Pontiac Vibe makes him sad

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:38 am

http://jalopnik.com/cars/quest...9.phpQuote Â»What Car Makes You The Saddest?Beat this: the year was 2002, sink or swim time for old Pontiac. They needed something, anything, to bolster their "excitement" branding because for the past ten years the division had done little but crap out plastic-clad rentals. Why not a sporty little wagon? Sure, the kids will love it, families on a budget will love it and people who have to haul a lot of lightweight junk around (like my friend Peter the photographer) would be all over it. Obviously, this calls for a clean sheet design, right? No, Pontiac is part of GM, the largest car maker the world has had ever known. Therefor Vibe was (and still is) nothing more than a re-skinned and re-badged Toyota Matrix. And what's a Toyota Matrix? Glad you asked. Like a Lexus R330 is actually a Camry, the Matrix is nothing more than a boxy, jacked up Corolla. To recap, GM's youth-oriented "Excitement" division hangs a new nose off a fat Japanese economy box that delivers Novocaine instead of thrills and almost mendaciously names it, "Vibe." But, that's not why I'm so sad.In 2002, GM happened to own a 20% stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent of Subaru. In 2001, Subaru introduced a car Stateside to mondo acclaim. Automobile named it their Car of the Year. Car & Driver stuck it on their 10 Best List. Consumer Reports named it a Best Buy. I bought one. Yup folks, we're talking 'bout the Subaru WRX. Now pretend you're a Pontiac brand manager for a moment. Your car czar has called your division, "Damaged." You are aware that Pontiac occupies a chamber of every true pistonhead's heart because you invented the muscle car. Wouldn't you at least raise your hand during a marketing meeting and make a case for building the Vibe off the WRX chassis? Yes, $25,000 is a lot of scratch for a small wagon. But exactly like sibling Saab did when they got the WRX platform and badged it as a 9-2X, why not sell both a normally aspirated version? The less-powerful guy can sticker for around $17,000 (essentially what the Vibe costs) and the more expensive a turbo iteration is for the enthusiasts. Makes sense, right?Saab's 9-2X, of course, was an utter flop and discontinued after just three years. And why not? Did the the 9-2X offer a single meaningful improvement over the WRX upon which it was based? No. Did it make any sense whatsoever as a Saab? Of course not. Put it this way, when a friend's 9-2X lease was up (they were practically giving 'em away) he bought a WRX, not a Saab. Oh, and the wizards at GM decided to slide the Saabaru's base price up by $2,500. And that was for the turbo-charged Aero model. The non-turbo Linear 9-2x sold for a whopping $5,500 over the Imprezza wagon. Which was simply, fatally insane. The irony is that GM sold a large chuck of its shares in Fuji Heavy Industries to none other than Toyota.Out grabbing coffee today I saw a baby-blue Vibe and hung my head in shame. Could you imagine what a sales success a WRX-based Pontiac turbo AWD wagon would a have been? Especially compared to the duller than dirt Vibe? Oh, my friend Peter the photographer I mentioned above, bought a Matrix instead of the Vibe because he thought the Pontiac looked like the Aztek, the Toyota cost less and, in his words, "It's a Toyota." Sigh... You?It was the US made high MPGs that made me buy a Vibe, if it was the WRX based one he wanted, I wouldn't have bought one.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:19 am

subaru, subaru, subaru...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:22 am

I'd have kept the Vibe had it come with a 300HP turbo 4banger engine loloh and awd. Now the Saab 9-2x is gone since GM sold their subaru sales to... of all people... toyota.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:00 am

i bought my vibe gt because according to the original info, it stated it to be 6 MT, awd, 180 hp. then i found out it was only FWD. as i've stated all along, had my VGT been awd 180 hp or better yet, turbo charged, we'd not have subaru's in our garage, but still our vibes.

Neouka · Post by **Neouka** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:06 pm

subaru or toyota, both great cars, but I'd sooner trust a Toyota-based car for overall reliability over a Subaru any day.Not everyone buys a car for performance.. this guy fails to take that into account.I love owning what is essentially Toyota, for less than the price of a badged Toyota, and gets far better gas mileage than any GM product in its model year..

