Looking at a couple used Vibes - Price too good?

[Clynch]

Greetings all,

I'm looking at a '05 base Vibe with manual transmission and 153k miles. The carfax is clean with 3 owners. The 1st was a corporate fleet and the next two are personal. The last owner had it since '07. It's listed for $2,000 without pictures so I'd have to stop by the dealer to see the condition. What concerns me is used Vibes in this area are running around 5-6k for '04-05 models. Does this sound too good to be true without the car having some major issue a carfax wouldn't pick up? *** Edit, this appears to be a pricing typo by the dealer. It's now at $4,995 so the other car is looking better with less miles.

Alternatively, I'm also looking at another Vibe, but this one is a couple hours away. It's an '04 base auto with 125k miles, a sunroof and roof rack. Haven't purchased a carfax on this vehicle yet, but I have the vin. This one is offered at $5,200 obo.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[SeattleJeremy]

$2000 for a 05 Vibe is suspicious.
Manual transmission cars generally go for less than their automatic counter parts, but getting a mechanic involved in the presale inspection should be considered.
Car fax does not catch everything.

[Clynch]

I'm now seeing conflicting pricing information comparing their revised Craigslist ad versus their website. I think they made an initial typo and are now fixing it to $4,995. Now I can't tell if it's auto or manual. Does one of the VIN digits represent manual versus auto?

[SeattleJeremy]

It doesn't look like the VIN shows the transmission type/gear count.

Have you considered calling the seller?

[zyzyix]

Hi Good luck finding another Vibe. As for these two

PASS, PASS, PASS


Questionable condition, 3 owners for first one (red flag there) and possible rust, (hence why the intent to sell). Since also, there was a PCM recall that could affect the 2005, the first one could have tranny or drivetrain damage.

[Clynch]

I appreciate all of the guidance. If the PCM issue could impact and wreck transmissions and drivetrains on 2005-2008 models, it is best to avoid this range completely and either pick 2009-2010 or 2004? Depending on the age of the vehicle, I should try and locate a one with two owners or less as three or more is a red flags for problems as they pass it to another unsuspecting individual.

[trb]

I don't see how the PCM issue would affect or break the trans or engine, it is just the computer that controls the operation. From my personal experience and from what others have experienced, it just kills the motor and sometimes it won't restart. If you find a good 05 to 07 just check with either a GM dealer service dept. to see if it has been changed, or there is a thread on here with pcm serial numbers so you can see if it is a bad one. If it has not been replaced, i look at that as a way to bargain down the price more because you will have to take it in for the recall.

IMO there are very few "bad Vibes" around, mechanical defect wise, unless it was abused or seriously neglected. But that is where a good inspection helps. Basically the only common major mechanical problem is the early manual trans is weak and breaks often. Other than that, most problems are minor in comparison.

Good luck with your search. You came to the right place for info.

[klindstedt]

I can attest to there being very few "bad" Vibes out there. *After* buying my Vibe I discovered that it started life as a rental car and had three owners since (I'm number 4). In spite of that, the car is solid and reliable. I do have issues with shoddy bodywork that was done on it, but I knew about that going into the purchase. Good luck in your search.

[SeattleJeremy]

When buying any used car it's possible to find a bad one due to neglect or otherwise. On the whole Vibes are engineered very well and have very few problems.
There have been a few recalls on the 03-08's, and more recalls on the 09-10's, but otherwise it's a good car.

I'm not sure what zyzyix is talking about with Rust, the 03+ Vibe/Matrix/Corolla are not known for rust problems.

Inspecting a used car before purchase is key to buying a good car.

The link below is a checklist for buying a used WRX, but most of the principles transfer over to buying any car.
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/car-purch ... klist.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[zyzyix]

I appreciate all of the guidance. If the PCM issue could impact and wreck transmissions and drivetrains on 2005-2008 models, it is best to avoid this range completely and either pick 2009-2010 or 2004? Depending on the age of the vehicle, I should try and locate a one with two owners or less as three or more is a red flags for problems as they pass it to another unsuspecting individual.

