Hey Fellow PA Vibe Owners...........where are you?

[cohocarl]

quote:the trailer weighs about 1200 pounds. That should pretty much settle the question.Yes. Gonna' have to ride them down....

[cohocarl]

Must be a pretty good sized trailer! I have a 4 X 8 flatbed trailer which weights only around 250# which has a weight capacity of 1750#

[Stang2Vibe]

then maybe the solution here is to get a lighter trailer or one that can only carry one bike? At least you could still go enjoy the event even if you can only take one bike. Also, any of the essentials that you mention are considered toward the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) as long as they are carried inside the car. This number is separate from the 1500 pound towing capacity rating, but will certainly affect how the vehicle handles and stops. I wouldn't recommend maxing out your GVWR and your towing capacity at the same time, however.

[drb22]

I've got an idea -- why don't you just ride the bikes to bike week? Seems like an easy solution.

[LadyHwk750]

quote:I've got an idea -- why don't you just ride the bikes to bike week? Seems like an easy solution.I would love to, believe me! It all depends on the weather. If I ever find another job farther South, the weather won't be so much of a concern. Regarding the trailer, my boyfriend plans to sell it. I don't have the exact dimensions but it may be 8'x12' with a wood floor and 2" high metal sides and a hinged back gate which is the loading ramp. That trailer described by cohocarl sounds a bit flimsy to me. I wonder how much the axle and tires weigh by themselves? When my boyfriend bought it, he wanted to make sure it was a sturdy conveyance able to transport both our bikes and then some. Our needs have changed now.I appreciate the feedback regarding the ability of the car to pull a trailer. I guess I was misinformed regarding stick shifts. Thanks for all the helpful advice!

[Susky]

Well, I'm not an owner yet, but I'm picking up my Vibe tomorrow.

[LadyHwk750]

quote:Well, I'm not an owner yet, but I'm picking up my Vibe tomorrow. Congratulations! And just in time for more snow. Enjoy and drive carefully on Thursday.

[LadyHwk750]

quote:Something happening Thursday?Just that the weathermen are predicting more snow. Most of us are sick of it by now. I think we are also approaching some sort of record for snowfall this year (or this month).

[Susky]

Thanks, folks. I can tell you right now what it will be:Base Vibe, Salsa, with the "monotone appearance" package. I really didn't want that too much, but I couldn't find any in stock without it, and I wanted to get in under the $2000 factory rebate. I think I'll still like it, though. I held out for the power package, but that was really all I expected. I'm 6'4" tall, and I can't fit in under the moonroof, so moon-n-tunes was out of the question. And I did find one car that had side airbags, ABS, and some other stuff, but it really brought the price a little too high for what I wanted, which was a low-priced fun car that would require minimal upkeep.Anyway, I'm scheduled to take delivery late this afternoon, and I'm turning in my money pit on wheels, a '95 Dodge Intrepid. Man, I really liked that car, but it was unfortunately way too expensive to maintain.

[Susky]

Oops...I forgot one other thing. I got the automatic transmission. I personally have no problem with the stick (I test drove the GT and liked it), but the wife said she strongly preferred the auto.

[Susky]

Yeah, I know the recline-and-lean-forward trick, for sure. I've used it before on a few of my cars, and normally it's not a problem. Perhaps I didn't fool with the demo car enough, but even with seat adjustments, it was a little too tight for me.And on a side note...I didn't pick the car up today. We (my wife and I) signed all the paperwork and we're ready to go, but they didn't have the car cleaned and prepped. So I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.I asked the salesman to NOT put the little dealer insignia on the back. It's not that I don't want to give the dealer credit, it's just that I hate those things stuck on the backs of cars.

[LadyHwk750]

quote:I asked the salesman to NOT put the little dealer insignia on the back. It's not that I don't want to give the dealer credit, it's just that I hate those things stuck on the backs of cars.I'm with you 100% on that. I had my dealer remove their sticker also. I let them leave the dealer license frame however. Funny you should mention getting rid of an Intrepid. I use to own one also and had nothing but transmission problems. It was getting to be a real "money pit" for me also just before I traded it in on the Mustang which was traded in for my Vibe.

