Wannabe Vibe owner #2

[Viberrrr]

I have also just joined and posted in the Midwest section.Really like this site.I to am looking into a Vibe but a used one. I have found this one:2003 base FWD Vibe 26,300 milesAutoPower Passenger Mirror, Cruise Control, Tinted Glass, Power Mirrors, Alloy Wheels, Power Locks, CD Player, Sun/Moon Roof, Anti-Lock Brakes, Remote Keyless Entry, Power Windows, Front and rear Floor MatsJust received the Carfax report all fine.I have talked them down to $12,750What do you think worth the 300 mile road trip to check it out?

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[ZubenElGenubi]

Hi Viberrrr....Rrrr!At first I thought that price was a little high, but considering all the bells & whistles, plus low mileage...that might not be a bad deal at all.Still, CarFax notwithstanding, I'd find a local mechanic or car inspection service who can inspect that vehicle. Should only take an hour or so and about $100, but well worth the peace of mind.Good Luck and let us know how it works out.

[Viberrrr]

"local mechanic or car inspection service" That is a really good idea. I know Carfax doesn't mean much but at least I know it wasn't pieced back together in a chop shop I have another question. If the car has the moonroof then it will also have the premium sound system, correct?

[joatmon]

The factory warranty on a Vibe in the US is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The warranty transfers with the car, but that 3 year clock starts ticking the day the original buyer took delivery. Since the car is a 2003 and for now it's 2006, if it still has any factory warranty it probably won't for long. You would probably want to get some kind of warranty on it. Not sure what kind of outfit is selling the car, if it's a GM delaer, some other dealer, the currrent owner, etc. It would be nice to get some kind of warranty that didn't require you to take the car 300 miles back to the seller to get it fixed. Probably you won't need the warranty, but if you do ...On a 2003 the moonroof also means you get the amp underr the front passenger seat and the tweeters in the front doors. Unless the previous owner did some audio mods to it. Got any pictures of the interior?

[Viberrrr]

It is from a dealer and they do offer different levels of warrenty, but to honest I just have never been a fan of extended warranties. It was purhased on 2/7/03 so the warranty is gone.Here is picture of the interior and it probably won't be of much help

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[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr »It is from a dealer and they do offer different levels of warrenty, but to honest I just have never been a fan of extended warranties. It was purhased on 2/7/03 so the warranty is gone.Here is picture of the interior and it probably won't be of much helpUnless the previous owner made changes it should still have the factory premium sound system, as has already been mentioned. That it still has a stock radio makes changes less likely. Just make sure there is a box under the passenger seat - that's the factory amplifier.When you check it out, take along a CD and play it to make sure it sounds good.

[AKLGT]

even though it's a toyota at heart, ALWAYS have an independent mechanic take a look at it before you buy it.

[Viberrrr]

Thanks much for the input. My wife likes the idea of having it inspected before we start driving. And I don't think the price is out of line with what I've seen out there.

[AKLGT]

it's not too bad, however they did sell my 03 VGT fully loaded and then some for about the same price. however, i had 33K miles on it and expired tags plus a lower front bumper that needed repair.

[Viberrrr]

Well found a repair shop just down the road from the dealership and he'll go over pick it up, put it up on the rack, and do an inspection. 68 bucks, a deal at twice the price. Thanks all for this suggestion. If I get the thumbs up we head over there on Tuesday.

[rebbierae]

Woohoo--good luck Viberrr--hopefully it'll all work out! And it'll be awesome to have another midwest member on board! We're planning a meet hopefully in August, perhaps in Albert Lea, so check in to it!

[Viberrrr]

Albert Lea in August. Just a stones throw away.And in the heart of motorcycle season. Can I just scoot down on my bike and just show you all pictures of my Vibe from my wallet. I promise I'll drool over all of your cars.

[kostby]

Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Vibe!$12,600 seems pretty high for an '03, and 300 miles is a long way to drive if you don't like the car. Have you checked Edmunds.com or cars.com for used Vibe AND Matrix prices in your area??? Even for relatively low miles, that seems high for a used Vibe in central Indiana. Yes, I do realize you're in Minnesota, and market conditions may be much different "up there".It pays to shop around, unless there is only one combination of color and features you're willing to settle for. And I assume there are far more used Vibes on the market now than there were in Feb 2004, because so many more have been sold/leased since then.Enter the car options as if you're selling it and view the 'trade-in value' for excellent, good, and fair conditions. That'll give you a good idea of how much they've marked it up from what they probably gave the previous owner on a trade-in in your area.I purchased a privately-owned similarly-configured used 2003 Vibe two-tone (first titled 06/2002) with about 22,000 miles in February 2004 from a Pontiac dealership 75 miles from home. Yes, I shopped for almost 3 months before deciding on a Vibe (over a PT Cruiser), and I shopped for almost a month before I found the one I ended up purchasing. I paid $13,100 (plus Indiana sales tax, excise tax, and Indiana license plate fee) for it in February 2004. It was NOT GM-Certified used, but it still had more than a year and about 14,000 miles of factory warranty remaining.Mine also has a 6-disc changer, the rear bumper protector, and the cargo-area Vibe- logo mat but DOES NOT have Antilock Braking System. (Frankly, I'd rather have the ABS!) The hood was repainted by the dealer before I bought the car, so I haven't had to deal with the 'chipping paint' phenomenon reported by many GenVibe members.

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[rebbierae]

Depends on what kind of bike you have and if I can have a ride! I've been wanting to learn to ride one myself--just need to take the class!

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr »Here is picture of the interior and it probably won't be of much helpnope, doesn't show where the tweeters are, so can't confirm. Looks clean thoughAlso, that red thing next to the dash coin holder, my guess is that the car has some sort of alarm or security system, didn't see that in your list of options.

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[northvibe]

Yeah having the car checked by a mechanic is a very good idea, ive done that on the last two cars i bought (even the vibe) and they were both VERY reliable cars. I never had anything wrong with them expept the standard oil and tires. If the mechanic finds the car to be excellent then you might not need the warranty, imo i dont get them either.

[Mrizzle05]

Also... isnt that the 6-disc? so dosnt "most" 6-discs come with the monsoon system?Thats what i thought, unless someone just wanted the 6-disc.If you seen the car... the tweeters are lil speakers where the side mirrors are at the bottom of the pillar.

[NascarXprt]

your are right joat that is the security light for the security system.

[Viberrrr]

I'm getting better pictures emailled to me and the inspection also done today. I told the wrench about looking under the seat. I'll post more pic's when I get them.I've been hunting for a while and aleast up here there are very few low mileage private sales I can find and most of the dealers are above priced in the 14's. Plus the last one my wife looked at had no ABS but the moonroof so now she has to have that. That closes the door on many that are out there. Thankd for all the reply keep then coming.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »Also... isnt that the 6-disc? so dosnt "most" 6-discs come with the monsoon system?Thats what i thought, unless someone just wanted the 6-disc.If you seen the car... the tweeters are lil speakers where the side mirrors are at the bottom of the pillar.No. It's the 1CD.

[Viberrrr]

The car checked out by the wrench and he did confirm an unmarked box with wires under the seat. So we head out on Tuesday to test drive it and probably drive her home. Here is another picture of the Greybeard. Where would the tweeter be on the door?

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[Mrizzle05]

they would be right where the door meets the dash on either side... there should be a small lil grill with a tweeter in there.If you dont see anything outta the ordinary, then best bet is its prolly no there. but good car.

[Viberrrr]

Those dealers, stingy with the pictures. I asked him to take tons of pictures but nooooooooooo.Hell, there could be blood covering the whole back seat and trunk for all I know. They didn't use a Grey Vibe in Pulp Fiction did they?I'll know on Tuesday. Here's another one of old Greybeard one a rainy day.

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[Viberrrr]

Just got back from my road trip buying my Vibe. So now you all are stuck with me. hehe.The red button is indeed an alarm system (something that was a not listed in the sale price) and it does have the tweeters and the tunes sound great. Drove 323 miles all freeway and got 34.2 miles on this first tank of gas. Excellent.

[rebbierae]

Congratulations Viberrrr! You'll love the Vibe, and remember, WE LOVE PICS!

[BlueCrush]

Excellent! Congrats on the new Vibe!

[Viberrrr]

Thanks. Ya I'll get some pictures and I must say the moonroof is also a very pleasant.I had no idea how nice they are. Now on to making it a little better.I'm buying that stereo input so my bride can listen to her iPod.Then a hitch so we can take our little motorcycle camper on long camping trips.And then figuring out the best forced air system to squeeze just a little better gas mileage outa her. Then steel rims and snow tires before we all start saying birrrr or berrrr (depending on your spelling)

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr »Just got back from my road trip buying my Vibe. So now you all are stuck with me. hehe.congratulations! Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr »And then figuring out the best forced air system to squeeze just a little better gas mileage outa her. I don't remember anyone ever posting to say that their intake resulted in an increase in mpgs. I think the main effect of adding an intake is that it adds several pounds to your right foot, which hurts mpgs

[Viberrrr]

Then just a K&N filter is needed for just a bit more air flow?

