Looking to Buy a Vibe...

[kndietz]

Hi everyone, I am new to the site. I am looking for a 1st gen AWD Vibe. One that I have found locally is a 2006 with 78k miles. I went and test drove it and loved it. A few things are wrong with it, the heat only works on highest setting, back bumper paint is not glossy like the rest as it has 1 accident reported, etc. I am wondering what you think the value of this car would be-their asking price is 10,995. I haven't yet taken it to my mechanic but plan to.

[Nasmfell]

Hi:


The asking price is too much, especially since it has been in an accident, severity unknown. If you're still interested, make sure you ask the mechanic to put it on a lift and check to make sure the accident repair has been done decently, (no paint overspray, ill fitting panels, bad welds, etc). If that does not check out, then definitely pass.

[kndietz]

Thank you, I am interested to see what the mechanic says. I'm also curious if anyone has bought a vehicle from a different state/without seeing it ever?

[KITT222]

Welcome to GenVibe! That price is indeed too high. I'd be very intrigued at the quality of their repair. That said, I own a salvage-titled Vibe, so I'm a believer in salvaged cars to an extent. If possible, I'd see if a friend (or GV member?) can check out the car. That said, if there's one in the Minneapolis, MN area you are interested in I could check it out for you. Otherwise it could be hit-and-miss. I say only buy without seeing if it's a screamer of a deal, and the seller is honest with you.

[kndietz]

Thanks, I will keep my eyes peeled I'm in Wisconsin so that actually could work.

[trb]

Yes, I have to agree, that price is high. I paid $2,600 more than that for my son's 06 Vibe..... 5-1/2 years ago when it only had 7,000 miles on it! It sounds more like about a $5,000 - 6,000 car to me.

Certainly look around a good 250 or more miles for a good car, but I personally would want to look at it in person before I buy it. I bought my 2010 GT from a dealer that was about 3 hrs away, and I took the drive to check it out. Now there are mobile people that can check out a car for you and give you an independent report on it for a couple hundred or so, which might be a good thing if you find one you are really interested in.

Good luck!

[kndietz]

KBB states roughly 8-9k... I definitely feel it is too high and am really, really hoping to get it for a much lower amount. I am torn about what to offer them. I've done quite the searching but AWDs are scarce and most all that are within a reasonable distance to look at are much higher mileage ones than that. This one is conveniently only about a half hour away, and I'm hoping to get it into the shop this week so they can take a look at it.

[kndietz]

Just dropped it off at the mechanic, we will see what they say. I had about a 30 minute drive from the dealer to the mechanic and went very smoothly. When I got into town, however, the ABS (didn't see a light? but am guessing) came on twice, once when I was coming to a stop light and a second time when I was parking at the mechanics lot. Both of my other cars are much older with ABS, I drive very carefully, especially in winter, because neither of them are anything amazing at all. I was shocked to have the ABS come on twice in that short time. Is this normal for Vibes? If it does it right now I'd hate to see what it's like in real snow. If someone was directly in front of me I probably wouldn't have been able to stop in time! I'm a little baffled how my 94 FWD car would handle it better than that...

[Nasmfell]

Just dropped it off at the mechanic, we will see what they say. I had about a 30 minute drive from the dealer to the mechanic and went very smoothly. When I got into town, however, the ABS (didn't see a light? but am guessing) came on twice, once when I was coming to a stop light and a second time when I was parking at the mechanics lot. Both of my other cars are much older with ABS, I drive very carefully, especially in winter, because neither of them are anything amazing at all. I was shocked to have the ABS come on twice in that short time. Is this normal for Vibes? If it does it right now I'd hate to see what it's like in real snow. If someone was directly in front of me I probably wouldn't have been able to stop in time! I'm a little baffled how my 94 FWD car would handle it better than that...

I take it you have not bought it yet? It's not normal for the ABS light to be on except when the car is first started, then like the oil light, Generator light, etc it is supposed to go off. This Vibe just may have and ABS issue which could range from being cheap to expensive.

[kndietz]

I didnt buy it yet no, having mechanic check it out today. I didnt notice a light just what felt like ABS on my other cars. I may have just not noticed the light too since I was so shocked! We have snow, but nothing crazy...

[kndietz]

Mechanic said it checked out good, with the exception of a few very minor things. He thinks the ABS is just a lot more sensitive than my other cars :/ However when I was driving it back to the dealer, I purposely made them go off--I did not notice a light. Should there be one when the ABS is working? Or would it just come on if something was wrong with them?

[kndietz]

Another question, was there an awd 2007 model? I thought no but theres one advertised online...