[Stang2Vibe]

My sister had a 95 Intrepid ES, with the 3.5L V6. Had great power for being such a big and heavy car, but the transmission was slipping really bad at 72,000 miles. She traded my stepdad for his 96 Monte Carlo which was in perfect condition. He wanted to trade it in for his new 2002 Monte Carlo, but the dealer offered more on trade for the Intrepid. Funny, the Intrepid had a bad tranny, some body dings, many more miles and was a year older than the Monte Carlo, but the dealer was offering about $1500 more for the messed up Intrepid. So they swapped cars, he traded in the Intrepid and got a new car, she got a car that was in much better shape. Last summer, the tranny in the 96 Monte Carlo started to go, so she bought a 2003 Corolla S that she loves.

[Susky]

Sounds like they got rid of the Intrepid just in time (you too, LadyHwk). I had to replace the transmission at 80,000 miles. I complained about it on the Intrepid forums I could find, and I caught nothing but grief for not "maintaining" the transmission. And I also tried to get Chrysler to help me out, since I feel that with today's cars, there's NO reason an automatic transmission shouldn't last AT LEAST 100,000 miles.About 2 weeks ago, my Intrepid started running really poorly. After visits to 3 mechanics, and something like $1500 worth of "lets try replacing this now" work, I finally got the thing fixed - a bad timing belt tensioner caused the belt to slip one tooth on one bank of the V6. Much of the expense was from the dealer mis-diagnosing things, and charging me way too much for what they were doing.I told myself that I would never buy another Chrysler product again. And that's something, because I always liked their cars, and other than the maintenance problems, the Intrepid is a decent car.When I had enough and started car shopping, I looked at the Japanese cars first. I was thinking Honda or Toyota. But one day I was on edmunds.com, and just for fun, I looked at what Pontiac had to offer. That's where I found the Vibe. What's really cool is that I work next door to a Pontiac dealership, so I can at least have an extremely convenient place to get whatever necessary warranty service done. Plus I have the comfort of knowing that underneath the Pontiac skin, I have some reliable Toyota guts doing all the work.Wow...this is getting to be a novel. Sorry about that!

[Susky]

Woohoo! I finally picked 'er up! I must have looked like a crazed new parent or something. I brought my digital camera and took a picture of the car sitting in the dealer lot. Then I took more pictures when I got home.Unfortunately, I wasn't able to upload the pics from the camera yet, or I'd have posted 'em. Maybe this evening...And to top if off, I got my first experience in bad-weather driving the Vibe this morning. Not nearly as scary as the Intrepid was!

[LadyHwk750]

quote:Woohoo! I finally picked 'er up! Congratulations! I completely understand as I did the same thing regarding taking pictures. My avatar is one of the pictures from outside the dealer's showroom. Glad to hear you made it home okay in the snow this morning. Luckily, we didn't get hit as bad as they had predicted. Enjoy and many safe and happy miles in the future.

[Susky]

Thanks for helping me feel a little more normal! Here's the sucker at the dealer, and then two from my own driveway: (Pardon the crappy minivan in the background of the last pic.)

[LadyHwk750]

quote:Here's the sucker at the dealer, and then two from my own driveway:God, that car is hot in monotone! I really like that look much better than the cladding. The only reason I got the cladding is that it matched the "shadow" color so well that I didn't mind. However, the reflective monotone bottom really gives it a "whole" appearance that is much more car-like.(Don't worry, I ignored the minivan. I have an intense dislike for them anyway. They always seem to be trying to kill me. )

[Susky]

quote:It is a nice looking Vibe there.Any plans on putting some rims on there?Perhaps. I have to let the initial shock of owning a new car set in again (this is my first new car in 9 years). I was already fooling around on the Tire Rack site, so I'm not opposed to the idea...but I'd have to find a way to explain to the wife why I want to spend big bucks for wheels and maybe more summer-like tires.

