Looking to purchase 2003 base Vibe auto - Kbb or Edmunds for value?

[tgferg67]

HiIm looking to purchase 2003 Vibe base auto with 108,000 miles - private sale.Im seeing about a 1k difference in value for private sale KBB versus Edmunds.Which one do you feel is more accurate?KBB 5900Edmunds 4900

[star_deceiver]

For a good condition vehicle - Search your local classifieds, craigslist, kijiji, ect for Vibe prices.Give the vehicle a goode once-over top to bottom, test drive, undercarriage, tires, rust, oil consumption, maintenance records (this is a biggie), ect... Personally, I feel $4900 is a good price for an extremly well cared for '03 Vibe. No maintenance records for me would knock that price down quite quickly. Bald tires would knock that price down as would any rust, damage, ect!

[journeyforce]

both NADA and KBB are the two resources one uses for prices as they are also used by dealersGo with KBB over Edmunds

[Salsa Guy]

How many owners? 1-2 owner usually means it was well taken care of. 3 or more and it's get's iffy quick. When buying a older user car I've always taken them down to my trust mechanic pay him $80 to take a good look at it.

[KITT222]

As a person who window shops Vibes daily, even $5900 from a private party is a good deal with only 108k. You can't get a Vibe with under 100k for under $9,000. That $5900 is a good price though. What are they asking? Even$7-8k is reasonable in the current Vibe market with that many miles.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by journeyforce »both NADA and KBB are the two resources one uses for prices as they are also used by dealersGo with KBB over Edmunds I thought they used something called the "Black Book". http://www.blackbookusa.com/home.aspx?m=2

[skimask]

But can you use the "Black Book" without paying a stupid amount of $$$???

[jkm311]

Tom, you can certainly reference the prices quoted in those sources, but when it comes down to it, you pay what the private owner will accept. If you feel you have a winner, go ahead and aim low. The worst that can happen is they counter. At least you had a jump-off point that might save you a grand or so. Being from my neck-of-the-woods, I would prepare to get underneath that car and look for salt-induced rust. Especially around the exhaust system, suspension and the wheel wells. Test-drive it. Give the brakes a good hard stop a few times and feel if that steering wheel shimmys. You'll find out pretty quickly if they just left the original brake pads and rotors on. You didn't mention if it was auto or manual. Ask if they replaced the clutch, if manual. It should have been done by now.And another great way to test this great car's temperature: Toyota gave us a dipstick to check the transmission fluid. Pop the hood and give that a look. If the fluid is charcoal black, I'd be a bit concerned. My fluid went black after only 35,000 miles. Ask for records of any changes. 99% of folks on here will tell you to only use Toyota IV fluid. I went elsewhere, and after 45,000 more miles, my fluid still looks good. Go figure. Point is, find out if they got it changed. It matters.You can check the oil, but anybody can run their car up to a quicky place and get it done before putting it up for sale. Like everyone else is saying, get the records. Check them closely to the license plate number and color of the car. Heck, if their shop cared enough, they might have put the VIN in their system. If the intervals of mileage seem legit, you are in the clear. These engines are great.Oh, and one last thing, if you're not a smoker, get in that car and really give it a good sniff. It's winter time, and a bit harder to tell how strong any smoke odor is, but you'll detect it if you try hard enough. Try the roof liner. No detail shop is going to hit that as much as seats. Maybe even the head rests. Good luck and only offer what you truly feel is appropriate. There are a slew of Vibes in this area. One search on Craigslist will give you more to choose from if this owner stands firm at a price you are not comfortable with. EDIT: Taking it to a Toyota mechanic, or someone you know knows Toyotas, will help with more serious issues. Like dropping the tranny pan and seeing just how much metal and junk is stuck to the handy magnet Toyota put in to attract that type of stuff. If it's covered in shavings and such, your tranny might be in trouble.

[knightrace]

not sure which one is more accurate... however, it seems from my experience, KBB is used more frequently... especially on craigslist.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by skimask »But can you use the "Black Book" without paying a stupid amount of $$$???Nope!

