Picking Up My "New to Me" VIBE in two days; Can't Wait!! Couple of Questions

[Vibernator]

Well, after a few weeks (seemed like months) of trying to find a used car on a budget (almost lost my mind a couple of times), I'm picking up my "new to me" Vibe on Wednesday! I test drove it tonight and sealed the deal! It's an '07 stick shift, and it's about as cherry as you can get for a used vehicle that is from 2007. Body is pretty pristine, and it drives great! And only one owner! (I'll post photos soon!)

I do have a couple questions for my fellow Vibe drivers!!

1. I noticed when I test drove it tonight that the "stick" (as mentioned, it's a 5-speed, manual) seems to be located in an odd place to me, up near the radio. I drove a stick through college, an Eclipse, and it had a "cockpit" type of stick, down where the drink holder area is in my 01 Camry. It felt a little odd having the stick so far up there...in fact, after driving for 10-15 minutes, my right shoulder actually felt a little sore! No joke. My conclusion was that it could have been due to me not having the seat positioned like I prefer (the back part of the seat was "reclined" a bit, and I didn't figure out how to get it more "upright" until after the test drive...I was too busy talking to the owner and shifting gears lol...so I was likely reaching for the stick more than I normally would).
...Having said that, is it possible to get a "shift stick extension" (I don't know if that's the proper name) for the Vibe? I Google imaged "stick shift extension and saw that it's a thing. Haven't dug deep enough yet to have seen if it's a thing for or possible for Vibes. I'm thinking if I could get that shift nob a little longer and out toward me, where I wouldn't have to reach for it as much, I might like that.

2. I'm probably going to want to replace the radio. The stock radio doesn't reveal what station it is. The numbers are "burnt out" so to speak, or the lights are out on the digital face. Not a biggie at all. The radio works fine, just can't tell which station it's on. I suspect that's GM's stamp on the vehicle, lol...not trying to be cruel, but I'm buying this for the overall look of the car (so props to GM for that) and its Toyota engine, of course. The GM radio looks cheap to me, and the stock Toyota radio in my 01 Camry (which is six years older) looks way better.
....So question number two, I don't know anything about radio replacements. I'd like to get something that doesn't look gangster, something that "fills the space," preferably a Bluetooth thing, to use my iPod or iPhone with. Wondering what the most cost effective options are for the Vibe, etc.

Thanks all. Looking forward to officially becoming a Vibe owner in two days!

[vibrologist]

Congrats!
I wouldn't worry about the stick shift location until you found the right position for your seat. Look for the proper position in relation to the steering wheel first. That's tough enough in a Vibe. Try to follow these instructions as close as possible: http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_seating
You will likely find that the steering wheel is located too high even when it is tilted all the way down. Then you may get the distance to the wheel right but you will be too close to the pedals. I shimmed the front of the seat to compensate some for this problem.

Once your seat is adjusted reasonably well you will have hardly a problem with the stick shift location.

If you want to fix your radio go here: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26889#p305136

If you want to upgrade your radio look at this: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=40549&hilit=derf+m ... p%3B+Tunes

If you don't have a factory sub a new head unit will be easier. There are a number of threads that detail an upgrade.

[tpollauf]

Gongtats and looking forward to pics of your "new to you" Vibe I too looked at the location of the shifter when I first got mine and thought it was in a weird location. My 87 Ford Escort stick wa not as bad as our Vibe's! But then nothing compares to the older 60's & 70's muscle cars stick shift location which I was used to for some 15 years back in the days

[BustedVibe]

Hi,

The first upgrade I made to my used '04 Base was also replacing the factory radio. I scored a very decent Pioneer FH-X720BT from Best Buy for $99 on Black Friday I think it was. I bought a GM dash kit and wiring harness (scosche I think?) from Walmart on the cheap and with some help from my brother we had it wired up the same afternoon.

Because I mostly only cared about Ipod and Bluetooth I never bothered to pay real attention with regards to the radio antenna and making sure it is being supplied proper power (I think this will vary based on model year too) even with the onboard amp, everything went in pretty smooth. FM reception is spotty but it actually works if you're in a good area.

With or without the factory Moon & Tunes / Monsoon system I think upgrading the radio should be pretty painless if you can read basic instructions and such. Some people seem keen on running new power from the battery, and a new shorter ground-to-frame, though. I hear it can eliminate some noise issues.

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! I can't wait to see some pictures of your "new" Vibe!

[lannvouivre]

Then you may get the distance to the wheel right but you will be too close to the pedals. I shimmed the front of the seat to compensate some for this problem.

I was wondering why GM and BMW and Mazda (Miata, specifically) all seem to believe I want to raise the front of the chair, and not the back. I'm 4'10" and can basically never be too close to the pedals. I can, however, be completely unable to see over the dash.