Looking to be a new vibe owner...

[hagger19]

Hi,I'm looking to purchase a 2009 Vibe. This site seems very reputable and so I have a huge question. Are there any common defects I should know about? Especially after 100k. I've been looking for a car for a few months and I've narrowed my search down to the Vibe. I think I'm sold on the model, but I was curious if there were any mechanical issues I should know about. My last car got to 110k and I had to replace the head gasket. Now, 2000 miles later, the transmission is going out. Apparently these were common problems with the model. Alignments and brake jobs are part of cars. i'm just wondering if there were any common problems with the Vibe I should know about.

[chadhgraves]

I have a 2003 Vibe that I bought in late 2004. Right now I've got 116,000 miles on it with no major repairs. I can't speak for the new Vibes, but if their anything like the older Vibes, you're in good shape. It's pretty much a Toyota with a Pontiac skin. I would 100% recommend purchasing a Pontiac Vibe and I assume everyone here would too. It's been such a great car and I will keep mine till the wheels fall off, which did one time when I had a blow out on the freeway. Do some research on the web and see for yourself. It gets high marks all across the board. If you stay up on your oil changes and keep up with the maintenance, then the Vibe should last you forever. Parts are easy to find if you ever did need to do repairs. It gets excellent gas mileage, has a smooth ride, and tons of head room, leg room, and cargo space. It's got tons of options to customize or modify it any way you want it. Just look around this forum at what some members have done to theirs. It's got a sporty, utilitarian look. I always got compliments on it, but got even more compliments on it after they rode in it. The floorboards are deep, therefore making it comfortable if you're a taller guy. Excellent vehicle for around town and especially on long trips. I suggest you take one for a test drive if you haven't already. Check it out, research, and ask around. I'm slightly biased towards the Vibe, since I've had mine for over 7 years. If you want a great, reliable car, then definitely give the Vibe a look.

[KITT222]

The local Advanced Auto Parts store has an 09 Vibe 1.8l as a parts car, and last time I asked (in October, I believe) theirs had nearly 200k without any issues. Proper maintenance can keep any car solid for a long time. Not saying that they don't have their issues or quirks. Over time the 03-08 Vibes start to vibrate a bit more at idle, and the valves start to tick as well. It's just a noise, though. Nothing to worry about. Personally, I found there wasn't any other car for me. I did a year and a half of research before finding my Vibe on Craigslist. It's my first car, and I love it to pieces! I even convinced my aunt and uncle to buy an 09 Vibe 2.4l when their Grand Am was totaled, and they love theirs too.

[ParknVibe]

I hope you find a good 2009-2010 Vibe. The good points for the 09-10 are that side air bags and ABS brakes are standard. XM radio with OnStar are also standard. The minor problems is that the radio knobs (push on push off) could or will break. The center wheel cap may come off at any time. There are lots of threads on this site about them.Also make sure that you had the pedal recall done. Try to get a new pedal. Or, check to see if it has been done on a used Vibe.The 2.4L engine is not that good on MPG. Other then these things, I like the car.

[rpmljm]

I have a 2009 Vibe that I purchased in June 2009. The problems that I have had are with the radio and the Radio antenna. The radio is now broken for the second time in less than 3 years. The volume/on-off knob just stops working and now i can't change the stations. I have to take it in for service. It has already been replaced when the car was little more than 1 year old, now broken again. Also the radio antenna needed to be replaced last year. This is definitely a defect in this model. There is a thread on these boards related to this problem. These things should not keep breaking in such a new car. We also have a 2004 Vibe that has been fine in that area, no radio problems at all.

[Piggy]

I'm an 03 owner, 201100 miles, still running strong, I think I need to replace the catalytic convert though. 2nd owner, the previous owner kept a very thorough log of the maintenance and the most major thing that has been done was replacement by me of the Transmission filter and pan gasket. I know there are some things I should change out with that many miles but it runs just as good as it did when I bought it last year with 40k less miles. I'm biased to the 03-08 with 1zzfe engines. I had a 99 Corolla with the same engine, that car I sold to a friend and it has 22xxxx on it. My dad had an 02 Corolla, same engine, car was in a nasty accident @ 245xxx. I know nothing about the 09-10, personally I'll stick with the older generation because I know it really well, (And I'd recommend it to ANYONE) there is not alot to improve on. That said, I'll definitely recommend any Vibe 03-10. If the old is great, the replacement generation has to be better right? If not a little smaller?

[tpollauf]

Dual 09 GT owner here. One is a manual & the other an automatic. Only major thing so far is the rust forming on the sunroof glass frame. If you buy one without a sunroof then that is one less worry for this model year. Otherwise extremely happy with these cars

[vibenvy]

Two 2009 5-speed automatic GTs here. We have yet to have any issues with our radio knobs breaking or any issues with our antennas (I replaced both factory antennas with Honda 7" antennas though). Our center caps were all siliconed by the dealers before we brought them home, so we haven't had any issues with the center caps falling out either. I have had to remove a couple of the center caps for different reasons and it's not at all hard to rub the old silicone off and put some new stuff on. We jumped through all the hoops with the accelerator pedal recall issues and ultimately ended up with brand new pedals and thus, haven't had any issues since (not that we ever had any beforehand). As Tim (tpollauf) mentioned, both our Vibes have some rust starting to form under the seal on the sunroof glass, but I don't consider this a huge deal. They are both still under warranty until April and May, so they will be getting replaced before then.As far as mileage goes, I beg to differ with ParknVibe. If driven conservatively, the 2.4L can achieve very decent numbers. I have seen as high as 33.9 mpg with 100% highway driving. With 50% city/50% highway both our Vibes average around 26-28 mpg which I don't think is bad at all (both have K&N CAIs).