[kndietz]

Sorry guys, I'm back. The Vibe I'd mentioned before is out of the picture since the dealer is not willing to go below 10,400. Now I have located another one. It is a 2003 AWD with 73k miles on it. However, they are asking 8,995! KBB and Edmunds TMV puts it around 6500. I spoke to one sales rep today who says these numbers are completely unrealistic. But why are both sites very similar in their evaluations? I don't want to pay thousands more than a cars value, but I'm finding it hard to find a decent one that isn't overpriced and I really need a new car soon.

[JerBear]

I don't know if you are looking for a AWD drive for any specific reason (They are nice to have) but that really lowers the amount of vehicles that are available. I live in Wisconsin and while I wouldn't mind having an AWD I have never had to stay home with our Vibe unless ice is an issue and AWD would not help there much. We have two Vibes, a 07 base and a 09 GT, both work fine in snow, up to 10 inches but the aluminum wheels on the GT will fill with snow and need to be cleaned out often or will get unbalanced at highway speeds. What I am getting at is, if you stay on the road and are used to driving in winter weather a Standard Vibe should work fine if you can't find a AWD. You will even have better milage, pay less, and have less maintenance issue later that can be very expensive but if you need it, you need it.

You are looking at a well made car and they can be hard to get people to give up. I know I have been hinting at getting a Subaru for my wife but she says "but I like my Vibe" No need to argue with success.

As far as $10400 for an 06 with 76000 miles that is too much. That is at least 3k north of what should be paid IMO. I do not pay a lot more to a dealer than I would a private individual. They are selling you a car just like the one you would buy from anybody else. They have looked it over and cleaned it up but a 7 year old car is not going to have a real long warranty for issues that come up and the reason I sell most of my cars outright is that dealers make money by low-balling the trade in and selling it to you for a 50 percent markup. People go to dealers for convenience not price. I don't know what they paid for that car but would be surprised if they paid more than $5500-6000.

[JerBear]

Here is an AWD in Viroqua (W/central part of Wisconsin near LaCrosse) it's an 09 base w/AWD 20000 fewer miles and 3 years newer than what you were looking at. It has the 2.4 motor that is better for the extra stuff the AWD entails. Give it a look if you are anywhere near that part of the state. Don't pay more than 11G unless it is really a great car and less if it has issues.
http://www.carsoup.com/details/used/200 ... R5cGVpZD0y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Nasmfell]

Here is an AWD in Viroqua (W/central part of Wisconsin near LaCrosse) it's an 09 base w/AWD 20000 fewer miles and 3 years newer than what you were looking at. It has the 2.4 motor that is better for the extra stuff the AWD entails. Give it a look if you are anywhere near that part of the state. Don't pay more than 11G unless it is really a great car and less if it has issues.
http://www.carsoup.com/details/used/200 ... R5cGVpZD0y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AWD Vibe mileage will not be that good with the 2.4, plus some of the 2.4s of this year has had excessive oil use issues. though the 1.8 has had issues of its own. 2009-2010 are risky, since NUMMI knew the Vibe was going to be discontinued (along with their jobs), they would be much less inclined to make sure that it was well put together. Someone already posted here, that their 2009 has shown a noticeable decline in quality compared to the 1st Gens, will some pieces already breaking at low miles.

[kndietz]

JerBear I am in Reedsburg! What are the chances of that? I drive a lot for work so would really just prefer AWD for those days I have to make trips that I have no choice but to make. Im trying to stick with a first gen but Ill take a look at that 09. I really need to find one soon but all of them around here seem so pricey. Is your wife sure she doesnt want to give hers up?

[JerBear]

I don't know if I could wrestle it from her but I'll let you know if she changes her mind. It is a FWD though, not a AWD.

[kndietz]

Well I found one and got it! Love it so far but I cannot figure out how to turn the passenger seatbelt sensor off and it's driving me nuts when my dog sits in the front!

[JerBear]

My my, you and I do have a lot in common. When my dog goes along with me I just buckle the belt and the buzzer quiets down. The only other way is fold the left front seat flat and send her to the back seat. Did you find an AWD?

[kndietz]

Yeah, I buckled the belt today. Just was hoping there was a normal solution I hadn't figured out yet I did find an AWD. Got really lucky actually... A couple who used to live in Madison and had moved out to Colorado were coming back here for the holidays to visit family. They were originally going to fly out and drive her moms Subaru that they're buying back. However with the snowstorm the weekend before last their flight got delayed too much and they decided to just drive out here and put the car on craigslist while they were back here to see if they could sell it instead of driving it back to CO and trying there! More miles than I'd originally hoped for but they gave me a great price on it. I'm happy!

