1st Gen Vibe Prices

[mickkh]

First of all, Hello! I'm posting for the first time because I'm looking around for a 1st gen Vibe/Matrix. They always seemed appealing, but it was hard to find one at the right price when I needed a car, so I never got one. Had a MR2 with the 1.8 liter engine a few years back, and it was a nice zippy powerplant. Now I recently purchased my girlfriend's HHR- it has been really reliable at 155K miles and averages 26mpg mixed driving, 32 hwy. It's hard for me to get my 6'4" long torso body comfortable in it though, more so than any other car, to the point where my shoulders are always sore if the trip goes longer than 40 minutes. All attempts to make the seat more comfortable have failed. So here is the price question: What sort of price would be good for a 2003-2006 Vibe (or Matrix)?

Here in Raleigh, prices seem to be in the $5000-7000 range on Craigslist, regardless of whether the vehicle has 120K or 165K, and regardless of whether it's a 2003/04/05/06 (2007 and up seem higher, which is why I didn't include them here). There isn't too much fluctuation. Does that sound about right?

And are there pitfalls to a Vibe in this mileage range, things that are likely to have worn out? It seems a number of people with the base Matrix with manual transmissions have had their bearings go out at under 100K, resulting in expensive repairs. Has the Vibe had the same transmission issues ? Or any other significant problems?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm the type of person who likes to get as much information as possible about any purchase before taking the leap. The Vibe looks like a good, reliable car, but I can't figure why the prices seem to be within such a small range when the mileage and years or the cars are so varied. Maybe a testament to how much people like them?

[runningslow]

First of all, Hello! I'm posting for the first time because I'm looking around for a 1st gen Vibe/Matrix. They always seemed appealing, but it was hard to find one at the right price when I needed a car, so I never got one. Had a MR2 with the 1.8 liter engine a few years back, and it was a nice zippy powerplant. Now I recently purchased my girlfriend's HHR- it has been really reliable at 155K miles and averages 26mpg mixed driving, 32 hwy. It's hard for me to get my 6'4" long torso body comfortable in it though, more so than any other car, to the point where my shoulders are always sore if the trip goes longer than 40 minutes. All attempts to make the seat more comfortable have failed. So here is the price question: What sort of price would be good for a 2003-2006 Vibe (or Matrix)?

Here in Raleigh, prices seem to be in the $5000-7000 range on Craigslist, regardless of whether the vehicle has 120K or 165K, and regardless of whether it's a 2003/04/05/06 (2007 and up seem higher, which is why I didn't include them here). There isn't too much fluctuation. Does that sound about right?

And are there pitfalls to a Vibe in this mileage range, things that are likely to have worn out? It seems a number of people with the base Matrix with manual transmissions have had their bearings go out at under 100K, resulting in expensive repairs. Has the Vibe had the same transmission issues ? Or any other significant problems?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm the type of person who likes to get as much information as possible about any purchase before taking the leap. The Vibe looks like a good, reliable car, but I can't figure why the prices seem to be within such a small range when the mileage and years or the cars are so varied. Maybe a testament to how much people like them?

Welcome to the board! I'm new around here, too... my experience with the Vibe is less than two weeks old, so I can't tell you anything about Vibe specific pitfalls. I just paid ~$7000 (before tax) for my '06 Vibe Base from a dealer here in the Greater Orlando Area. It was a well cared for specimen with the automatic and about 110K miles.

As for the engine and tranny, I also own an '05 Corolla with same 1.8L engine and the 5 speed manual. The tranny failed the day after it rolled over to 200K miles and my wife had just gotten home from a 1200 mile roadtrip. That car has been trouble free since the day we bought it new, so we went ahead and replaced the tranny and hope to see another 100K or more out of it in years to come. It was because of that experience that I was comfortable buying the Vibe with over 100K miles.

Side note: You're 6'-4" and fit into an MR2? Impressive.

[creekhed1]

I bought my 2003 GT with 100K miles onit for $3100 plus tax...$3500 total incl tax and Registration.
That is STEALING IT....but you should be able to get one for under $5000 if you are patient and a good negotiator. If a smaller dealer has one on his lot for a while he will be willing to deal. Mine started out at $5995. Went down to $5495...then $4995... I called said I'd give him $3500 TOTAL OUT THE DOOR. He declined. A week went by.... I called again... "I would still buy it for $3500 out the door".
"C'mon down" he said. The rest is history.

Keep in mind though....the AC didnt work, the passenger mirror glass was replaced with incorrect mirror, the temp control on dash was inoperable and the Air Recirc gear was stripped making it make a bad noise unless the RECIRC button was pressed. The last problem is VERY common and I fixed it in under an hour.
It did have new tires though! lol
...and ran great!