[P-Fernandez]

hahhah it does add... about 10 pounds..tell the wife you have a bad knee , and cant pick it up

[Viberrrr]

Well that little Vibe of ours is still giving us surprises. It turns out that this car also has SRS side air bags. That makes three things the dealer did not tell us about. The Premuim sound system, GM alarm and now SRS. This was a lease vehicle and I'll bet the leasee just had every option put on it. I wonder what else I'll find in the next couple of days. It's funny how you don't notice things till you start really poking around in it, plus it was raining like cats and dogs when we picked it up.

[joatmon]

compare the sticker in the glove box to the codes in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6558 to see what various factory options it got.

[Viberrrr]

Heres all my codes:AJ7 - Restraint System Front Seat, Inflatable Driver and Passenger, Front and SideAN4 - Upper and Lower Child AnchorageAR9 - Front Bucket Seats, Deluxe *AU0 - Remote Entry Lock ControlAU3 - Electric Door LocksA31 - Power WindowsB37 - Front and Rear Floor MatsB56 - Rocker and Door Molding Body ColorB57 - Extr. Deluxe * (Monotone Appearance Package?)B71 - Wheel Arch Molding w/Cladding Body ColorCF5 - Electric Sliding Glass SunroofC2H - Fremont California *C25 - Rear Window Wiper w/IntermittentC49 - Electric Rear Window DefoggerC60 - Manual Air ConditioningD31 - Inside Rearview Tilt MirrorD48 - Dual Electric Outside Mirrors/Black LH/RHD75 - Exterior Door handles/Body ColorFQ8 - Ratio Transaxle Final Drive 2.96JM4 - Power Brake System, Front Disc, RR Drum, Cast Iron, Antiock, FRT and RR WHLK34 - Automatic Cruise Control, ElectronicLV6 - 1.8L, 4-Cylender Gas Engine w/MFI (1ZZ/Base)MU4 - 4-Speed Automatic TransaxleMXO - Merchandised Transaxle Automatic Provisions, O/DNC8 - California State Emission System ULEVNG1 - Geographically Restricted Certification EmissionNG5 - Registration Emission Certification (50 states *)N33 - Tilt Steering ColumnN41 - Variable Ratio Power SteeringN65 - Spare Tire T135/80R16PCR - Sales Item No. 111 * (Moon & Tunes package?)PDN - Sales Item 131 Control * (Power Package?)QD2 - Wheel 16x6.5 Alloy 5 SpokeQCF - Tire All P205/55R16T61 - Daytime Runnning LightsT82 - Automatc Headlight ControlUZ6 - Premium 6-Speaker SystemU1P - AM/FM/CD/ETR w/Seek navigation/4-Fader SpeakersU16 - Engine TachometerU19 - Trip Odometer-2 PhaseVK3 - Front License Plate Mounting PackageV35 - Front/Rear Bumpers-Body ColorV73 - Vehicle Statement USA/Canada *XR5 - Clean Air FilterZ05 - Convenience Package *1SA - Option 01 Package *14C - Dark Gray Cloth Seat TrimPaint Color Codes15U - Shadow (Dark Gray)This code is not listed but it does have a GM security system:UA6 - Theft Deterrent System

[joatmon]

sounds like you got a good deal

[Viberrrr]

My wife and I just love that car. Finest modern* car we have ever owned. *I had a 66 Mustang ragtop years ago that was better but for different reasons.

[GMJAP]

Just had a thought reading your codes - might want to check your cabin air filter since you bought used. Would be a good idea to replace it if it doesn't look fairly new.There's instructions in the Owner's Manual on how to get to it behind the glovebox, but it tells you the wrong way to push on the filter door tabs. They don't take much force, so be gentle as they'll break if you press to hard the wrong way! (Found that out my very self! )

[Viberrrr]

Thanks good idea. How often does one replace the filter?

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr »Thanks good idea. How often does one replace the filter?Mine gets pretty nasty after about 6 mos, but I drive a lot. Depends how much you drive and where you drive.I get replacements from these guys, a few at a time to save on shipping. Was $10 ea last time I ordered, but $12 now (thanks to the falling dollar - they're in Canada)http://www.cabinairfilters.net/Just don't get a Matrix filter - for whatever reason this is one of the few non-interchangeable parts.

[kostby]

Congrats on the deal!FYI The Matrix filter doesn't fit the Vibe and vice-versa because the Matrix has a Japanese-origin heat/air unit (Nippondenso or some such IIRC) , and the Vibe has a GM-origin heat/air unit.