Yes, you should. You answered your own questions

[zyzyix]

I don't see how the PCM issue would affect or break the trans or engine, it is just the computer that controls the operation. From my personal experience and from what others have experienced, it just kills the motor and sometimes it won't restart. If you find a good 05 to 07 just check with either a GM dealer service dept. to see if it has been changed, or there is a thread on here with pcm serial numbers so you can see if it is a bad one. If it has not been replaced, i look at that as a way to bargain down the price more because you will have to take it in for the recall.

IMO there are very few "bad Vibes" around, mechanical defect wise, unless it was abused or seriously neglected. But that is where a good inspection helps. Basically the only common major mechanical problem is the early manual trans is weak and breaks often. Other than that, most problems are minor in comparison.

Good luck with your search. You came to the right place for info.

A bad PCM can cause auto tranny issues due to rough shifting, since the PCM also controls the auto tranny. Some owners have reported transmission problems that they attributed to the malfunctioning PCMs that were subject to recalls.

[zyzyix]

When buying any used car it's possible to find a bad one due to neglect or otherwise. On the whole Vibes are engineered very well and have very few problems.
There have been a few recalls on the 03-08's, and more recalls on the 09-10's, but otherwise it's a good car.

I'm not sure what zyzyix is talking about with Rust, the 03+ Vibe/Matrix/Corolla are not known for rust problems.

Inspecting a used car before purchase is key to buying a good car.

The link below is a checklist for buying a used WRX, but most of the principles transfer over to buying any car.
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/car-purch ... klist.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In areas where a lot of salt is used, there are some Vibes/Matrixes with rust. It may not be on the body, but on the undercarriage and under the hood. Heck even same year (2003-2004) used Mazda3s I have seen on Autotrader, have rust under the hood.

[joatmon]

Of the two cars you mentioned, I'd be inclined to go after the auto tranny one. The earlier manual tgrannies in VIbes were prone to bearing failures, not sure about the 05's, but the auto trannies in VIbes have been really quite reliable over the years. I bought a manual tranny Vibe for the extra few MPGs, the money I saved on gas doesn't approach the cost to replace a clutch.

If cars rust where you are, then any used car will may have rust, it is something to look for but not anything Vibe specific.

A bad PCM can cause auto tranny issues due to rough shifting, since the PCM also controls the auto tranny. Some owners have reported transmission problems that they attributed to the malfunctioning PCMs that were subject to recalls.

As I remember it, getting the PCM updated solved the shifting issues, the shifting issues were not permanent damage caused by a bad PCM.

When buying any used car, the new owner should ensure that all recalls have been addressed on the car. Doesn't have to be before buying the car though, but nice if they have been done


Once I was looking at a used Vibe, and it looked great, the dealer gave me a copy of the carfax report, which was clean, no incidents. Upon looking at the car, I realized the rear hatch didn't open, and when I mentioned it to the dealer, he confessed that there had been rear accident repair done on the car recently. I passed on the car, but it taught me that a clean carfax report doesn't mean all they advertise it to be.

[trb]

A bad PCM can cause auto tranny issues due to rough shifting, since the PCM also controls the auto tranny. Some owners have reported transmission problems that they attributed to the malfunctioning PCMs that were subject to recalls.

As I remember it, getting the PCM updated solved the shifting issues, the shifting issues were not permanent damage caused by a bad PCM.

That is what I thought also. The rough shifting was just how the PCM was acting up; but it was not causing permanent damage. Or I bet there would have been some covered transmission work involved with the recall if it was causing real transmission problems. But all I know for sure is my son's car was running perfectly fine, then in a span of 2 weeks, it died on him like 3 times. The first two times it started up after a couple of tries, but the last time it was totally dead. This was a good year prior to the recall. Luckily it died on him in places where he was not in major traffic. If it died on the freeway or in an intersection, it could have been worse, thus the reason for the recall.