I'm new and have questions

[hamiltonfighter]

First, I have to mention that I'm not a Vibe owner yet. Still looking and hopefully you guys can help. I live in Omaha, Nebraska and I found a Vibe GT three hours away near Kansas City. They said the price is firm at $5300 and they aren't in a hurry to sell. The car has been on craigslist for about two weeks without them bumping the ad. They send full resolution pictures and there isn't a mark on the car. The interior looks perfect too.Here is a copy of the ad:2003 Pontiac Vibe GT - $5300 Sporty black 2003 Vibe GT with the Celica engine. 6 speed, premium sound system, electric windows and locks, sun roof with moon roof capabilities. Sport Alloy wheels. 28-30 MPG. 115K miles. We are the second owner. It had 90K on it when we bought it last year, reportedly mostly highway. All miles since then have been highway. We bought it and hoped our daughter would want to learn how to drive a manual transmission but she didn't. It is an extra car and the only one we have with a payment so we are selling it. 1. Is this a good price for the amount of miles? 2. obviously, I'll look for leaks and that the transmission shifts well. Is there anything else I should be checking for when I go to look at it? 3. How many miles do people get out of this motors? 4. How long has the suspension been lasting on average? That is all I can think of to ask right now.Thanks for any input.

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by hamiltonfighter »1. Is this a good price for the amount of miles? 2. obviously, I'll look for leaks and that the transmission shifts well. Is there anything else I should be checking for when I go to look at it? 3. How many miles do people get out of this motors? 4. How long has the suspension been lasting on average? Welcome and I hope that you get the Vibe. It is a great car. I have 90K miles on mine with only the MAF going bad on me. Everything else is still great.1. For a GT the price seems good to me.2. The clutch on the GT, if I remember correctly, dies a little premature. However, I wouldn't let the clutch deter you from purchase.3. There are some members here that have over 300,000 miles. The odometer stops at 299,999.4. I haven't really heard of suspension going out. It might be time for new struts at 115K, but you could probably get a lot more miles out if them.

[star_deceiver]

That price seems low... a complete maintenance history would probably shed more light on this...If you drive those 3 hours to see it, bring along a friend (4 eyes are better then 2) and go over it with a fine tooth comb...

[A Psycho Martyr]

I've got 103,000 miles on mine and haven't replaced a thing!

[AKLGT]

the motor is good and will last a long time, however judging from your other threads, it may not due to what you want to do with it. These motors, VVTL-i can't handle much pressure/boost if you plan to go F/I with it.as someone has already mentioned, the OEM clutch sucks so I highly recommend upgrading to something more durable. Otherwise, good car. Oh and the shifter is very sloppy, so look into some shifter bushings to tighten it up.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »That price seems low... a complete maintenance history would probably shed more light on this...If you drive those 3 hours to see it, bring along a friend (4 eyes are better then 2) and go over it with a fine tooth comb...Too low? I'd bet that is above the auction price of a 2003 GT with 115,000 miles. It may be just what they owe on it.

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 » It may be just what they owe on it.Could be... maybe they just want it gone!

[jake75]

See thread "New and looking at used Vibe to buy" where PA dealer has a 2005 with 44,000 miles adv. for $9,995. Two years and 71,000 miles ought to make a $4,700 diff. But then you are in Canada - don't know what price differential there is between Canada and US. But then a private buyer is going to get less than a dealer. So, $5,300 does not appear to be so extraordinarily cheap to be scary.

[hamiltonfighter]

I'm still looking.I'm hung up on if I'd rather get a GT or not. I've decided not to focus on trying to make the car go any faster. I have been thinking about getting the 1zz version to save on gas, but the 2zz's power is enticing me. Also, it seems like I've been finding better deals on the GT models.