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:15 pm

Um I got this because it was cheap, had toyota reliability, great mileage and lots of room. if it was a impreza or wrx rebadge I would of gotten a matrix that guy is dumb, look how many vibes are selling now

GMJAP · Post by **GMJAP** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:13 pm

To that guy I would say, "Duck shoe, feather-plucker!"I bought the Vibe because in late 2004 there was no better combination of:1) utility & space2) safety3) mileage4) reliability5) priceand I've never, even for a moment, regretted that decision. The Corolla won't get an enthusiast's heartbeat up, but it's a tremendously successful vehicle. More so than any Subaru (not that Subaru's are bad, but they don't have a Corolla.) I looked at Subarus and crash-test results and mileage didn't stack up nearly as well.I would agree with joatmon: If it was this guy's idea, I'd never have given it a second thought. I suspect GM's problems are due to it being staffed primarily with knuckleheads like this guy. Apparrently the fact that Toyota is becoming the #1 automaker while GM struggles is lost on these people. (And for the record, GM approached Toyota about the concept, and GM designed the entire interior. It's not just a "rebadged" Matrix, but a true joint development. The Matrix wouldn't exist without GM.)You know that the Vibe has 0-60 times better than most "sports" cars 15-20 years ago? And gets hella better mileage? This 'performance' issue is idiotic. There's no more need for faster cars now than there was then. I've never even used all the ponies in my base and I'm about to hit 50,000 miles of Central Distressway battles in lunatic Dallas traffic. There's no more need for all the crazy horsepower in cars today than there is for gold toilet fixtures. If you want to (removed) money away on "statistics" for your car, then get a car that's intended for you. An efficient family wagon is not what you're looking for.And if you make a ~$20,000 purchase without knowing the basic features of what you're getting, then as Bill Engvall says "here's your sign."

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:15 pm

Quote, originally posted by northvibe Â»Um I got this because it was cheap, had toyota reliability, great mileage and lots of room. if it was a impreza or wrx rebadge I would of gotten a matrix that guy is dumb, look how many vibes are selling now LOL. and those are all reasons why we don't own ours anymore. originally, i did buy my Vibe GT because it was a Toyota in GM cladding. however, i'd have been pretty happy with an AWD 180 hp 6MT as i stated earlier. but whatever. it's no big deal because that car's been long gone for over 2 and a half years and we'll be moving on to the new STI hatch so i can regain SOME of the utility of the vibe (though not near as much space) but awd with over 300 hp to start, guess dropping down in fuel economy from 26 mph (avg in the VGT) to 20 mpg is worth it to me imo. if i wanted great gas mileage, i'd buy a Prius.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:16 pm

Quote, originally posted by northvibe Â»Um I got this because it was cheap, had toyota reliability, great mileage and lots of room. if it was a impreza or wrx rebadge I would of gotten a matrix that guy is dumb, look how many vibes are selling now actually, vibe sales are lower than they used to beQuote, originally posted by AKLGT Â»LOL. and those are all reasons why we don't own ours anymore. what, too much reliability, mileage and interior room?If I had been driving a 20 mpg car instead of this Vibe, gas would have cost me an extra $6875 so far. $7K buys a lot of limping from one red light to the next in a sucky crap Vibe instead of flying from one to the next in a nirvana subaru

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:52 pm

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»a nirvana subaru interesting you should say that. i would blow my head off if my car came stock with a whalefin spoiler. -addition-i don't understand why people have to crap on the vibe. it is pretty darn refined, for the price if you ask me. very safe, good MPG, and really comfortable. sure, it's no speed demon, but it's not all that bad, in most cases, even my AWD had plenty of power for every day driving. sure, you may not fair so well in a stoplight to stoplight pissing match, but who besides Vin Diesel cares anyway?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 12:47 am

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»what, too much reliability, mileage and interior room?Yeah, like totally! Those things are for losers! Where's the fun in that? hehehe!Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx Â»i would blow my head off if my car came stock with a whalefin spoiler. Yeah but you see, they're functional -- don't they provide a teeny tiny amount of downforce by the time you hit like 200 MPH? At all lower speeds though, they're just rice and gives people a reason to make fun of your car. (removed)!