[Caretaker]

Hey Mick. I'm going to go a bit off topic here. If you are that tall, why do you want a Vibe? I am 6'1'' and have owned both Vibes. The first gen is a very uncomfortable ride for a tall person. The leg room is not great, and you need to remove the dead petal just to give your left leg some resting room. The first gen also does not have a telescoping steering wheel, making finding a good driving position nearly impossible. Again, having owned both generations, I'd go for something totally different. The Vibe, while a reliable car, is not super reliable. While I don't have all the details on why you are looking at a Vibe (wagon versatility, below $6,000, or whatever), I'll throw out some other ideas since I am a person who fits in VERY few compact/subcompact cars and always has to plan what my next car will be way ahead of time. I just can't close my eyes and choose from a random list on Edmunds. So, have you thought about a used Hyundai Elantra Touring since they are now out of production, yet pretty plentiful on the market? I think my ET is far better than my current '09 Vibe in almost every category. There are lots of used Mazda 3 hatchbacks out there as well, although they usually bring in a premium because of their reliability. I'll stop with those two since I am off topic, but I wanted to make sure you knew there were other options out there in that used car category. Since you are a tall guy, don't be that tall guy on the Simpsons who uncomfortably squeezes himself into a fuel efficient car so Nelson can point to him and shout Ha, Ha.

[runningslow]

Hey Mick. I'm going to go a bit off topic here. If you are that tall, why do you want a Vibe? I am 6'1'' and have owned both Vibes. The first gen is a very uncomfortable ride for a tall person. The leg room is not great, and you need to remove the dead petal just to give your left leg some resting room. The first gen also does not have a telescoping steering wheel, making finding a good driving position nearly impossible. Again, having owned both generations, I'd go for something totally different. The Vibe, while a reliable car, is not super reliable. While I don't have all the details on why you are looking at a Vibe (wagon versatility, below $6,000, or whatever), I'll throw out some other ideas since I am a person who fits in VERY few compact/subcompact cars and always has to plan what my next car will be way ahead of time. I just can't close my eyes and choose from a random list on Edmunds. So, have you thought about a used Hyundai Elantra Touring since they are now out of production, yet pretty plentiful on the market? I think my ET is far better than my current '09 Vibe in almost every category. There are lots of used Mazda 3 hatchbacks out there as well, although they usually bring in a premium because of their reliability. I'll stop with those two since I am off topic, but I wanted to make sure you knew there were other options out there in that used car category. Since you are a tall guy, don't be that tall guy on the Simpsons who uncomfortably squeezes himself into a fuel efficient car so Nelson can point to him and shout Ha, Ha.

Staying off topic: Every body is a little different. Caretaker, I think I have a higher torso-to-leg ratio than you, because I'm 6'-2" and fit just fine in my '06 Vibe and my wife's '05 Corolla. No modifications necessary (besides putting the seat in the lowest position). I've helped my wife put over 200K miles on that Corolla since we bought it, so I have some experience behind the wheel including some lengthy roadtrips.

For the record, I've owned a few other small cars, too: '88 Ford Festiva, '95 Dodge Neon, '97 Ford Aspire and a '98 Ford Escort. Loved them all, for different reasons at different times of my life. The Neon had the worst ergonomics for me and honestly... I think the Festiva was the best. I've even test driven a new Fiat 500 and found it to fit like a glove. (I'll admit, though, that I might have looked a bit like the tall guy from the Simpsons getting out of the 500.)

TL;DR - My advice to mickkh is to test drive a Vibe/Matrix to make sure you fit.

[alisha]

Welcome i just got a 2003 vibe and drove 3 1/2 hrs just yesterday for vacation on a little over a quarter tank of gas i find it to be a great ride i bought this car a little over a week ago to replace my 2003 matrix that was totaled most the vibes in my area of pa down to va were 5-8 grand regardless of auto or stick miles really made no price difference to price i had wanted another matrix but they ranged from 4 grand with 200 thousand plus miles to 9 thousand with 60 thousand on them
These cars are priced this way cause they are being bougt by retired ppl and kids due to gas econemy and durability my family has 2 other matrix cars a 04 and 09. From new and never had a problem with them they are both automatics which seems the way to go as for size we range from 5ft-6.3ft and everyone is comfey the only thing we have a problem with is ppl hitting us 03 was totaled by a drunk driver who then hit the 04 in the front quarter 04 was also in a crash front and back 2years ago by a lady texting

[mickkh]

Thanks for all the input. Yeah, I'll have to go drive a vibe soon. For whatever reason, I don't usually have problems fitting in cars. I probably would not fit in a Miata, but cockpit of my MR2 was set low and it had decent headroom, although the wind ruffled my hair a bit with the top down. Oddly enough, I fit quite well in a Geo Metro- anyone remember the tiny hatchback with the 1.0 liter 3 cylinder engine that got 45 mpg? It wasn't spacious but had plenty of headroom and the seats were fine. The HHR is the only one that I feel neck and upper shoulder pain once I do a longer drive with. A shame, because they are a good car.

