Buying an '09 Vibe 1.8 auto

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:08 am

I think I'll be buying a 2009 1.8L Vibe tonight to replace my aging 1998 Grand Am (with 275,000 miles!). The car has 99,000 miles on it but appears to be in great condition.

I do pretty much all my own car work (it wouldn't make sense to keep a 15 year old GA with 275k running if I were paying someone else for it). What should I know about this car? Is there anything I should do right away? I was thinking I might replace the transmission fluid and filter and maybe the brake fluid. it was apparently involved in an accident in 2012 that led to a radiator replacement so I shouldn't have to worry about the coolant for a while.

I will probably get the mud guards and OEM cargo mat eventually. Not really interested in appearance mods or anything like that; mostly interested in helping the car be as reliable as possible.

My girlfriend just got a 2010 Corolla, which is kinda amusing... for several years she had a '99 Sunfire while I had the Grand Am.

runningslow · Post by **runningslow** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:40 am

kumquat wrote:I think I'll be buying a 2009 1.8L Vibe tonight to replace my aging 1998 Grand Am (with 275,000 miles!). The car has 99,000 miles on it but appears to be in great condition.

I do pretty much all my own car work (it wouldn't make sense to keep a 15 year old GA with 275k running if I were paying someone else for it). What should I know about this car? Is there anything I should do right away? I was thinking I might replace the transmission fluid and filter and maybe the brake fluid. it was apparently involved in an accident in 2012 that led to a radiator replacement so I shouldn't have to worry about the coolant for a while.

I will probably get the mud guards and OEM cargo mat eventually. Not really interested in appearance mods or anything like that; mostly interested in helping the car be as reliable as possible.

My girlfriend just got a 2010 Corolla, which is kinda amusing... for several years she had a '99 Sunfire while I had the Grand Am.

Welcome... and sticking with amusing... your Vibe and your girlfriend's Corolla will have identical engines and transmissions (if the Corolla is an auto).

I just bought my 2006 Vibe a few weeks ago and my still to be completed to-do list is similar to yours. I would probably add spark plugs. Besides that, drive it! It should be very reliable with the Toyota drive train hiding under the Ponitac sheet metal and easilt meet, or beat, your Grand Am's 275K with regular maintenance.

SeattleJeremy · Post by **SeattleJeremy** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 9:48 am

I had a 1996 Grand Am from 99-04, and put over 100k miles on it. As good as it was I was glad to be rid of it. Maintenance got too expensive after 150k.

As runningslow mentioned. If the Grand Am and Sunfire are like siblings, then the Vibe and Corrolla are like fraternal twins raised by different parents.

It's time for the 100k normal maintenance

runningslow · Post by **runningslow** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:03 am

SeattleJeremy wrote:As runningslow mentioned. If the Grand Am and Sunfire are like siblings, then the Vibe and Corrolla are like fraternal twins raised by different parents.

Just like my Vibe and the wife's 2005 Corolla.

Once you pop the hood, its hard to tell them apart. (besides the paint color that is....

)

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:11 am

Yeah that's definitely the funny thing. I spent some time earlier today looking at parts on Rock Auto for both cars, noting the identical part #s. Her car has the bumper-to-bumper for a few more years (she's under 35k); hopefully the Vibe won't require much work for a few years. I didn't realize how much time and effort I'd been putting into the GA until I went back and looked at my service logs.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:38 pm

Welcome to GenVibe! As others have said, you should have no problem meeting, and probably exceeding. the mileage of your Grand Am with a Vibe! Be sure and post some pictures of the Vibe if and when you get it

.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 4:11 am

Thanks guys.

I went to look at the car yesterday and it's beautiful. The salesman told me it had been owned the past 3 years by an old lady. I think I actually laughed at him when he said that. He said "I know! But it really was." As I was checking the car out a few minutes later, I noticed something crammed beneath the rear seatback. I pulled it out to find.... an Avon catalog. I guess he wasn't pulling my chain

The car is beautiful though. Pristine condition too. The asking price is about $1000 below the KBB price, but they're also charging a $499 conveyance fee. B-tards don't seem to be willing to negotiate a dollar on the price. I guess that's understandable since the price is so low already, and considering it comes with remote start (!).

There are no floor mats though, which is a bummer. I'll see if I can get him to knock $100 or so off to help me get some Husky or Weathertec mats. I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying it one way or another though.

Nasmfell · Post by **Nasmfell** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:21 am

kumquat wrote:Thanks guys.

I went to look at the car yesterday and it's beautiful. The salesman told me it had been owned the past 3 years by an old lady. I think I actually laughed at him when he said that. He said "I know! But it really was." As I was checking the car out a few minutes later, I noticed something crammed beneath the rear seatback. I pulled it out to find.... an Avon catalog. I guess he wasn't pulling my chain

The car is beautiful though. Pristine condition too. The asking price is about $1000 below the KBB price, but they're also charging a $499 conveyance fee. B-tards don't seem to be willing to negotiate a dollar on the price. I guess that's understandable since the price is so low already, and considering it comes with remote start (!).