KNINE · Post by **KNINE** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:31 am

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP Â»To that guy I would say, "Duck shoe, feather-plucker!"I bought the Vibe because in late 2004 there was no better combination of:1) utility & space2) safety3) mileage4) reliability5) priceand I've never, even for a moment, regretted that decision. You hit the nail right on the head. I bought my 2006 for exactly these reasons. This is exactly what I was looking for in a car. If it was anything other than what it is, I probably would have bought someshing else. Vibe, you complete me.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:48 am

For those who don't believe in "down force" take a look at a vehicle with a functional wing and look at where the trunk rubs the top of the spoiler. Even the little spoiler on Hope's 12 second car does that.And I find subaru MUCH more reliable then Toyota and I'll back that any day of the week including weekends.and I'll never own another Vibe unless it came with what I have now.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:58 am

Subaru does cost more than our Toyota,though.The price of your STi here in Canada is close to 49 grand.That's one of the reasons I probably won't be buying a Subie on my next vehicle.The reliability between the 2 is up in the air,it doesn't concern me much.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:05 am

I new going into my purchase that the Trix AWD was not a speedster. But I didn't care. I was getting the fuel mileage of a FWD with the benefit of AWD when it needed it. So I have better mileage than say the 2.5i wagon and better looks. For me it was fairly logical and everytime I tell people what my other options were in the class, they always gave the ugly face to the Subaru 2.5. It just looks squashed and probably wont hold quite as much as the Trix will.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:16 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»subaru, subaru, subaru... exactly, thanks joat for this new topic to discuss.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:46 am

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP Â»I bought the Vibe because in 2002 there was no better combination of:1) utility & space2) safety3) mileage4) reliability5) priceMe too! Amen! Nuf said!

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:10 am

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx Â»exactly, thanks joat for this new topic to discuss. No problem. It hadn't come up before, and it seemed about time someone posted something about Subarus around here. Apparently, they are quite the desirable automobiles, orders of magnitude better than what I got swindled into buying.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:29 am

If I had a Subaru choice, of course STI would be first, but second wouldn't be hard either. a Legacy 2.5GT Spec B. or the 3.0 R Limited

jimincalif · Post by **jimincalif** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 6:53 am

The Vibe is a great car. Since the beginning of the auto industry, some of the most successful cars have been put together from the "parts bin", so what if the Vibe/Trix is based on the Corolla?This weekend my Vibe leaves me, my son is taking it to school. But because its interior is so versatile, he will be able to get all his stuff in it. And it is fun to drive, reliable and gets good mileage.It might be a "sad" for GM that either did not have the parts or the inspiration to come up with a similar package on its own, but that doesn't detract from the Vibe, just from GM.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:54 am

Quote, originally posted by kevera Â»Subaru does cost more than our Toyota,though.The price of your STi here in Canada is close to 49 grand.That's one of the reasons I probably won't be buying a Subie on my next vehicle.The reliability between the 2 is up in the air,it doesn't concern me much. well at least in the american market, the fully loaded Vibe goes for what... $26,000? You can get a fully loaded WRX wagon for that.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:08 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»well at least in the american market, the fully loaded Vibe goes for what... $26,000? You can get a fully loaded WRX wagon for that.or, you could get a brand new mobile home!contrary to belief, not everyone is envious of subaru and secretly wants one, but can't afford it.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:59 pm

Here's where I stand on this argument:As all ways Drunken, your comments make me giggle ...and yea the guy that wrote the article is an idiot.Everyone wonders people look down on Vibes, it happens all the time and it's never going to stop, but why look down on Subaru just because you're pissed people are doing it to the Vibe. It's like those fights you had as a kid "well my dad can beat up your dad any day!" Very nice Unlike a lot of members in here I would NEVER buy a car solely based on MPG, roominess, and safety. To be honest, I REALLY don't care about any of those features. If I want a car that can haul stuff I would buy a used $1500 van or wagon or something to go with my current car, which I did and it is wonderful lol...granted the Vibe has a lot of room anyways, you just can't beat the volume of a '91 Ford Taurus wagon especially since it sounded like it had a 350 Both cars cost more money than I feel they should. The STI is like, what, $30,000+ I think? My friend Nick has a 350 with Nismo exhaust. Car cost him, around $33,000. There are probably at least 10-15 STIs that cruise the 2 mile strip we ride on by my house every weekend...all of them drive like they have the fastest car on the planet. My friend Nick raced a couple of them throughout the year and came out on top. I think the 350 looks better and also sounds better...and Subarus are not the only cars that can shoot balls of fire out the exhaust Again, I don't care about MPG, safety and all that so this is my opinion.You all know Vibes are just flat out slow but I absolutely LOVE how they look. The fact that no one really modifies them makes it all that much better because I love being unique as well. Yeah it gets good MPG, but to tell you the truth, The V6 Taurus wagon I have, supposedly gets horrible gas millage but I don't fill up the tank that much more frequently than I did the Vibe when I take it to work. Obviously the 3.0 liter V6 compared to the 1.8 liter 4cyl does not carry a noticeable difference in spending more money or time at the pump which is why gas millage plays zero role in choosing a car for me For the record, if you are complaining about the Vibe's lack of power and speed, buy a darn bike...it's cheaper than buying a fast car.That's how I solved that problem. Now I am faster than Subaru's and Vibes! HAHAHA!!!! BTW, I like to speckle my posts with the wonderful colors of the smiley what do you think?

