looking to buy a vibe

[07g5gt]

hey everyone. i have been thinking about geting a 03-04 vibe awd. i right now have a pontiac dealer trying to find me one that i want. i have yet to drive one so my question is how are they. it has to be a AWD one sence i work on a huge hill and i got stuck last year in my moms malibu i want awd this year. my brother has a imprezza and is the vibe awd just as good as that? i would just drive the vibe when i needed to haul stuff and in the winter. my baby is my 2007 g5 gt. the 2 cars its going to come down to are the Vibe or chevy blazer. i had a 00 LT blazer and likes it but not the gas miles. thats why im going for the vibe. any input on the vibes would be great.

[lovemyraffe]

Welcome! I don't have the AWD model, but from my experience, it is really hard to beat Subaru's AWD. However, the technology now is so advanced that most people will not notice the difference. I have had many Subaru's in the past, and decided that I didn't need the AWD anymore, so we got the Vibe. I spend a lot of time up at ski resorts during the winter and rarely need the AWD/4WD, and on the rare occasion I think I might need it, I take my old Blazer.

[ToolGuy]

From one stand point AWD is AWD. Is it like a Subi, no, two different designs/concepts here. AWD Vibe owners can tell you more on the Vibe AWD capabilities I am sure. The two cars you listed as it coming down to are a huge difference in price as well as fuel mileage. Hope you find what you want and welcome!

[NibCrom]

I don't have an AWD, but your G5 looks nice.

[keithvibe]

I have an 06 with AWD. The first season driving with the stock goodyear rsa tires I was able to drive threw 6inches of snow with out issue.Just about three years later I still and rocking the rsa tires but every season the grip is worse. But the AWD system compensates for it.If i had the cash I would invest in a good set of snow tires and consider yourself unstuckable.Bottom line is I love my awd system and the gas millage i get with it is the highest in the class. Around town i average 26-28mpg.. On strickly highway driving i have seen as high as 35mpg and I hope to increase that.

[jmpnjoe86]

I've had my '05 AWD for 9 months and 17K miles. In mixed (70/30) city/highway driving I also get 26-28 mpg. That's the main reason I bought it - it has the highest mileage of any AWD vehicle. I didn't have any problems over the winter with a new set of stock RS-As but then again we only had the one big snow…Bottom line - it's a great choice. Good luck in your search.

[07g5gt]

thanks everyone for the info. the more i see the vibe the more i like them. my mom just got a chevy equniox so i might not get the blazer sence we have a bigger suv already. the vibe would be cheaper to own in the long run and also has enought room to put my 2 dogs in the back. im going tomorrow to look at some and test drive one. and thanks for the comment on the g5.

[keithvibe]

if you get a pre 2009 vibe you can build this for your puppies.. i did it as well.. works great and very very sturdy http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=7302

[07g5gt]

well i went and test drove a 2008 vibe today that the dealer was useing for a demo. i really liked it. it had a good amount of space in it and for a 1.8l it had a good amount of kick to it. so they are looking for a 03-04 AWD one for me and hope to be in it around sept.

[keithvibe]

Just keep in mind that the awd system makes the car a touch slower.. not by much though.

[07g5gt]

yea my dad came along with me and he was like awd will use more gas. but the guy said it wont use much more but alittle. thats fine if is a little slower. the G5 is the car i drive it i want speed. the vibe will be the car i drive when i want traction haha.