Picked up my new Vibe two days ago...

[Michael Vibe 06]

and I like it, quite a bit. I recently moved to the suburbs (now driving 35 miles a day to the train station and acquired a dog, so the Vibe's gas mileage and utility were attractive, as was the price (base 5 speed was 14k with moon and tunes, leather and XM).I'll be reading the stickies and posts re: mods; I'm already thinking about a strut tower brace, sway bars, and bigger tires - and while it's too early to be sure, bigger brakes might be nice as well. I'm also thinking about power door locks and cruise control (can you imagine a dealer ordering a base car with leather and moonroof, and no power pack? Must be why they were willing to go 5k off list...)Any advice, shared experiences, etc. would be welcomed. Thanks!

[Mavrik]

my Vibe has the premium sound package and all that jazz, but no power package... I didn't want ABS or power windows... and somewhere in there cruise control was not a seporate item so I lost that, ah well...Welcome to GV.

[SuperSpeedWagon]

pretty kewl man but just to let you know we love pix here!! lol welcome to genvibe

[AKLGT]

welcome. and yes, seems odd to have LEATHER but not power package unless it was done after the fact. my 03 VGT i installed a custom leather kit since leather was not available option. that didn't come available til 05.as for bigger brakes? why? the vibe doesn't need bigger brakes unless you are doing a lot of engine modifications. plus they are one of the more expensive mods to do unless you're just talking about rotors and brake pads. of course, when i'm thinking big brake kits, i'm thinking $2000-3000 for the works, so you could be talking about some $150 ebay rotors special! LOLstrut braces, sway bars, and SPRINGS or COILOVERS are what you need if you're planning to work on the suspension. as for bigger tires, you'll want to keep the car in balance with what the factory tires diameter is. if you go too far off, it'll mess your odometer, ABS, and other things up... others can explain that part better.so, welcome to genvibe! we also love lots of pics!

[NascarXprt]

Welcome to our family and i too have a vibe with out the power group its not bad if you think about it. but oh well...oh and we really reeallly rrreeeallllly love pics.

[BlueCrush]

Welcome to GenVibe! I wouldn't waste money on bigger brakes unless you were a hardcore autocrosser or it was for show. You might be better off just getting cross drilled and slotted rotors, upgrading the pads and painting the calipers. That will give you both form and function.Post pics when you get a chance!!

[Michael Vibe 06]

Thanks everyone, for the advice and the welcome - and for the subtle hints about how much you all like pics:) Blue Crush, upgraded pads and slotted / cross-drilled rotors are what I was thinking. The stock brakes stop the car, but they're obviously not all that happy about it, especially from high speeds. I've got almost 200 miles, and the steering wheel is vibrating during high-speed stops already. No great surprise, and no great disappointment either -it's a great car, and I'm enjoying it immensely - and stouter rotors will be one of the first upgrades. Handling's actually pretty good in stock form; I was pleasantly surprised. Autocrossing is fun, but not a regular occurrence for me. Turns out the car was ordered sans power pack by the dealer's son, who was filling in for the sales manager - he inadvertently left the power pack off the order. Commando makes a power lock kit with remote control that's avalable for $100 (www.slickcar.com) that looks as if it might solve the issue; I don't mind the roll-up windows. It's a nice feeling to drive 200 miles and still have more than a half-tank of gas left; the 04 GTO that I traded in would have burned twice the gas.

[Mrizzle05]

GTO!!! we want pics of that too! If you get and istall the auto lock kit... let me know how it works and if its a good buy. i really need to get that... tired of unlocking everyones doors!!! sheesh.Well glad your here and hope you stay.

[slvrvibes]

Welcome to the site. Wow, that is quite a change from a GTO.Those GTO's are sweet and fast, but my friend only gets about 18 mpg in his, so the vibe does much better in gas.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by slvrvibes »Welcome to the site. Wow, that is quite a change from a GTO.Those GTO's are sweet and fast, but my friend only gets about 18 mpg in his, so the vibe does much better in gas.I average 18mpg in my Vibe!

[Michael Vibe 06]

well, if the photo's any indication, your Vibe might be as fast as the GTO)

[slvrvibes]

Only because of all the mods you've done, but the GTO is 18 mpg in mostly hwy driving with no mods.

[Michael Vibe 06]

Thanks, Unlocking the doors is rapidly becoming a pain, so I will be doing this soon, I suspect. The GTO got 18 - 22 mpg in almost all highway driving. The funny thing is that if I went 60 mph in fifth or sixth gear, I'd average 24 - 26 mpg...but I couldn't do that for more than a few minutes:)Driving the Vibe fast is more strategic than the GTO; I think of it as finesse vs. brawn. In many ways, it's more fun than the GTO; if I drove the GTO at or near redline most of the time, I'd be in jail.

[808 Vibes]

Welcome and congrats!!!!!!

[Markt2717]

WELCOME hope you like it here.... we love new people. it is always a pleasure for us to see someone purchase and be happy with a vibe. it is a great car. i have been driving them for around 3 years. I just bought myself one about a month ago and so i am also new to the site. there are many fourms out there. take a look at them before making any mods though... people can step by step guide you through thing. well thankyou for joining.. and hope you stay!!! Mark

[Michael Vibe 06]

Thanks; I'm enjoying the car,and the people here are great - although apparently I'm going to have to give up some of the $ I saved to buy a digital camera:)First mod happened yesterday; I took a roof rack from a BMW 528i that's been lying in my basement since the lease ended on the car - about fie or six years ago!- and installed it on the Vibe's roof rack rails. It's a basket type carrier; I used the hardware that attached it originally to the BMW crossbars to attach it to the rails. I know, y;all want pics:) I'm working on it. Thanks again for the warm welcome!

[AKLGT]

yes.... no pics = very membersand though damron's got quite a bit in his vibe, i think that GTO would still eat it. LOL! would be tough to get one up to that bad boy! at least without detonating it or doing a whole reinforced tranny/engine swap. that's quite a big change though. GTO to a base vibe. not even the GT model? i do miss my vibe's gas mileage, used to get 26-28 mpg in my GT. now in my LGT i get about 18-20 mph. so we take Mav's vibe for long trips because it's so much better on gas!

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Michael Vibe 06 »well, if the photo's any indication, your Vibe might be as fast as the GTO)No way, and on my way from Dallas to San Diego I managed 32mpg!!!!! First time I've seen over 300mi on a tank in forever!