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:08 pm

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow Â» My friend Nick raced a couple of them throughout the year and came out on top. I think the 350 looks better and also sounds betterget ready for a lecture on how that isn't possible because of AWHP, AWTQ, TMIC, PSI, OPP, NAACP, TNA.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:23 pm

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow Â»you just can't beat the volume of a '91 Ford Taurus wagon especially since it sounded like it had a 350 I'll take your Taurus Wagon and use it as a toothpick. Nothing was better than our 89 Ford Crown Victoria Country Squire LTD with the 5.0L EFI V8. That thing was a behemoth!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:27 pm

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx Â»get ready for a lecture on how that isn't possible because of AWHP, AWTQ, TMIC, PSI, OPP, NAACP, TNA.Yes, well you see - with the safety of asygeometrocal all wheel drive and the stability of the whale fin, the beauty of a hood scoop big enough to suck a large bird into, coupled with the rumble of the exhaust with an outlet large enough to fire off a grapefruit and the manliness of the pepto pink badges... uhh... forgot where I was going with that. Say, too bad the Vibe isn't a Subaru like that doofus in the article wanted... I could have called my Pontiac Subaru a Poo-ba-roo! Too bad I wouldn't have bought one if it were a Subaru. And that really would have screwed up my life.

jmpnjoe86 · Post by **jmpnjoe86** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:32 pm

If I may weigh in on this-When I was car shopping last week, my choices came down to an '05 Outback Sport and an '05 Vibe AWD for about the same price. I ended up buying the Vibe (obviously ) for 3 reasons:1) The Vibe looks a lot better2) The Vibe gets much better gas mileage (very important to me due to my long commute)3) My experience at the Pontiac dealer was very pleasant compared to the Subaru dealer experience

ZubenElGenubi · Post by **ZubenElGenubi** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:33 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»well at least in the american market, the fully loaded Vibe goes for what... $26,000? You can get a fully loaded WRX wagon for that.Where are you getting your numbers? I priced out a Vibe as "fully loaded" as I could get (except for colored grille inserts, yuk ) and the highest price I got was $23,610. And with rebates and negotiation, I'm sure that could be knocked down to $21K.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:36 pm

actually colonel, your life would have been better off without the vibe, as we all know.(seriously)

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:39 pm

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx Â»actually colonel, your life would have been better off without the vibe, as we all know.From what I know of Kari, I would strongly disagree

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:42 pm

ah, good point!(or is it?) mwahahahaha!

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:52 pm

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi Â»Where are you getting your numbers? I priced out a Vibe as "fully loaded" as I could get (except for colored grille inserts, yuk ) and the highest price I got was $23,610. And with rebates and negotiation, I'm sure that could be knocked down to $21K. I think he made a mistake on that one,I think he meant the Canadian price.The wrx here in Canada out the door is closer to 33-36 grand.The Sti is 45-49 grand Canadian.Ouch.

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:24 am

Drunken, I like topic number 6 you slipped that one in there pretty good.Whelan, whatever dude, my Taurus has hub caps and a giant teddy bear in the back,

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:42 am

Quote, originally posted by Merzbow Â»Drunken, I like topic number 6 you slipped that one in there pretty good.are you implying that i, drunken, go off topic? shennanigans!