[tgferg67]

The owner listed the Vibe in the wrong city on craigslist so its 4 hours away.Oh well, another will pop up.

[KITT222]

Adding onto jkm's little shpeal there, when you do end up checking one out, try out both the heat AND the AC. If the AC isn't working you'd never know until spring.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »As a person who window shops Vibes daily, even $5900 from a private party is a good deal with only 108k. You can't get a Vibe with under 100k for under $9,000. That $5900 is a good price though. What are they asking? Even$7-8k is reasonable in the current Vibe market with that many miles. You can't get a Vibe under 100K for under $9000? Why? Both the car and make have been discontinued which will knock down resale quite a bit (since the car becomes a hard sell), which can be good for the potential buyer, because the seller is more willing to make a deal, to get the car off his/her hands.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by tgferg67 » The owner listed the Vibe in the wrong city on craigslist so its 4 hours away.Oh well, another will pop up. Have you looked at dealers lots?

[KITT222]

Quote, originally posted by zaxellord »You can't get a Vibe under 100K for under $9000? Why? Both the car and make have been discontinued which will knock down resale quite a bit (since the car becomes a hard sell), which can be good for the potential buyer, because the seller is more willing to make a deal, to get the car off his/her hands.It's a really good car, and dealers and people are starting to learn that it's really a Toyota. I'm not the one who makes up pricing, I'm just reporting what I saw on Craigslist. It's kinda a shame, but at the same time it'd attract people who are in it long term instead of people just looking for a beater.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »It's a really good car, and dealers and people are starting to learn that it's really a Toyota. I'm not the one who makes up pricing, I'm just reporting what I saw on Craigslist. It's kinda a shame, but at the same time it'd attract people who are in it long term instead of people just looking for a beater. I agree, the Vibe is a really good car, but the insignia on the steering wheel is Pontiac, and the symbol etched in the ignition and door lock keys is GM. For many consumers, that equals much lower resale, which is great for used car buyers. By the way, the Vibes for sale in my area now seeing their prices reduced (a couple are under 7k)

[KITT222]

Consumers hear "Toyota" and they don't care about the rest. Not styling, not performance, not driving feel, only Toyota = fuel economy and reliability. How else would the current Prius sell? Yes, it says Pontiac, and that may affect it, but I'm not the one making this up. Because it's a Pontiac it sells for CHEAPER than it's Toyota cousin. That may just mean that Matrix prices are up, which is not hard to believe.

[Salsa Guy]

Quote, originally posted by tgferg67 » The owner listed the Vibe in the wrong city on craigslist so its 4 hours away.Oh well, another will pop up. That is a scam! I've seen them try and pull it off on craigslist, e-bay and cars.com. If it's too good to be true then it, then it is.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »Consumers hear "Toyota" and they don't care about the rest. Not styling, not performance, not driving feel, only Toyota = fuel economy and reliability. How else would the current Prius sell? Yes, it says Pontiac, and that may affect it, but I'm not the one making this up. Because it's a Pontiac it sells for CHEAPER than it's Toyota cousin. That may just mean that Matrix prices are up, which is not hard to believe.I don't believe you're making this up. It is that GM has such a lousy reputation in many consumers minds that really good cars, like the Vibe, are lumped into many consumers disdain for the company. Add to that, that some of Pontiac's recent models, did not do particularly well, and it is easy to see how some would be leery to choose the Vibe over the Matrix, even though for all intents and purposes, they are the same car.

[KITT222]

In all honesty, recent Pontiac were actually pretty good. The G6 was very desirable. But yes, to the uneducated mind the Vibe would be crap, because Rush and Beck told them so

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »In all honesty, recent Pontiac were actually pretty good. The G6 was very desirable. But yes, to the uneducated mind the Vibe would be crap, because Rush and Beck told them so Yes they were. Pontiac seemed to be turning it around, unfortunately it was too little to late. Such as shame.