There are no floor mats though, which is a bummer. I'll see if I can get him to knock $100 or so off to help me get some Husky or Weathertec mats. I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying it one way or another though.

It's posts like these that I'm glad I joined this group. You (and probably the salesman too) had a laugh when you found out the original owner, then it turned to disgust when you found out an additional fee would be added? Now that is funny

You'll probably wind up buying it, the salesman will see the look of excitement on your face and you'll end up paying more than what the car is worth.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:27 am

The price on the car is under $8k before the cnoveyance fee, and even after it's still well below blue book retail price ($9800). The equivalent Matrix price is $10,100. So I'm still getting a really good deal.

The dude is not budging an inch on the price, though.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Thu Sep 19, 2013 11:44 am

kumquat wrote:The price on the car is under $8k before the cnoveyance fee, and even after it's still well below blue book retail price ($9800). The equivalent Matrix price is $10,100. So I'm still getting a really good deal.

The dude is not budging an inch on the price, though.

In Ohio the current typical conveyance fee is $250. When I bought my '03 in January 2003 it was $50.
I think disclosure of that fee ought to accompany any dealer advertisement, window sticker etc. that advertises a "price".
I have complained about that to the Ohio Attorney General but the Auto Dealers lobby here is too well connected to see that implemented.
I am sure they routinely make significant campaign contributions to the AG etc.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 7:21 pm

Welcome to GenVibe Kumquat

Take the plunge and get it (by now you probably already have it in your driveway!) At 99k on the car it is just broken in and you'll easily get 250k or more out of it. Post pics when you get a chance

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 7:27 pm

It's all mine. Picked it up this afternoon. Rear bumper guard and cargo mat are on the way. Only thing that bothers me is how soft the throttle is. Awesome car though.

The uploaded isn't playing nice with my phone so I'll put up pics later .

Nasmfell · Post by **Nasmfell** » Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:46 pm

kumquat wrote:It's all mine. Picked it up this afternoon. Rear bumper guard and cargo mat are on the way. Only thing that bothers me is how soft the throttle is. Awesome car though.

The uploaded isn't playing nice with my phone so I'll put up pics later .

Congratulations. How are you dealing with the rear visibility?

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:49 pm

Nasmfell wrote:
kumquat wrote:It's all mine. Picked it up this afternoon. Rear bumper guard and cargo mat are on the way. Only thing that bothers me is how soft the throttle is. Awesome car though.

The uploaded isn't playing nice with my phone so I'll put up pics later .

Congratulations. How are you dealing with the rear visibility?

Doesn't seem like an issue with the mirrors properly adjusted. I've checked a few times and have continuous visibility between the rearview, sideview, and over-the-shoulder glance out the back side window.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:53 pm

Pretty much totally stock at the moment. I'll be putting on a bumper guard and Yakima roof rack soon, so I'll be taking pics of that. I'm also installing my JVC head unit and phone mount too. I'll probably put up some pics of that as well.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Sat Sep 21, 2013 8:05 pm

When I bought my '09 the dealer had 4 1.8L AT PPkg that GM had apparently paid him a $2,000 dealer incentive to take off their hands as they were advertised at $2,000 under invoice - 1 white, 1 black and 2 carbon grey. The white looked best but I am not into frequent car washing so I opted for the carbon gray.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 22, 2013 3:51 am

Congratulations on your "new" Vibe! I'm not usually a fan of white vehicles, but I have to admit the Vibes look really sharp in white (than again, IMO Vibes look good in pretty much any color

)!

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Sun Sep 22, 2013 8:08 am

kumquat wrote: I'll be putting on a bumper guard and Yakima roof rack soon,

I don't know what a Yakima roof rack looks like BUT I would highly suggest the Matrix roof rack as seen on this White 2009 base 2.4l vibe

Let us know what you end up doing and POST PICS !!!!!

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Sun Sep 22, 2013 10:52 am

That does look sharp, but won't work for me. The bars are too short and the shape won't fit the bike and kayak carriers I use.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Sun Sep 22, 2013 6:51 pm

Welcome to Generation Vibe - congrats on the car - it looks great! I am a fan of (clean) white cars.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Mon Sep 30, 2013 1:07 pm

So far I've added the Matrix rear bumper protector, my Yakima roof rack with fairing, GM splash guards, and rear cargo mat. I've also replaced the factory stereo, mounted my Garmin GPS in the space below the stereo, added a switch that activates the dome lights, and added a mount for my phone that covers the Passenger Airbag warning display.

I'll get some pics up once I get the car cleaned up a little and the temporary license plate comes off.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:45 am

kumquat wrote:So far I've added...GM splash guards...

Did you install those yourself or did you have the dealer do it?

If you did it on your own, did you have to drill holes in either metal or plastic to mount them?

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:47 am

Kincaid wrote:
kumquat wrote:So far I've added...GM splash guards...
Did you install those yourself or did you have the dealer do it?

If you did it on your own, did you have to drill holes in either metal or plastic to mount them?