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:42 am

Drunken do you call shenanigans on Merz?Merz, do you accept this calling of shenanigans?SHENANIGANS!!! Everybody grab a broom!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:26 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Yes, well you see - with the safety of asygeometrocal all wheel drive and the stability of the whale fin, the beauty of a hood scoop big enough to suck a large bird into, coupled with the rumble of the exhaust with an outlet large enough to fire off a grapefruit and the manliness of the pepto pink badges... uhh... forgot where I was going with that. And I'll respond with this...So buying a Vibe, removing the roof racks, adding a catback exhaust, adding a air back suspension system, un painted body kits, supercharger, unichip, ipod and aftermarket sound systems, vinyl stuff to lights, body panels, fake pointless hood scoops, and what ever else you can find at the local wal-mart... some how still makes the Vibe better then another vehicle with functional spoiler, required hood scoop for its turbo intercooler, awd which leads the industry in awd technology.This kind of behaviour is just stupid. You mock everything with heritage and support a toyota half breed shelled as a pontiac because its only value is the price? So far thats all I see winning this argument.BTW I spent about $24,000 CAD back in 03 for my Vibe. Funny how people forget I seemed to own one. You can get a new Vibe for about $20,000 USD with some decent options. Base Vibe runs about $17,000 same runs for a basic awd subaru which comes with more HP and just as much room and fuel economy.But I'm done with this conversation, it always turns into Vibe vs Subaru and a big mockery of the automotive world and its heritage and history.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:35 am

gee mav, at least he left out the ugly gold wheels. people can call a spoiler functional all day long, but i guarantee you if you take it off, you won't feel any difference in grip. sure, if you were going 200mph, you might need it, but they are for looks on pretty much every normal production vehicle.even if it's heritage, it's still looks ridiculous man. that's not a troll, it's my honest opinion. there would be many more STI's around if they didn't look like a honda boy crapped them out.keep in mind, this is a vibe forum, where people like the vibe a lot. blatantly calling it inferior to what you have is going to spark some comments you will not like. noone wants to hear you say how you have seen the light and will never own another vibe because you have discovered the miracle that is subaru.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:59 am

bleh. this whole thread is stupid. it's just another way for the whole vibe vs every other car (particularly subaru anything) argument. bottom line: the Vibe, no matter what model, is a completely different vehicle from just about any Subaru, especially a turbo model. that's just plain and simple. It's a cross over type vehicle, geared toward people who want the utility fuel economy, and function of the hatch, space, quirkiness of the body style (which i love) and well... Toyota reliability. I happen to still love Toyota quality and reliability even if i find some of their new styling a little bland. I love my Subaru and i will ALWAYS love my old Vibe GT. having said that, again, even my VGT is nothing in comparison performance wise to my STOCK Leggy when I traded her in 2 yrs ago. IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAR. we're on a Vibe forum, so of course you expect people to say the Vibe is the bestest car in the whole wide world. you expect that. Until you own a Subaru, you will not understand the love or the "lifestyle" that seems to attach itself to you. I'm sure it's similar to the Corvette guys. You're not just buying a car imo, you're buying much more than that.so, though i agree with the writer that it would have been awesome to have an AWD Vibe GT, that's not what Pontiac or Toyota made. If that's what he was looking for to begin with, then he bought the wrong car. Can't get much simpler than that. *shrug*

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:05 am

who wouldn't want an AWD vibe gt? i think the reason that didn't happen is because of the price hike it would cause, ruining the main reason most people buy one.no car can be called the bestest in the world, that's all in the eye of the beholder. drunkengirlfriend is totally in love with her kia sorento, more power to her.you all should feel lucky, the only forums for my car are actually g6 forums!for the record, i would keep the LGT, you have it going good and it is rice free!

