Wrecked one, bought one!

[seb0168]

I very sadly wrecked my '03 Vibe (base model) in a t-bone collision. I didn't want to sink hundreds of dollars into the car to fix it, so I used it as a trade-in...for a new Vibe. I upgraded to an '09 GT with barely-legal tinted windows and 18" TSW wheels. My '03 NEVER failed me, and still ran like a champ with almost 160k miles on it. I loved my old Vibe so much, that I couldn't consider buying anything else!

Old:



New:


(sorry for the poor picture...I've been traveling a lot lately and the car is covered in highway bugs)

While I'm not enjoying making payments for the first time ever for a car, I'm still happy. Here's to many more years with a Vibe!

[vibenvy]

Sorry to hear about the 2003, but glad to hear you loved it so much you got another ! Excellent color choice on the "new" one ! When you get a chance, post a better picture or two so we can get a clearer view of those TSW wheels.

[trb]

Congrats on the new Vibe! I think I saw it listed on cars.com while I was looking a few weeks ago. I remember noticing the different wheels. Looks pretty nice!

[tpollauf]

Awesome story there young lady You have another one of the rare 2009 Vibe GT's without the sunroof. Hope you're not in a warm climate area all the time. Anyways whoever gets your older Vibe will definitely resurrect it and put it back on the road. Kudos to you for keeping in the Vibe family. I see you've been around here for a while but just don't post all the time. keep us posted on the "newer to you" Vibe. Especially with respect to the differences between the two generations. Good luck

[seb0168]

Thanks, guys! I was quite surprised my '09 didn't have a sunroof. I'm cool with not worrying about it leaking in the future, which is nice, but my '03 had a sunroof and was the base model. I do miss it a little bit.

I've also noticed some features were taken away, at least on my specific '09. The foglights only run when I turn on all the lights. I only have one 12V plugin, whereas I had two in my '03. The hatchback opening in the back also sits higher and is smaller than my '03's was. I remember putting the cars side by side at the dealership and being amazed at how much loading space was gone on my '09. I haul stuff fairly often, and I've already found this to be pretty annoying. The '09 also feels a little bit smaller on the inside in general. The hatchback window also opened on my '03, but doesn't on my '09. Where did my roof rack go on my '09? I figured that would've come standard. What happened to all these features??

With all that said, I LOVE my '09. There are some scuffs to the body and scrapes on the rims that I need to take care of, but I still love it! Here are some better pictures:

[trb]

I have to agree with you on the rear window and the smaller hatch opening, but the load floor is almost exactly the same size, as I tried my son's hatch carpet in mine. After driving my son's 06 for over a year while he was in college, I got used to his car. Moving to the 10 GT was a change. But if you really want a roof rack, the rack for the 09-13 Matrix will fit and you can find them for about $250 on ebay. The optional Vibe rack is a bit hokey IMO. And I run the 115V outlet with my phone charger in it and use the 12V outlet for other things.

[petervivian]

Nice. I have the same wheels (5*100) on my 05.

[jake75]

I've also noticed some features were taken away, at least on my specific '09. The foglights only run when I turn on all the lights. I only have one 12V plugin, whereas I had two in my '03. The hatchback opening in the back also sits higher and is smaller than my '03's was. I remember putting the cars side by side at the dealership and being amazed at how much loading space was gone on my '09. I haul stuff fairly often, and I've already found this to be pretty annoying. The '09 also feels a little bit smaller on the inside in general. The hatchback window also opened on my '03, but doesn't on my '09. Where did my roof rack go on my '09? I figured that would've come standard. What happened to all these features??

However, the 2009 does have standard antilock brakes, side airbags, stabiltrack, traction control - those options were $1,765 in 2008. Probably not on your 2003.

[vibenvy]

The wheels aren't really my taste, but they are pretty nice looking and definitely go very well with the Liquid Platinum Metallic exterior.

[seb0168]

I just resurrected my account on here. Two and a half years later and this car is still going strong! I love how low maintenance Vibes are. I now live in Colorado and really want a bigger 4wd car, but I can't quite stand to part with my GT Vibe. Cheers!

[vibenvy]

Any new mods?