Well, they're sitting in the box right now actually. I'll let you know

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:08 pm

A few quick shots. Not quality glamour shots, but I'll get those later when I'm done with the list of stuff to do.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:12 pm

Looking good! That's quite the list of completed mods you have there already

!

mrbravo2000 · Post by **mrbravo2000** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:13 pm

man, that's close to a mod a day. you'll have a transformer by the end of the day. the roof rack looks wild (in a cool way), I personally don't like it as a permanent fixture but it does add some clean lines from the front. don't like the look from behind at all which is certainly important to me.

anyways, the picture below has convinced me to look into a matrix roofrack.

upload a pic of the phone mount, im planning on something similar.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:22 pm

The phone mount is a combination of 3 items: a cheapo eBay Galaxy S3 bike mount holder, a cut-down Garmin Nuvi clip, and a sticky ball mount.

Here's the ball mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Mount-Garm ... pd_sim_e_8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the phone mount:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Bicycle-Ha ... 4d073955af" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And here's a Nuvi windshield mount that includes the clip part:
http://www.amazon.com/ChargerCity-Winds ... +nuvi+clip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I just cut the ends off the Nuvi clip and epoxied it to the back of the phone mount. The ball mount came with some good permanent sticky tape preinstalled. Bonus from this mount is that it blocks the annoying Passenger Airbag lights.

mrbravo2000 · Post by **mrbravo2000** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:28 pm

kumquat wrote:The phone mount is a combination of 3 items: a cheapo eBay Galaxy S3 bike mount holder, a cut-down Garmin Nuvi clip, and a sticky ball mount.

Here's the ball mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Mount-Garm ... pd_sim_e_8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the phone mount:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Bicycle-Ha ... 4d073955af" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And here's a Nuvi windshield mount that includes the clip part:
http://www.amazon.com/ChargerCity-Winds ... +nuvi+clip" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I just cut the ends off the Nuvi clip and epoxied it to the back of the phone mount. The ball mount came with some good permanent sticky tape preinstalled. Bonus from this mount is that it blocks the annoying Passenger Airbag lights.

dude, that's sweet! +2, for the unit and blocking that annoying display. Was looking for a mpg gauge but this is just as good with the Torque app

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:34 pm

Thanks. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The ball mount is stiff enough to hold the phone up no problem but not so stiff that I can't move it around. The passenger airbag light unit isn't super secure and you can feel it moving around in its housing when you move the phone, but it's holding fine. If it gets looser I'll just epoxy it in place from behind.

MadJoe · Post by **MadJoe** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:11 pm

Good looking car. I like the rear bumper guard. Was that a factory option? How does it mount and will it work with an 03? Thanks.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:10 am

It's a Bushwacker guard made for a Matrix. I've no idea how it would fit an older model.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:18 am

Kincaid wrote:
kumquat wrote:So far I've added...GM splash guards...
Did you install those yourself or did you have the dealer do it?

If you did it on your own, did you have to drill holes in either metal or plastic to mount them?

I installed the splash guards today. It was pretty easy and straightforward. I did have to drill a few holes, but all the drilling is into plastic and you use the splash guards themselves as templates, making it pretty easy. I like the look and they'll definitely help protect the paint. I do a lot of driving where there will be small stones and dirt (ski resorts, trail heads, etc)

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 3:25 pm

kumquat wrote:I installed the splash guards today. It was pretty easy and straightforward. I did have to drill a few holes, but all the drilling is into plastic and you use the splash guards themselves as templates, making it pretty easy. I like the look and they'll definitely help protect the paint. I do a lot of driving where there will be small stones and dirt (ski resorts, trail heads, etc)

Hopefully they will also help keep the rear end from getting like this in the snow:

Rayven01 · Post by **Rayven01** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:32 am

vibenvy wrote:Hopefully they will also help keep the rear end from getting like this in the snow:

THAT is exactly what I'd like to prevent, and I'm most skeptical about the tiny molded flaps doing the job. I can see them preventing dings behind the wheels, sure, but the splash across the back? I've never had a car where the whole rear end just gets completely covered with road grime like that. On the sides and wrapping around a bit sure, but all the way across? It baffles me.

kumquat · Post by **kumquat** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:36 am

Yeah, the flaps will do nothing to prevent the back hatch getting covered in snow or dirt. The reason that happens is because the squarish back creates drag, which is essentially wind directed straight at the back of the car. Any debris in the air behind the car will get sucked up and pushed against the car.

Rayven01 · Post by **Rayven01** » Thu Oct 17, 2013 6:21 am

I was afraid it was something like that. I used to lease an '01 Focus zx3 hatch that didn't have this issue, but looking back I see it had a lot more angled back glass.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:54 pm

kumquat wrote:
Kincaid wrote:
kumquat wrote:So far I've added...GM splash guards...
Did you install those yourself or did you have the dealer do it?

If you did it on your own, did you have to drill holes in either metal or plastic to mount them?
I installed the splash guards today. It was pretty easy and straightforward. I did have to drill a few holes, but all the drilling is into plastic and you use the splash guards themselves as templates, making it pretty easy. I like the look and they'll definitely help protect the paint. I do a lot of driving where there will be small stones and dirt (ski resorts, trail heads, etc)

Good to know. I will have to get this done - I've had the splash guards sitting in a box for four years.

Buying an '09 Vibe 1.8 auto

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