its been fun

[Rodney1t1]

Sold the GT today so this is it. The Vibe GT served us flawlessly for the past 5 years and now its time to try our luck on a newer vehicle.

[tpollauf]

Well if it isn't my identical twin I knew there were a FEW of them out there as this is a rare combination for the Vibe. I know of one person who's been bugging me to sell him my Vibe (kitt222 .... AKA "Nick") but I doubt he has the funds at this point in his life. VIN please ? Seeing that you're from the Georgia area it's safe to say that this Vibe has not seen any salt from the past four winters? I'll spread the work for you. Why are you parting with it? Someone will get this rare find and hopefully enjoy it for several more years. Good luck

[beemerphile1]

Good looking car, good luck to you.

Tow package? Never heard of a tow package on a Vibe.

[Rodney1t1]

Used it to tow my mower lol, heck its only rated at 1500lb if not mistaken. VIN# 5Y2SN67089Z409990. Been getting some real winners from wanting to sell it for us to the I'm out of the country....but I have someone who will come by and get vehicle. Everything in vehicle works perfectly. Been very well taken care of.

[Rodney1t1]

And no its never seen salt...just bought a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited so decided its time to set her free. Wife nick named her Red Hot Chili Pepper lol even went as far as buying the little plastic red peppers to hang from mirror lol. Appreciate you spreading the word and if I end up not selling it she will still have a good home here. Always Kept her under car port out of sun and elements and will continue to do so. Even been looking at the hoods with the air intakes to liven her up a bit. Guess we will see what happens here and go from there. thanks for the replys.

[Th17kit]

Hey I'm interested if the car is still available. I've been searching for this car for awhile now. The only hitch is that I'm in Colorado. However you're offering a fair price, and depending on some additional details and where you are in Georgia (please lordy be on the north west side!) I could fly out to drive it back. No better way to get used to a new car right? Please respond even if it's sold so I'm not left waiting... I would have PM'ed you but it appears I cannot, or some such.

[tpollauf]

Hey I'm interested if the car is still available. I've been searching for this car for awhile now. The only hitch is that I'm in Colorado.

This would be awesome if the two of you can work out a legitimate deal. Thus proving the value of this great GenVibe Community. Oh ... then take delivery of it over the weekend of June 15 and drive through Pontiac Illinois so you could attend the big meet. Let us know if all this goes down. I'm optimistic for you, after all, this is my identical twin Vibe we're talking about

[Th17kit]

I looked up the VIN, found their local CL ad, and the car is still available! With airfare roughly $200, bus to Rome $40, and a couple hundred dollars for gas back to Colorado, it's possible. Now, is it worth it? I'm going to go test drive the same car (automatic) later today. Any input from you all? Edit: I spent some time going through the forum, most of my questions are answered. One thing I haven't found out though - has anyone tried sticking a couple bikes in the back? I wonder how many would fit w/ front wheel off, and if they would be able to stand upright...

I'm looking for a dependable high storage capacity car with good safety features to get me around Colorado. I'll be hauling skis and bikes and camping gear. I do a lot of driving in the mountains in the winter and FWD cars with snow tires have always been fine for me. This seems like the ticket, especially since I'm a student on a student's budget for the next few years.

[Rayven01]

Multiple bikes fit no problem in the back with the rear seats down and the bike front wheels and seats off. I can actually fit my 21" tall mountain bike with the wheel and seat left on if I lay it down and still have plenty of room to pack stuff on top of it.

[tpollauf]

Any input from you all? I spent some time going through the forum, most of my questions are answered. One thing I haven't found out though - has anyone tried sticking a couple bikes in the back? I wonder how many would fit w/ front wheel off, and if they would be able to stand upright...

Input it is First off, I'll assume your partial to the manual transmission over the automatic .... WISE choice Secondly, with the bigger 4-cylinder engine (2.4l vs 1.8l) you'll gain much needed pulling power if you'll occasionally pull a trailer OR have too much cargo where the extra power will be needed. Especially some of those steep vertical runs you may encounter. Third, the fuel economy is surprisingly good for the engine size. Several here post their MPG numbers and seeing how I have the exact identical car, you can view my numbers here http://www.mpgtune.com/fillupHistory.php?carId=4740" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to get an idea of what to expect.

My wife & I have a pair of Raleigh mountain bikes (M20 & M50) and they should fit side by side with the front wheels off & seats lowered. Later, when I'm home, I will perform this actual test and post a pic here for you to see for yourself.

