Purchasing my first Vibe... Looking for advice.

[ronandjess2010]

I'm buying my first Vibe tomorrow, or so I hope. I will be driving some distance to pick it up and the specs are below. I have only driven one Vibe before so I am hoping for some advice on things to look for in the car that may be particular to the Vibe to help ensure I am getting a good one. Thanks for the info. 2005 Pontiac Vibe Base-90k-Automatic-Moon Roof- Lava Red- Installed Subwoofer- New Tires-2 previous owners- Clean title etc.Price -$7400 How'd I do on negotiating? Thanks for the information.

[jake75]

Go to carmax.comDo a nationwide search for 2004, 2005 & 2006 1.8L AT Vibes.Their supposedly no haggle pricing will probably make you feel good about your deal. Used car prices are very strong these days. Anyone who can afford it would be better off buying a new Matrix.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by ronandjess2010 »I'm buying my first Vibe tomorrow, or so I hope. I will be driving some distance to pick it up and the specs are below. I have only driven one Vibe before so I am hoping for some advice on things to look for in the car that may be particular to the Vibe to help ensure I am getting a good one. Thanks for the info. 2005 Pontiac Vibe Base-90k-Automatic-Moon Roof- Lava Red- Installed Subwoofer- New Tires-2 previous owners- Clean title etc.Price -$7400 How'd I do on negotiating? Thanks for the information.Make sure the recall for the engine control module has been done.

[trb]

Carmax is crazy. They wanted more than I paid for my 2010 with 37K miles for a 2007 that had over 50K miles on it!Your price looks OK, most of the 04-06 cars around me are going in the $7K-9K range with around 100K miles on them. Just check everything to make sure it works. Maintenance records are a plus. As long as it was well taken care of, these cars can last a long time.Good luck on it!

[star_deceiver]

Welcome to GenVibe!!! Not a bad deal!

[wallyuwl]

Where are you buying it? I noticed you are in WI, so if you are buying it in WI (you said you are traveling a ways to get it), know that they have the toughest used car sales laws in the nation (if you are buying it from a used or new car dealer). You get three days to bring the car back if you don't like it or there is a problem. Of course this is isn't the case if you are buying from an individual in a private sale. If there is anything wrong with the car, they have to disclose it to you. So if they don't tell you the AC isn't working, and in May you go to use it and it isn't working, you can go back and have them fix it as long as you get it written into the contract (since you can't tell if it is working or not since it is winter).Besides just seeing how it drives (how the engine sounds and idles, how it shifts, and brakes, if it steers straight or needs an alignment, etc.), some things to look for: - open the oil cap and look for sludge in the engine- check the oil dip stick (yellow) and make sure the oil is full (BIG red flag if not)- see if the coolant looks clean (if there are records of when/if it has been changed that is a plus)- check the air filter- pull the transmission dip stick (it is red) and look to see if it is very dark or not (the Toyota T-IV fluid is more rust colored and less reddish than other fluids even when new, but if it is really dark that isn't good). If there are records for this all the better.- make sure the brake fluid is full and clean- make sure the power steering fluid is full (OEM fluid is dark, so won't be able to tell its condition very easily)- see the condition of the serpentine belt (passenger side of engine)- look at the battery and make sure it is in good shape (not crusty on the connections, etc.)- see if there are records for the intake manifold gasket being replaced (lots of threads on here about this problem). Get it replaced (see below in the second list of things) as part of the sale if possible.- see if they will hook up a code scanner for you (or bring your own) so you can see any "pending" codes. If it shows p0420, walk away, it needs a new catalytic converter for $500. Or make them fix it for you with either an OEM catalytic converter, or a direct fit Eastern catalytic converter. Make sure the intake manifold gasket is replaced as well, or it will ruin the new catalytic converter.You are getting to or close to the time where a lot of maintenance stuff needs to get done. So...Unless there are records indicating these things have been changed recently, these are some things you'll want to change within the first year of owning the vehicle:1) obviously change the oil and filter at an appropriate interval (4000 miles for conventional, 7000 miles for synthetic is a safe estimate). This engine runs very, very well on Quaker State Ultimate Durability (their synthetic).2) change the engine coolant with Dexcool (full flush)3) change the transmission fluid (full flush - get it done at the Toyota dealer using T-IV fluid). See if as part of the service they'll put in a bottle of Lube Guard red bottle (you will have to supply it if they will - some places might not do this, in which case you'll have to suck out some fluid after they do the flush to make room for the LG, and then put in the LG yourself)4) replace PCV valve (go OEM - part number should be in manual)5 ) replace spark plugs (go OEM Denso's - part number in manual)6) replace O2 sensors (go OEM - they are Denso, Amazon is cheapest) - not "needed" until you get a check engine light/code, but not a bad idea to replace at 100k or a little more even without a code7) get a power steering fluid flush8) replace brake fluid the next time you change the front or back brakes9) replace intake manifold gasket and clean throttle body (take fully apart and clean all parts) if this hasn't been done. Get the redesigned red gasket from Toyota for this engine.10) replace the VVTi "oil filter". Need to get the part from Toyota. Search this thread for how to do this. Note: the bolt you need to remove to get to it is 14mm.11) when the tires that are on it now wear out, it might be time for struts as well12) replace serpentine belt and brakes as needed13) clean the MAF sensor using MAF sensor cleaner (not brake cleaner) - it is located in the "air pipe" next to the plastic box that the air filter is in14) replace air filter, and cabin air filter, as needed

