Should I be concerned about buying this particular car?

[Robert G]

I have been looking at buying a Vibe AWD. On GMBuyPower.com I found one at a dealer which has the options I want. I saw the VIN analysis and the manufacture number of this car is 5309, meaning it was built likely sometime last summer. I am not sure why it hasn't sold. I haven't seen the car yet, and wouldn't buy it without test driving it. My question is given its estimated build date and that it hasn't sold in almost a year, and the new model year is coming soon, should I try to buy the car at a deep discount or figure something is wrong with it? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[meathead333]

sounds like to me, "dude, your gettin a vibe!"

[jake75]

Another post on this board said that there was a $1,000 rebate on the 2004's. Depends on how long you keep a car. If for a shorter tme (e,.g.,) 3 years you would be money ahead by paying $1000 more for a 2004 vs. a 2003. You'll get more than that back when you sell/trade. I now see that my build # 49,241 was manufactured in October 2002. I bought it near the end of Jan. 2003, so it went unsold for about 3 months. Hard to believe as these VIBES seem to be very popular. It is a monotone Nepture Blue with AT and Power Package MSRP $18,690. Perhaps everyone wants a sunroof these days.Oh well, it was just what I wanted.

[canadavibegt]

I say get it while you can....... If at a discount all the better..... happy vibein

[pmh013]

My Vibe is #7049, manufactured in March 2002. I bought it in July 2002. At the time, there weren't exactly a lot of Vibes kicking around in this area (now there are even less). I got mine thru a dealer trade, as I didn't want the Abyss w/ sunroof that I originally test-drove. Instead, I got a Satellite w/o sunroof.I would bet that there'll be substantial discounting on this 2003 because the 2004's are right around the corner. I agree with silverawd26, you should definitely take advantage of this awesome deal.

[Cubanpete]

I would definately Inspect everything first, and make sure it was never accidented or repaired because it was a demo or an Employee car, Even tho you might get a good deal, call GM with that serial number of the vehicle and check its repair history, ... If anything was busted and fixed under warranty it's should be in there database....Good Luck!

[ragingfish]

You could get a CarFax report too...Honestly, I doubt there's anything wrong with it...maybe it was just a car that kept getting traded between dealers...AWD may be harder to sell..from my understanding, there is very little demand for AWD cars in certain parts of the country. My guess is, IL is one of those areas...Take it for a spin. Give it the once-over. Check with the dealer on the 24 Hour Test Drive. Take it home overnight, go over it with a fine tooth comb.Then, when you're satisfied it's just fate that brought you two (rather, you and the car) together, snatch 'er up!

[wildvibe]

From what I have seen most are buying just regular vibes. I don't see any AWD or GTs in my area! Could have possibly sat at a dealership in a small town than been shipped to yours. It happens! I was the first to buy my Vibe GT where i live I say get it at a good discount. You will love the car they are fun to drive and well worth it!

[TRICKEDVIBEGT]

they are very well worth it trust us on that! The vibe is a great car no matter what model it is

[michaelgt]

I would go ahead and get this car if it matches what you want. What I would ask the dealer to do is change oil (incl filter)b, lube, and rotate the tires. I bought a Yukon XL that had sat at dealer, (great deal) and had a tough time in the three areas mentioned. The oil filter was pretty tight, I struggled to get grease in fittings, and needed a sledge hammer to get wheels off the hub.

[MA-VIBE-FAN]

When the line got cranking, they built about 1,700 Vibes a week. If the one you found is 3Z4"0"5309 (guessing on the zero), then it was built last winter (February '02). Was probably used as a demo by the dealership. Lets assume is was. So you will have a couple things going for you. Dealer discount because a demo, built before any of the '03/'04 price increases, and the $2,000 rebate (as long as the car is below 7,500 miles). (2004 rebate is $1,000). One draw back is the factory warranty starts when the dealer puts it into demo use. How much you should offer is depends on the mileage on the car. I would recommend trying to get there best deal, then ask if they would add a 48m GM Major Guard extended warranty for no charge. That will make sure you get 36months of warranty. While we are tossing out advice, the current rebates end today. May (should) get better tomorrow, shouldn't get worse. Check out the car, if you like it , see if they will hold it for a few days to see what the new rebates are. Post back.

[Triton]

I say go for the 2003 with all the discounts and rebates. You can't go wrong. You still get the factory warranty. I would definately recommend buying an extended warranty as well, especially with the money you will be saving. I bought one with mine, and it is nice to know that I have a warranty covering the entire time I am making payments.

[slinkston]

If the 2003 car you are looking at doesn't have a crapload of miles, I would get it. If it has more than 1,000 miles, ask them where they got it from and why does it have so many miles. 1,000 miles in test drives would certainly require some sort of discount. When my first car was totalled, the insurance agent said if I had over 1,000 miles, I would not have gotten a full refund on my purchase price. Whether or not this is across the board with people, I am not sure.Heck, just be sure if it is a show car, employee car, or used car, you get a good deal and don't pay the "brand new car" price.Basically, the only thing you have to worry about on some of the older Vibes/Matrixes might be some of the rattles that are associated with earlier versions. Or, atleast the rattles were more prone to the earlier dated cars. -Slink

[jake75]

To get an idea regarding the difference a year makes, you might do an internet check (Edmunds, KBB) on the used car pricing for a 2001 PT Cruiser Limited and an identical 2002 PT Cruiser Limited, both with 24,000 miles. Like the Vibe, the 2001 PT was and early into and in production for about 18 months. If you keep a car for 3-4 years and sell, you probably are better waiting for the '04, If you keep a car for a long time, it probably makes sense to get th 2003.