[star_deceiver]

A couple of recalls... oil changes, windshield replacement... radio works fine...

[rpmljm]

Check out this thread about the radio problems if you are interested (3 pages so far).http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...age=1

[jake75]

Broken record Jake chiming in here: At least see what a new Matrix would cost. I think used cars are unreasonably high today - especially high mileage used cars. New cars have a lower finance rate. When you figure everything in including 3 years/36 months (whichever comes first) of essentially cost free worry free driving you might opt for new - at the end of a 3 year loan a 2009 is a 6 year old car. At the end of a 6 year loan a 2012 is a 6 year old car. Payments might about the same. And a 6 year old Matrix is going to be worth more than a 6 year old Vibe because of the Toyota badge and because Pontiac will just be a dim memory. Dealers are lucky to make $500 on a new car, but they will make $2,500 on a used car. Drive that used car off the lot and it also depreciates substantially - just like a new one does.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Broken record Jake chiming in here: At least see what a new Matrix would cost. I think used cars are unreasonably high today - especially high mileage used cars. New cars have a lower finance rate. When you figure everything in including 3 years/36 months (whichever comes first) of essentially cost free worry free driving you might opt for new - at the end of a 3 year loan a 2009 is a 6 year old car. At the end of a 6 year loan a 2012 is a 6 year old car. Payments might about the same. And a 6 year old Matrix is going to be worth more than a 6 year old Vibe because of the Toyota badge and because Pontiac will just be a dim memory. Dealers are lucky to make $500 on a new car, but they will make $2,500 on a used car. Drive that used car off the lot and it also depreciates substantially - just like a new one does. True, but if the OP is not going to sell the car again, then the Vibe may be the better deal. A dealer may be much more willing to negotiate on the Vibe since both it and Pontiac are gone, than the Matrix. If you look around, there are now sellers adding "or best offer" to many of the Vibes they are trying to sell.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by zaxellord »True, but if the OP is not going to sell the car again, then the Vibe may be the better deal. A dealer may be much more willing to negotiate on the Vibe since both it and Pontiac are gone, than the Matrix. If you look around, there are now sellers adding "or best offer" to many of the Vibes they are trying to sell.Somewhat true - that is why one needs to look at the numbers. IMO there are only two ways to get a good deal on a used car these days. One is to buy from a private owner who just wants to beat by $500 what the dealer will actually give him/her in trade or cash. The other is to get a dealer (new or used) to buy one at auction for a $500 service fee.What makes more sense - buy a used 2009 today with 100,000 miles and pay $275 a month for 3 years, and then buy a used 2012 with 100,000 miles and pay $275 a month for 3 years -or- buy a new 2012 today and pay $300 a month for 6 years. (I assume new is going to cost a little more - but you'll likely get that back in fewer repair bills.)Also - most people are likely to sell that car again someday so that does remains a factor.The sad news is that many buyers do not have the credit score necessary to buy a new car at a favorable finance rate. Someone recently said a banker is a person who will lend you an umbrella when the sun is shining but wants it back if it starts to rain.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Somewhat true - that is why one needs to look at the numbers. IMO there are only two ways to get a good deal on a used car these days. One is to buy from a private owner who just wants to beat by $500 what the dealer will actually give him/her in trade or cash. The other is to get a dealer (new or used) to buy one at auction for a $500 service fee.What makes more sense - buy a used 2009 today with 100,000 miles and pay $275 a month for 3 years, and then buy a used 2012 with 100,000 miles and pay $275 a month for 3 years -or- buy a new 2012 today and pay $300 a month for 6 years. (I assume new is going to cost a little more - but you'll likely get that back in fewer repair bills.)Also - most people are likely to sell that car again someday so that does remains a factor.The sad news is that many buyers do not have the credit score necessary to buy a new car at a favorable finance rate. Someone recently said a banker is a person who will lend you an umbrella when the sun is shining but wants it back if it starts to rain.Exactly, it is just business. The seller, bank, etc wants to make enough on the deal to turn a profit. In my neck of the woods, Vibe used car prices are coming down a lot, compared to the Matrix which is still trying to fetch at least $10K for a 2004 model.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by zaxellord »Exactly, it is just business. The seller, bank, etc wants to make enough on the deal to turn a profit. In my neck of the woods, Vibe used car prices are coming down a lot, compared to the Matrix which is still trying to fetch at least $10K for a 2004 model.And I assume, you would agree than a new 2012 Matrix just might be a much better economic decision than a used 8 year old 2004 Matrix with 100,000+ miles on the odometer. You never know unless you run the numbers. I read the Plain Dealer ads once in awhile - Cleveland seems to be more competitive than Columbus.

[zaxellord]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »And I assume, you would agree than a new 2012 Matrix just might be a much better economic decision than a used 8 year old 2004 Matrix with 100,000+ miles on the odometer. You never know unless you run the numbers. I read the Plain Dealer ads once in awhile - Cleveland seems to be more competitive than Columbus.Yes I see what you're saying. I agree Cleveland does seem to be more competitive. There are many used and new car lots in the city.