satur9 · Post by **satur9** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:39 am

i dont care which car has what or which car does what.i bought my vibe cause i wanted a vibe, if i wanted a subaru i would have bought one not saying that its a bad idea but.i doubt gm would have sold more vibes if they were subaru powered. the gt "suped up version " didnt sell all that great.( it wasnt super fast but it was fun to drive) and all i see is old ladies driving vibes. and probably over 95 percent sold are autos. the vibe is a fine car for what it is(i mean was, the new look and 1 model choice sucks).so why does everyone try and compare apples to oranges.and as far as gm and pontiac performance goes.before the g6 soltice and so forth came out and the sunfire died there was a time period where you be hard pressed to find a stick on a pontiac that wasnt on there cheapest car and even then is was economy not performance that dictated it.if pontiac was about performance then why kill the gto.and all wheel drive is nice but i doubt it could save a car from being dropped. same horse but more drivetrain loss equals slower car. its true for the auto and it would be true for a stick. just add more power you say. then we're back turning a vibe into a subaru.bottom line. i like the vibe as a vibe. and if they would have kept the gt and aggressive styling and i was in the market for another car i would have bought a newer vibe.you know what makes me sad.... everyone dissing the vibe.from now on when the vibe gets dissed that person should be reminded of the poor selling overpriced torrent. or the discontinued astek,or sadly gto. if gm really wanted to sell vibes. they shouldnt have made a chevy version instead of the hhr.enough rambling for me. vibes rule especially 1st gens.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:06 am

Well put.Quote, originally posted by satur9 Â» vibes rule especially 1st gens.1+FTW

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:29 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»This kind of behaviour is just stupid. You mock everything with heritage and support a toyota half breed shelled as a pontiac because its only value is the price? So far thats all I see winning this argument.So who here is mocking Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, and other brands with "heritage"?Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»BTW I spent about $24,000 CAD back in 03 for my Vibe. Funny how people forget I seemed to own one.With the way you've been tearing it apart, it seems you have as well. Apparently you once liked it, or you wouldn't have bought one or kept it for as long as you did.Quote, originally posted by satur9 Â»i bought my vibe cause i wanted a vibe, if i wanted a subaru i would have bought one...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:23 am

Quote, originally posted by Kari Â»With the way you've been tearing it apart, it seems you have as well. Apparently you once liked it, or you wouldn't have bought one or kept it for as long as you did. I loved my Vibe but unlike most, I didn't buy it because it was a "toyota" and I didn't buy it for its room, fuel economy or sporty appearance. I didn't buy it because car and driver rated it a great car. I bought it because I needed a cheap car to start building a line of credit. I didn't want a sunfire and working at a Pontiac dealership, the Vibe was what they had. So I bought it. Would I ever buy one again? No... it had a good life with me and no issues at all other then ones I caused myself. I even won second place in SCCA STS class with it.Only 2 things that came out of owning the Vibe... my wife and um... good canadian credit lol

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:46 am

Ok, Mav I have to agree with the hood scoop regardless of what anyone says, because of the layout of the turbo and inter cooler, the hood scoop is FULLY functional...granted they didn't have to make it look the way they did but that is SUBARU's trademark hood scoop design...it is big but it fits the cars and it is functional so if you are knocking the hood scoop than that is just your opinion and no facts support it.I love how Subarus look and I all ways have. I like the appearance of the EVO better but the gold wheels, the paint options, and everything else is awesome. I actually had an argument with my girl friends the other day about the gold wheels (she hated them, I love them).BTW, no one on here can get upset because you've all done your share of car bashing before My buddy has a Civic Si that could blow the doors off most the cars in this forum and I have to bite my lip every time someone cracks a Civic joke! Also has a ton of storage and good MPG for those obsessed with that aspect of cars Hope, I appreciate the life style you say there is with Subaru. Same thing goes with my Ducati...even though I have a street/sport bike people with Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda etc., consider me to be in a separate category than them. I seem to have a closer relationship with Harley riders than other crotch rockets. Because of them sort of separating me from them, for the most part I belong to an elite group consisting of more exotic bikes like Triumph Speed 4 and Speed Triples, other Ducatis, Buells and we share a similar lifestyle as I would imagine the Subaru one to be like as far as partnership and events are concered. I took the Duc to the Concours d'Elegance here in Michigan which is an Italian exotic car gathering for Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and so on. Never thought I would be able to fit into the Ferrari crowd in a thousand lifetimes but I was there and accepted (removed)...Posting these looooooong posts makes me wonder who actually reads all my b/s (removed)...ARGUE ON!!!

