Where are the Iowa People at.

[redlava]

Am I the only person here from Iowa. Jeez get with it people.

[Mr.D]

I was born in Sioux City, but most of my family is now in CA or South Dakota.

[redlava]

Lucky Basterd. Like 1,500 Vibes in Iowa and nobody has stumbled upon this site.

[joatmon]

according to the Member list, there are 8 members from "IA" and another four from "Iowa", aside from you, most recently active iowan was vibe626, who posted yesterday

[Nick1556]

I was born in Mason City.. if that counts at all!! but.. I live in the St. Paul area now.

[maltese falcon]

Will be moving to IA in summer.First stop...Pontiac dealer for a new Vibe...not sure if I should wait for the 2005 vs get a good deal on 2004 if still available. Undecided if I should go with AWD in view of white IA winters Also, wife is a new driver and will be getting my '99 Sunfire but might do better with AWD when weather is bad.Any opinions on this issue and any great IA Pontiac dealerships?GenVibe is a great resource and I feel very well informed in this pre-buying stage...

[redlava]

Not sure where you are moving to, but I can tell you where not to go. I would stay away from Community Motors in Iowa City and Mike Mcgrath's in Cedar Rapids (where I bought mine). Try some of the dealerships in the smaller towns, not a great selection but you can usually get a good deal. And if you can't find something you like there you can always have one made or shipped to that location.

[maltese falcon]

Tanx...will be in Des Moines..love the '04s and would love to have both Power and M&T pkgs but there are very few around the state and am sure they'll all be gone by July Aug when I plan to buy....might have to settle for an 05 esp as i want an AWD

[shelleylisabeth]

Quote, originally posted by redlava »Not sure where you are moving to, but I can tell you where not to go. I would stay away from Community Motors in Iowa City and Mike Mcgrath's in Cedar Rapids (where I bought mine). Try some of the dealerships in the smaller towns, not a great selection but you can usually get a good deal. And if you can't find something you like there you can always have one made or shipped to that location. What's wrong with Mike McGrath? I went there today to test drive a Vibe for the first time and wasn't unhappy with them. Hubby bought his Grand Prix at Pat McGrath and was impressed with them as well. What do you know that I don't? Shelley - a future vibe owner when my 10 year old civic finally dies

[redlava]

I guess nothing is "wrong" with McGraths. I just don't like the way you have to talk to 3 different people inorder to purchase a car. I like talking to just one person. That and they blatantly tried to screw me on my trade in. Most dealerships will try to do this just to test the waters to see if they can, but McGraths did this to the 10th degree. $10,000 dollars for a at that time 4 year old Dodge Dakota with 27,000 miles on it. Yeah right! Kelly Blue Book said I could expect a dealer to offer me at least $12,500.They also gave me some line about not using the "bluebook" but using a "blackbook" that looks at sales trends, time of year, and oil prices. And because I was selling my truck in April and the oil prices were going up they felt that it would be hard to move my vehicle. After laughing hysterically and walking out I went to a Pontiac dealership in Tipton I think, and that guy offered me $12,500 right off the bat. In hindsight I should have just dealt with that guy, and had him get the Vibe that I wanted from Mcgraths because he didn't have any on his lot. So I took that quote back to Mcgraths and after about 45 minutes of arguing, and 2 managers later I finally got $13,000.The thing that solidified my opinion on them was when my Father went up to the dealership about one week later because he was looking for a different car. He just happened to see my truck sitting on the lot and knowing it was mine he asked how much it was, they had put a asking price of $18,000 dollars on it. So if you had an idiot selling it and an idiot buying it they would have made $7000 dollars on that deal. My Dad ended up buying it for I think $15,000 plus trade in.Mcgrath's isn't a bad dealership, I just did not like my experience with them. And I probably won't buy from them again.

[rebbierae]

Well, I was born in and grew up around Sioux City; I now live in Sioux Falls, SD but last Thursday I just purchased my '04 Vibe from Mac's Chevrolet/Pontiac in Mapleton and they are GREAT down there. I've had my Vibe for 4 days, after dreaming about one for abut 2 years, and I LOVE it! I also agree with others--this is a great site and I'm glad I stumbled on it--thanks for the great work!

[maltese falcon]

Ended up buying an '04 Vibe 2 months ago and I love it...can't wait to see how it handles in the snow (AWD) Despite several '05's on the dealership's lot and some enticing new features, I still preferred the nose of the '04 and have no regrets...my wife is now enjoying my old '099 Sunfire...we're both happy

[lkhan]

I'm a new Iowan.... just moved to Des Moines from Toronto. Any particular dealership I should go to/avoid for car maintenance?

[maltese falcon]

I still use Ramsey's where I bought my Vibe from - they're OK, although I once was waiting for a part and when it came in no one called me.I eventually called them and they acted all surprised and said they had sent it back.....go figure!They provide courtesy transport on weekdays - never tried it as I always took mine on on Saturdays ( routine service only) or had someone else to provide a ride.Welcome to Des Moines - hope it's not a shock compared to Toronto....

[purequaternion]

Just bought an '04 when I was visiting my parents in Texas. I'm in Iowa City for grad school.Can anyone recommend a good place for service etc?-Colin