[Susky]

quote:God, that car is hot in monotone! I really like that look much better than the cladding. The only reason I got the cladding is that it matched the "shadow" color so well that I didn't mind. However, the reflective monotone bottom really gives it a "whole" appearance that is much more car-like.Yeah, I think I really like it. My first thought was to go for the two-toned version, but this is really starting to grow on me. I'm thinking that some nice wheels, lower-profile tires, and maybe some lowering springs would make it special. But that's quite a few paychecks away yet...quote:(Don't worry, I ignored the minivan. I have an intense dislike for them anyway. They always seem to be trying to kill me. )I can't complain about 'em too much. With two growing kids, the minivan has been a source of domestic tranquility on long drives with the family. This one would look much better if the stupid wheel covers wouldn't fall off all the time (I finally gave up trying to replace them).

[drb22]

Congrats on the new vibe....I see very few vibes here in central PA.As far as the color goes, looks good. Mine is Shadow and I agree with LadyHwk750 about the cladding - see my signature.

[Susky]

quote:Congrats on the new vibe....I see very few vibes here in central PA.As far as the color goes, looks good. Mine is Shadow and I agree with LadyHwk750 about the cladding - see my signature.Thanks! Yeah, I'm actually suprised there aren't more driving around. There are very few on the dealer lots, and I thought it was because of a rise in popularity. The salesman was saying that he's gotten a few more inquiries lately, too.But it's nice being unique...at least for a while!

[DopeVibeGT]

Vibe is a mid sized car. Grand Am's are 4 door compacts. Which brings me to a question. How do they decide what class the car is in?? It cant be weight, since the Vibe only weighs 2700 pounds.

[drb22]

Interior space? Outside dimensions? I have no idea......?

[drb22]

Ok, but I am now intrested in Dope's question --"How do they decide what class the car is in? "Do car makers decide this? Who what where when and why?

[DopeVibeGT]

I wish these place would get their classes together. I've seen it classified as mid, now compact! I believe the compact more than mid sized, but who is right and who is wrong?! I'll classify it myself as "Blast to drive!"

[drb22]

quote:I'll classify it myself as "Blast to drive!" That sounds about right to me!

[Stang2Vibe]

The EPA officially classifies the sizes of cars for comparison purposes. They use the measurement of usable interior passenger volume (in cubic feet) to determine what class the vehicle falls into. There is a range of cubic feet for each class. For example, from A amount of cubic feet to B amount of cubic feet, it is classified as subcompact. Then from C to D cu ft is compact, and so on. The Vibe is classified on the window sticker as a mid-size passenger vehicle. My Mustang was a subcompact, but they are similar in overall exterior vehicle size. If you look on the window sticker (below the fuel economy ratings I believe) you will see the size class. They do this so that consumers can fairly compare fuel economy among similarly sized vehicles suited for similar purposes. Hope that helps.

[drb22]

Wow, someone who knows what they are talking about. Interior space. Thanks.

[Stang2Vibe]

No problem. That's what moderators are for!

[GT_03]

I live about 25 mintues outside Pittsburgh, in the top of West Virginia.

[LadyHwk750]

quote:I live about 25 mintues outside Pittsburgh, in the top of West Virginia.That is beautiful country! I had a great time riding my motorcycle around there for a week last year. Bet its lots of fun to drive your GT through those hills and around those curves on the back roads. Looking forward to going back some day.Welcome to the group!

[GT_03]

yeah, there are alot of turns. The only thing i hate is all the hills.

[Stang2Vibe]

quote:yeah, there are alot of turns. The only thing i hate is all the hills.You've got the GT, so should be no prob there. Just downshift 2 gears (sometimes 3 on the highway) and give 'er the oats. You'll be right up that hill blasting past the others in no time!

[GT_03]

Yeah, i love the power, but i have not drove a stick in 3 years, and when i did it was in a big old truck. Alot different, but i'm doing pretty damn good.

[Stang2Vibe]

Well then, keep up the good work ! You should have it mastered within the first month or two.