The Vibe/Martix seems like a good compromise of utilitarian features - good mpg, have to have a hatchback for 'stuff', and it has towing capacity. We have to tow a small pop up camper and a lightweight 4 x 8 utility trailer for the occasional trip to Lowes. This spring, I was able to find a 2007 Mazda 3 hatchback with 125K for $3500, which my girlfriend has. It had a cracked windshield and a dent in the hatch, but they were easily fixed and it is a neat car and a lot faster than expected when you hit the gas. Unfortunately, Mazda says not to tow with the 3, which is the reason my girlfriend has it rather than me.

I'd like to find a Vibe for a bit lower than I've seen recently on Craigslist, or something with less than 140K on the odometer.When I see something with 160K or more on it, it makes me leery of how long it's going to be able to go before it needs a major repair, even though the Toyota drivetrain has a very good reputation.

[SeattleJeremy]

Welcome to GenVibe!

I'll start off by saying I'm 6'6"/170lbs, with a long torso, and fit very comfortably in my 06 5-speed Vibe, even on 4+ hour road trips. I also feel the HHR isn't a pleasant place to be after an hour (had one as a rental a few years ago), maybe due to it's low windshield? My mother in law has a 95 Geo Metro, great little car.

The 03-05 5-speeds have known issues with their bearings. Toyota fixed the problem in 06+ 5-speeds, the 6-speed never had that problem, and nether did the automatic. The 03-06 (maybe 07's) sometimes develop a problem with the intake manifold gasket, but it's a $10 part and one hour of labor to fix it.

As for the prices they're inline with what is available in the Seattle area. However, there are deals to be had, if you look hard enough.
The Vibe is a really good car, that has very low maintenance costs, and there have been many people on this forum and matrixownersclub that have reached 300k miles. Of course getting one with less than 120K miles on the OD would be ideal.

[zythr]

Too bad you need a car to tow, or I would have suggested the Scion XB

[zythr]

Hey Mick. I'm going to go a bit off topic here. If you are that tall, why do you want a Vibe? I am 6'1'' and have owned both Vibes. The first gen is a very uncomfortable ride for a tall person. The leg room is not great, and you need to remove the dead petal just to give your left leg some resting room. The first gen also does not have a telescoping steering wheel, making finding a good driving position nearly impossible. Again, having owned both generations, I'd go for something totally different. The Vibe, while a reliable car, is not super reliable. While I don't have all the details on why you are looking at a Vibe (wagon versatility, below $6,000, or whatever), I'll throw out some other ideas since I am a person who fits in VERY few compact/subcompact cars and always has to plan what my next car will be way ahead of time. I just can't close my eyes and choose from a random list on Edmunds. So, have you thought about a used Hyundai Elantra Touring since they are now out of production, yet pretty plentiful on the market? I think my ET is far better than my current '09 Vibe in almost every category. There are lots of used Mazda 3 hatchbacks out there as well, although they usually bring in a premium because of their reliability. I'll stop with those two since I am off topic, but I wanted to make sure you knew there were other options out there in that used car category. Since you are a tall guy, don't be that tall guy on the Simpsons who uncomfortably squeezes himself into a fuel efficient car so Nelson can point to him and shout Ha, Ha.

Staying off topic: Every body is a little different. Caretaker, I think I have a higher torso-to-leg ratio than you, because I'm 6'-2" and fit just fine in my '06 Vibe and my wife's '05 Corolla. No modifications necessary (besides putting the seat in the lowest position). I've helped my wife put over 200K miles on that Corolla since we bought it, so I have some experience behind the wheel including some lengthy roadtrips.

For the record, I've owned a few other small cars, too: '88 Ford Festiva, '95 Dodge Neon, '97 Ford Aspire and a '98 Ford Escort. Loved them all, for different reasons at different times of my life. The Neon had the worst ergonomics for me and honestly... I think the Festiva was the best. I've even test driven a new Fiat 500 and found it to fit like a glove. (I'll admit, though, that I might have looked a bit like the tall guy from the Simpsons getting out of the 500.)

TL;DR - My advice to mickkh is to test drive a Vibe/Matrix to make sure you fit.

The Vibe/Matrix appears to have a cockpit feel, so maybe it's not one size fits all.

[jake75]

Unfortunately a lot of even much larger vehicles have a "cockpit" feel - especially the sedans. Many have a "Chinese Wall" between the two front bucket seats that is higher than the Vibe. My memory is that was something I did not like about the Chevrolet Equinox - was not as bad in the Ford Escape. I miss the full bench seat in the front like we had years ago. I think the last car I had with that was a 1977 Buick Estate Wagon.