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:10 am

Quote Â»Out grabbing coffee today I saw a baby-blue Vibe and hung my head in shame.Now the last time I checked, the Vibe didn't come in baby-blue, but I do believe the Matrix did.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:22 am

Everyone makes some valid points.But,this is a Vibe forum and if you're going to bash the Vibe,be prepared to get bashed back. I bought the Vibe for the price and the odd look of it,I like it.I didn't buy it because Toyota made it,or because it's great on gas.I know the Vibe is not the fastest car around,and even with the supercharger,still not the fastest.But it's what I have and I don't really like when people here talk about how slow the vibe is,or that it's second rate to another brand vehicle,I don't give a crap.This is a Vibe site for Vibe enthusiasts,not chevy,not subaru and not Honda.(this is not being directed at anybody,just ranting)

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:10 pm

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â» Base Vibe runs about $17,000 same runs for a basic awd subaru which comes with more HP and just as much room and fuel economy.Looking at http://www.fueleconomy.com, for 2008, the estimated annual fuel cost for a 5 speed vibe is $1449, the lowest for any Subaru is $1911. I'd hardly call that the same. Quote, originally posted by AKLGT Â»we're on a Vibe forum, so of course you expect people to say the Vibe is the bestest car in the whole wide world. you expect that. Until you own a Subaru, you will not understand the love or the "lifestyle" that seems to attach itself to you. I'm sure it's similar to the Corvette guys. You're not just buying a car imo, you're buying much more than that.I would disagree with anyone that says the Vibe is the best car in the world. For most of us, it was the best compromise at the time we bought, and most of us are satisfied with it. Most people complain about gas prices, yet most will not settle for a car of the Vibe's limited power. The guy who wrote the blog entry at the top of the thread is one who feels that economy should be sacrificed for more desirable power. I can afford to buy and feed a gas guzzler muscle car, but I choose not to. Conserving gas, buying US made are important to me, matters of principle, Others could care less, or "need" power and speed. The Vibe is the wrong car for them. There is only so much power to get out of these cars, if it is an issue, then start with something else. People need to consider the Vibe with their eyes open, for some it is a good compromise of many things, but it is certainly no universal match for all prospective buyers. But then again, neither is any Subaru. Or any other car out there. It is great that you have found a car that meets your priorities better than the vibe, and I hope you will enjoy it for many years to come. You may also really like your car-defined lifestyle, but for me, a car is just a tool, it is not who I am. I come here to learn about the car, how to keep it going indefinitely, maybe help others do the same, meet some people using the common car ownership as an entry point, but not to worship the thing. It may seem like people here are hostile to hearing about Subarus, but sometimes, the Subaru praise can get tiresome and carry a tone that Subarus are so much better than the car we all bought. Comes across as a put down. If some newbie signed up and posted as much about how much more desirable Subarus were to VIbes, we'd flame the troll. I don't think that you subarites intend to put us down by frequently reminding us that your cars are better than ours, you just really like your cars a whole lot, a lot of enthusiasm. You have moved on from the Vibe, you found something that matches your priorities better. This stuff about the love and lifestyle of being a Subarite sounds like some sort of relgious cult. Apparently we infidels own barstad half breed Toyota monstrosities, but what the hell, we still like them. If owning a Subaru is such a life changing event, please understand that we heathens will resist, and will sometimes eat the missionaries.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:16 pm

