HI! New Vibe owner, new Genvibe member.

[vtviber]

Hi Folks.

Thank you to the admins and everyone who's kept this going.

I have a deposit on a 2006 base with auto. 140,000 miles. Should close the deal tomorrow morning.
Anyone know of anything in particular that I should check especially carefully before I take the car?

It looks brand-new and runs/sounds exactly the way everyone describes it should.

I'm pretty psyched.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe Bill! I have a 2009 Vibe, so I can't really comment on what you should look for before taking possession of your "new" Vibe, but I'm sure others will chime on this subject. Please post some pictures of your "new" Vibe after you get it. We love pictures around here !

[Nasmfell]

Hi welcome. Check to see if it is part of the ECM recall. Also ask if it has had issues with the timing chain tensioner (some are prone to leak). Ask also,if the intake manifold gasket has been changed (can cause idle issues if faulty).

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe Bill. What part of the country are you from (update profile for us). You're making a wise investment as these cars will give you hundreds of thousands of miles of reliable transportation. Keep it till you reach (but won't turn over) 299,99 miles & then some. Visit often

[vtviber]

Hi again,

I took the bait.
Happily drove home with my new (to me) rig yesterday.

I'll post again in a day or two.
So far, the only defect I found was that the power mirrors both operated adjusted left to right, but the up/down failed. I wonder if it's likely to be a problem with the switch, because it's on both sides.

This vibe has more useful cargo space than the small pickup that it replaces. I'm thrilled. Just wisht it had a manual transmission instead of the auto. But the deal was too good to pass up.

Be well,

Bill

[LavaIlliniVibe]

Supposedly the Vibe can carry a full size washer. I know for a fact it can carry a full size adult bike easily. And get kid(s) to college...

[vibrologist]

Welcome to the forum, vtviber!

You are correct the switch is the Nr.1 suspect for this malfunction.

Vibes are not perfect but you will realize that they cause very little trouble and fixes are easy most of the time.

Post some pictures and consider starting a thread in the Vibe Garage to chronicle your Vibe's story.

Happy new year!

[vtviber]

Hey, thanks for the feedback and advice, folks.

On the side-view mirrors, the next time I tried them, they worked fine. Could be ambient temperature related. Here in Burlington, VT, the winter temps swing wildly from day to day, along with the humidity.
Seems to be basically reliable.
The other day the check engine idiot light went on, and stayed on until I was done driving. Next time I started the car, it didn't happen. That's really unusual.

I brought it in for its first oil change today and my mechanic couldn't find anything to make money on.
Posting pictures tonight, I think.

[vibrologist]

I had an issue with my wife's Ford Contour mirrors. They did not work when we bought the car. I thought they might be stuck because of grime. I sprayed shaving foam from a can behind the glass to get some lubrication in the mechanism: it worked! I washed the foam out with the garden hose.

[trb]

Welcome Bill, and congrats on your new purchase!

Supposedly the Vibe can carry a full size washer. I know for a fact it can carry a full size adult bike easily. And get kid(s) to college...

Very true! My son used it in all of his college travels, and moved everything of his but a metal bunk bed frame in it. And I picked up a 30" double oven in mine. The guys at the Sears Outlet thought I was crazy, but I knew it would fit just fine, and it did.

Good luck with your Vibe!

[vtviber]

Pics

[trb]

Looks really clean, except for those cheaply painted steel wheels. They never look good for long and that's one of the reasons I got the 17" wheels for my son's 06. His were rusted within a year after we got his car. Pontiac/Toyota could have done much better.

[vtviber]

I know. Those wheels detract.

BUT, if you look closely, you'll notice that the car came with a take-away cup of coffee on the roof.

Hey, while I'm on here, anyone know of an easy hack to add an auxiliary input to the base factory radio?


Thanks in advance.

[vibrologist]

Nice! I hope the coffee was hot.

Those steel wheels are great for your winter set up. Take your time and find alloys for the summer on CL. You are bound to find some at a good price.

All the best for 2015!

[vibenvy]

Thanks for posting pictures! That's a very nice looking two tone Abyss you've got there ! Whether you get some alloy wheels for the summer months or not, re-painting the steel wheels isn't a big deal and will drastically improve the overall look of your Vibe. Take the wheels off, scuff them up a bit, clean them really well and spray them with some black Rustoleum. They'll look as good as new !

[trb]

I know. Those wheels detract.

BUT, if you look closely, you'll notice that the car came with a take-away cup of coffee on the roof.

Hey, while I'm on here, anyone know of an easy hack to add an auxiliary input to the base factory radio?


Thanks in advance.

LOL! I didn't even notice that!

A few members have added an aux input in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=9350&p=109777" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Maybe it will help if you are handy.