[bluneon]

keeping trim level, options & mileage the same; the matrix will be $2-3k more than the vibe.

this was how it was when i was shopping. but it didn't matter to me because i prefer the sportier, edgier look of the vibe over the bland matrix.

[Nasmfell]

keeping trim level, options & mileage the same; the matrix will be $2-3k more than the vibe.

this was how it was when i was shopping. but it didn't matter to me because i prefer the sportier, edgier look of the vibe over the bland matrix.

Matrix has the Toyota name behind it, hence the higher asking price.

[FarmerRick]

Bought my 2008 Vibe standard(5 speed, 1.8L) with 48,000 miles on it about 2 months ago.

Dealer wanted $10,000 for it, traded in my 2002 Camry with 152,000 miles and a suspect transmission and $5300 for the Vibe.

I've been averaging about 31 mpg in mixed commuting... couldn't be much happier unless the ride was a bit softer.

[mickkh]

Just a quick update- the GT looks like the best option because of the reliability of the 6 speed tranny and the zippy engine. A dealer around here has an 03 Vibe GT with 105K for $5900- fair price according to KBB but I'm always trying to find a good deal. I also took a look at an 03' GT for sale privately, 177K, priced at $3500. It had some things wrong with it that the seller hadn't mentioned in the ad, the biggest one being that the a/c didn't work. Really liked how it drove, but the seller not disclosing the problems and the fact that he'd only had the car since this spring and was already trying to sell it seemed pretty sketchy. He wasn't coming down on the price either, so while I liked the Vibe, I didn't like the vibe he gave off. But yeah, I'm keeping my eyes out for a GT in reasonable condition, likely an 03-05 given my budget.

[kaflex]

Just a quick update- the GT looks like the best option because of the reliability of the 6 speed tranny and the zippy engine. A dealer around here has an 03 Vibe GT with 105K for $5900- fair price according to KBB but I'm always trying to find a good deal. I also took a look at an 03' GT for sale privately, 177K, priced at $3500. It had some things wrong with it that the seller hadn't mentioned in the ad, the biggest one being that the a/c didn't work. Really liked how it drove, but the seller not disclosing the problems and the fact that he'd only had the car since this spring and was already trying to sell it seemed pretty sketchy. He wasn't coming down on the price either, so while I liked the Vibe, I didn't like the vibe he gave off. But yeah, I'm keeping my eyes out for a GT in reasonable condition, likely an 03-05 given my budget.

I picked up my 03 GT from a dealer about a week ago for $5,500 out the door with bout 120k on it, only had 1 previous owner and there's still 1 open recall that I need to get done. Had new tires and the backing plates are rubbing against the rotors. I told the dealer about the noise when i test drove it, I bought it that way and he went and put new rear rotors and pads on it. Also came with a 3 month warranty. I love it.

[MadJoe]

I guess I got a deal on mine, but my girlfriend sold me her 03. Dealer offered her only $1500 for trade in. I told my girlfriend I would give her $3k. She was the original owner of the car and it has 126K on it. I have the window sticker and it appears to have most options. It had recent tires and new struts and she even left the Kenwood stereo in it. Air works and it's an automatic. Even has the power moon roof.

My case was different, but I was surprised to see how well these cars hold value, except when trading them in.

[jake75]

$1,500 - that's a real "stealership". In 2007 when I bought my 2007 T&C SWB the Chrysler dealer offered me $7,000 for my 2004 T&C SWB with 22,000 miles; CarMax offered $8,000. I sold it privately for $11,500. Similar cars on the CarMax website were priced at a no-haggle $13,000-14,000. When I bought my '09 Vibe in Jan. 2009 I didn't even bother to ask what they would give me for my '03 with 33,000 miles. I sold that for $9,500 and had a back-up buyer in case that fell through. I think dealers sell as many or more used cars as new ones and they make a lot more profit on a used car than a new one.

[sbaxter]

Trade-in is designed for those who can't be bothered (lazy) with selling the car themselves. Wife was offered $2,280 for her 07 Optra, sold fo $6,000. They need to safety, clean-up, market, etc, and make a profit. I understand why they offer so low so I wasn't surprised.

[jake75]

I wouldn't go so far as to say lazy - the paperwork is easier if you have clear title (no loan). Once when I was letting a young lady test drive with just her and me in the car it occurred to me that she could cry "attempted sexual assault" or try to blackmail me with that. And of course the craigslist people (buyers and sellers) are infamous for the tricks they pull. The main problem I see with people who try to sell a car on their own is that they are unrealistic with the price. I always print out the no haggle prices on comparable cars via a CarMax nationwde search.