Quote, originally posted by satur9 Â»i dont care which car has what or which car does what.i bought my vibe cause i wanted a vibe, if i wanted a subaru i would have bought one not saying that its a bad idea but.i doubt gm would have sold more vibes if they were subaru powered. the gt "suped up version " didnt sell all that great.( it wasnt super fast but it was fun to drive) and all i see is old ladies driving vibes. and probably over 95 percent sold are autos. the vibe is a fine car for what it is(i mean was, the new look and 1 model choice sucks).so why does everyone try and compare apples to oranges.and as far as gm and pontiac performance goes.before the g6 soltice and so forth came out and the sunfire died there was a time period where you be hard pressed to find a stick on a pontiac that wasnt on there cheapest car and even then is was economy not performance that dictated it.if pontiac was about performance then why kill the gto.and all wheel drive is nice but i doubt it could save a car from being dropped. same horse but more drivetrain loss equals slower car. its true for the auto and it would be true for a stick. just add more power you say. then we're back turning a vibe into a subaru.bottom line. i like the vibe as a vibe. and if they would have kept the gt and aggressive styling and i was in the market for another car i would have bought a newer vibe.you know what makes me sad.... everyone dissing the vibe.from now on when the vibe gets dissed that person should be reminded of the poor selling overpriced torrent. or the discontinued astek,or sadly gto. if gm really wanted to sell vibes. they shouldnt have made a chevy version instead of the hhr.enough rambling for me. vibes rule especially 1st gens.actually, i agree with just about everything you said. and at the time, i didn't want a subaru. i didn't like them, they were ugly to me. i LOVED my vibe and i always will. it holds a very special place in my heart. but then i wanted more performance, more grown up look and being able to get to my customers up in the sticks and hills in snow. thus the move towards the subie. up until the new body style in 05, i've always found the subies to be... boring and the wrx line up too boy ricer/racer imo. i bought my vibe when i did for a purpose: better fuel economy than my Tundra, capability of hauling stuff (not as much as the truck but it was a compromise), a fun quirky looking little car with some pep, and the Toyota reliability (wanted to stay with the Toyota product but didn't like the look of the Trix). my 03 VGT did all those things and i LOVED it for it. however, my life changed and my needs changed (although i really miss the utility of hauling stuff).no matter what cars we drive, we will always love our Vibes. they changed our lives, they brought us much joy, and they were faithful, loyal, and reliable to both of us over the few years we owned them. i am looking forward to the next vehicle on my list: STI hatch so that i can regain some of that utility for hauling stuff but still get to my customers in the sticks and hills in snow with 320+ hp. if it had Pontiac on the front or in a Vibe's clothing, I'd buy that instead.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:42 pm

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»It is great that you have found a car that meets your priorities better than the vibe, and I hope you will enjoy it for many years to come. You may also really like your car-defined lifestyle, but for me, a car is just a tool, it is not who I am. I come here to learn about the car, how to keep it going indefinitely, maybe help others do the same, meet some people using the common car ownership as an entry point, but not to worship the thing. It may seem like people here are hostile to hearing about Subarus, but sometimes, the Subaru praise can get tiresome and carry a tone that Subarus are so much better than the car we all bought. Comes across as a put down. If some newbie signed up and posted as much about how much more desirable Subarus were to VIbes, we'd flame the troll. I don't think that you subarites intend to put us down by frequently reminding us that your cars are better than ours, you just really like your cars a whole lot, a lot of enthusiasm. You have moved on from the Vibe, you found something that matches your priorities better. This stuff about the love and lifestyle of being a Subarite sounds like some sort of relgious cult. Apparently we infidels own barstad half breed Toyota monstrosities, but what the hell, we still like them. If owning a Subaru is such a life changing event, please understand that we heathens will resist, and will sometimes eat the missionaries. LOLJoat, this is why i love you. i know you understand that we are not trying to say the Vibe sucks. on the contrary, perhaps i loved my Vibe more than Phil loved his (and even loved his more than he did his own??), however, that is why i still have a shrine of my Vibe, and why even the subie and Evo guys here loved the Pumpkin. Even our regional calendar, the Pumpkin made it into a few pics. why? because it was great to see the Pumpkin there amidst everyone else. we have euro guys, evo guys, Ford explorer guys, etc who bring their cars to our meets and hang out. no one really cares if they have a subie or not, it's more or less the ENTHUSIASM of their cars that brings us together. if we weren't so far away, we'd attend more meets. we tried getting some of the vibe/trix crew together when we were in Ontario, but Kevera was the only one kind enough to stop by (which is one of the best done Vibe's i've ever seen). *shrug* no matter what, i will always love my Vibe, just like i will always love my old Tundra that i used to talk about all the time when i first joined... i still miss it. it's not a cult, it's just a joy we've found. i don't know how to explain it or if there is even a way to do so. no matter what vehicle i may own, i'm convinced i will always obsess over it. however, i have met some great people, good friends and the love of my life through this car obsession. in fact, we're looking forward to our trip to mexico next April for Vibechick's wedding (if you remember her from way back in the day). would i ever buy another Vibe again? i don't know.... if i did, it'd have to be awd with a 6MT and the first gen body style!

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:08 pm

I feel the same way about all ways obsessing over the car I will be owning...it's like going to the movies. I've never in my life paid for a movie at the theater I didn't like... yet at least.