[vibenvy]

Congratulations on finding a Vibe! Post some pictures of it when you get a chance !

[kndietz]

Sorry Ive been sooo busy! I absolutely love this car but I absolutely hate the gas mileage Im getting--about 20 mpg!! The people even raved about getting 30 mpg and I dont know what Im doing wrong or why its so bad. I dont drive heavy!?

[Nasmfell]

Sorry Ive been sooo busy! I absolutely love this car but I absolutely hate the gas mileage Im getting--about 20 mpg!! The people even raved about getting 30 mpg and I dont know what Im doing wrong or why its so bad. I dont drive heavy!?

Is that city or overall?

[09vGT]

Mine gets far under what some people rave about. I get around 23-24 (75%city/25%highwayish). I have gotten up to 32 MPG pure highway, but realistically 27-30.

When I accelerate I keep below 3000 RPM. Make sure your tires are full.

[kndietz]

Thats overall, and I drive a lot of highway for work too. Id have gotten an suv if I wanted that mpg

[Nasmfell]

Thats overall, and I drive a lot of highway for work too. Id have gotten an suv if I wanted that mpg

You have to remember the weight of the AWD and the power of the 1.8. Something is amiss, but even if fixed the mileage won't increase that much. According to fueleconomy.gov combined mileage is stated as 25 MPG. Ironically, mileage for the FWD model is not much better than AWD, especially on the highway. One more question your location does not have "winterized" fuel does it? That type of fuel will cause a drop in fuel mileage as well, since it takes more of it to produced power compared to warmer weather fuels.

[IBYTRUX]

We are on contract with CarFax and have their APP on my IPhone. I CarFax everything...............cheap insurance.

[kndietz]

I carfaxed it prior to getting it and took it to my mechanic-said all is well. The thing about people raving about it was that the couple that had it lived in the mountains and they even were saying how great it is. I realize combined is 25 mpg, but I do primarily highway driving and I am getting lower mpg than even pure city should be. I am not sure about winterized fuel... I am in Wisconsin. How do you tell?

[09SnowyVibe]

I have an 09 AWD vibe. The gas mileage is good in the summer. I get roughly 480-500 kms a tank if mostly highway driving. The best way to get more MPG's with these is to drive at 100 KM/Hr. It does seem slower but I got as low as 8.3l/100 kms. Driving at 120 gets you 11.7l/100kms. Wintertime, because of the winter fuel and winter tires, it gets 280-300 a tank. That's with a 27 km commute to work in the morning, mostly secondary roads and highway driving, no stop and go traffic. I don't like the winter mileage really..

I love the AWD in the winter. It's very stable in snow and ice and has excellent handling characteristics because of the AWD's rear suspension, which is essentially a Toyota Celica suspension setup I believe.

My brother has a FWD 09 Vibe and it has the 2.4 and a 5 speed. He is reporting 450 a tank in winter. He has a real nice setup, but doesn't have as slick of a rear suspension as I do, but he does get decent winter and summer mileage over me.

That 2.4 is a really good engine, but it does use oil, and I've noticed it is no different than the 2.4's found in the Camry's from 02 to present. It is a really nice silky smooth refined powertrain. It also hauls quite a load if you need it to. I guess that is the trade-off.

[kndietz]

Ahhh 09SnowyVibe I'm awful with conversions but I'll try to figure that out! I must say I filled up again yesterday and this tank was just a tad short of 28 mpg--that I can handle! Almost all highway that tank, but still. I'm guessing we do have winterized fuel and thinking our terrible terrible temperatures (-20s actual last week) could have something to do with it too. I hope the improvement keeps up and I'll keep you posted! I am interested to see summer mpg. And I do loooove the AWD!

[Salsa Guy]

You will see between 25 - 28 MPG during the winter then 27-30 mpg in the summer.

EDIT: Have you check the rear diff seal yet?

[09SnowyVibe]

No worries Kndeitz. Basically I was saying drive it easy. Keep the RPM'S low at all speeds, under 2500 would be ideal. Basically, drive it as if there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal, lol.

Do you have the 2.4?? Or is it the 1.8 like an older Vibe? I've driven a few 1.8 AWD's and they offer ok performance, but do seem sluggish. The 2.4 is the sweet motor for these cars, just lots of torque for a small engine. My only complaint is, because it is horrible on gas like yours, I wish it had another highway gear to lower the RPM's down a little more on the highway, which would mean more MPG's.

Definitely check your rear axle seals. Also keep the fluids in the front and rear differentials fresh. If you don't know when they were done last, DO THEM. Use Hypoid gear oil GL-5. Mine looked like cr@p at 75,000 kms!