More later .................................................. Tim

[Th17kit]

Thanks Rayven01 and Tim for the quick replies. I might not be able to make it to the dealership today after all (arg) but regardless I think it's probably worth the hassle to score such a handsome reliable and seeingly fun car. I can't find any recent year hatchback out here for that price/mileage.

I'm looking forward to pics of the bikes!

[Rodney1t1]

Tried returning your call Kit but no answer. Will be happy to help you out with getting here from Atlanta Airport if I am off that day and if can't help there can definitely help when you get in Rome. And trying to compare my GT to an automatic...lol there's no comparison! my manual is a lot more fun to drive and much quicker. I see you did the carfax and were very pleased with it, this car has been very well taken care of and I welcome any inspection or background search on it! Let me know what I can do to assist you in getting here to test drive it.

[tpollauf]

I'm looking forward to pics of the bikes!

Here you go ... and here's a brief explanation of what you're looking at:

These first two pics are of my M-50 with the shorter 18" frame. It fits no problem and just clears the rear hatch & headliner.
This format of positioning the bikes will work out the best, especially since we lose a couple inches of rear height due to
us having the optional sunroof (a MUST for me )



These next pics show BOTH bikes in the Vibe. Thanks to my wife's long legs, her M-20 needed to be the taller 20" frame and
her goose neck on the bike is a bit taller also, thus I needed to remove the cover to the spare tire in order to have enough clearance.
The rear tires lay nicely between the two front bucket seats but not too far forward to where it will interfere with any safe or
comfortable driving. Wheels & seats can then lay pretty much anywhere and you still have TONS of room for camping gear & luggage.




This last pic merely shows the clearance to the back hatch glass. Plenty of room! You certainly don't want anything to rub up
against the electric grid defrost elements.


Hope this helps you in realizing that THIS Vibe is for you. As another post mentioned, the stick is so much more fun to drive and with
the bigger 2.4l engine it scoots at a pretty good pace when you want it to Also, despite EPA numbers (they report the same numbers for auto or manual), the manual truly DOES get
about ONE mpg better than the automatic. My son's 2009 Vibe GT (blue in my signature) has an automatic (lazy kid ) and it is nowhere
near the fun of driving as compared to my stick shift.

Keep us posted on all arrangements WHEN you purchase this Vibe & good luck

[Th17kit]

Thanks for the pics Tim! Clearly a couple bikes are possible without too much trouble. It even looks like one could have the single rear seat up if needed. Rodney agreed to have the car inspected before I make any travel plans (my dime of course). So, the process continues.

[tpollauf]

It even looks like one could have the single rear seat up if needed.

Yeah I never gave that much thought or I would have repositioned the smaller section back up in place, then snap a pic to show it to you. That would also add some stability to the bikes as far as any tipping is concerned. Plus it might actually add to your luggage capacity by doing so. Lot's of possibilities with these cars. Looking forward to you getting my identical twin

[Th17kit]

Well, it's with some disappointment on my part that I report that Rodney found a buyer for his original asking price. While I'm happy for him I have to say I'm kinda sad. I had just test drove a similar (automatic/cigarette smell) '09 GT and really liked it a lot. Plenty of power, fun to drive, good storage. So, I'll keep on the lookout for a decently priced '09-'10!

[Rodney1t1]

Really sorry it didn't work out for you kit. Hope you find a vehicle that's as nice as you are! Anyone looking to sell keep this guy in mind!

[tpollauf]

Well, it's with some disappointment on my part that I report that Rodney found a buyer for his original asking price.

I had just test drove a similar (automatic/cigarette smell) '09 GT and really liked it a lot. Plenty of power, fun to drive, good storage. So, I'll keep on the lookout for a decently priced '09-'10!

You should be able to find one soon BUT the GT trim with a manual trans is VERY rare If memory serves me correct, One out of 20 going down the assembly line were GT's. Then to further make it rare, one out of five GT's were manual transmissions. This puts it down to one out of every 100 Vibes matching that description. Then there's the color match, etc ..... When I did searches for my Vibe GT that I wanted back in May 2009, I think there were 20 or so exact matches in the entire country. Closest to me was Farmington Hills Michigan, Indianapolis Indiana, and the Medina auto mall in Medina Ohio which is where my Vibe came from. You'll find another one somewhere ... don't give up