[djkeev]

Most of the maintenance advice above is good EXCEPT for the.....TRANSMISSION FLUSH do NOT do NOT do NOT have anyone flush your engine or transmission. Do a Google search and read the horror stories of dead engines and transmissions that happen 30, 60 ,90 days after having such "wonderful" preventative work done!It loosens any coarse buildup and allows it to break off and circulate doing damage to fine tolerance units.The best method is multiple oil changes in quick succession, maybe 1000 miles apart or so. Allow the additives and detergents that Toyota puts in their oils do any cleaning that may need to be done, over time and GENTLY, not with harsh cleaning chemicals.Other than that, good luck!BTW......Toyota's 100,000 transmission oil change interval is way too long in my opinion. My oil was brown and smelly after about 45,000. I did an initial multiple change menu at that mileage and I now drop the transmission oil at about every 3rd or 4th engine oil change (it's easy, Toyota put in a transmission drain plug on the pan) It takes about 3.7 qts of oil, but is a cheap easy way to keep introducing fresh additives and detergents into the system on a regular basis.I also promote using Toyota's special oil from Toyota themselves. Too many one size fits all oils on the market today. This multiple use formulation, while convenient for a repair shop to stock must be making compromises somewhere in the formulation process either taking away needed additives or adding unneeded additives. Transmissions have become very advanced Hi Tech units that require precisely formulated oils to work properly for a long time. There are no miracle products or magic snake oils that actually work!Dave

[wallyuwl]

I never said anything about engine flushes. If an engine is gunked, then it should be cleaned slowly using synthetic oil and more frequent oil and especially filter changes. A little Marvel Mystery Oil in there also helps do some gentle cleaning.For the transmission, I probably should have used the term "exchange" instead of flush. I only every get transmission work done at transmission shops or the dealer. Exchanges are gentle and just get out the old fluid and put in new fluid, they don't flush through cleaning solutions and such. These are prefectly fine to get done, and much more efficient than doing several drain and fills several weeks apart (3 drain and fills would get approx. 87.5% of new transmission fluid into the system). There also is much less risk of overfilling or underfilling this way, and transmissions are very sensitive to the fluid level. I agree, only the OEM fluid should be used (Toyota T-IV), and it should be changed at least every 75k miles if mixed driving, more often if mostly city driving.

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by wallyuwl »I never said anything about engine flushes. If an engine is gunked, then it should be cleaned slowly using synthetic oil and more frequent oil and especially filter changes. A little Marvel Mystery Oil in there also helps do some gentle cleaning.For the transmission, I probably should have used the term "exchange" instead of flush. I only every get transmission work done at transmission shops or the dealer. Exchanges are gentle and just get out the old fluid and put in new fluid, they don't flush through cleaning solutions and such. These are prefectly fine to get done, and much more efficient than doing several drain and fills several weeks apart (3 drain and fills would get approx. 87.5% of new transmission fluid into the system). There also is much less risk of overfilling or underfilling this way, and transmissions are very sensitive to the fluid level. I agree, only the OEM fluid should be used (Toyota T-IV), and it should be changed at least every 75k miles if mixed driving, more often if mostly city driving.Yes, I know you didn't mention engine flush but thought I'd put it in there just for good measure!The oil exchange system in perfectly fine but..... you are often hard pressed to find a place that does it and uses Toyota oil. Most shops that do this service use the multi brand one size fits all bulk oil. They don't go switching out Toyota oil, GM oil, Dodge oil, Ford oil, etc. Maybe you could find a Toyota dealer running Toyota oil in the machine?? I've never looked. If you've found a shop that runs TIV good for you!Dave