don't like people and would rather spend my time away from them whenever possible. Technologically savvy, youbetcha, as long as it doesn't run a Microsoft operating system.