according to the latest nada book, the vibe gt is almost $1000 less than the matrix xrs in resale and the vibe awd is $400 more than the base matrix awd but $400 less than the matrix xr awd.....go figure....people really get brainwashed on the "toyota" name = more $$$$ dont they!
It is a lot worse here in Southern California, the price difference is closer to $2000. You can also get an idea by looking at Toyota Corolla and Chevy Prizm, which were the twins that Matrix and Vibe replaced. Many people don't know that Vibe and Matrix are mechanically identical.A twist to the story is that, if you want to buy a used car, a Vibe or Chevy Prizm are hidden gems.
ya, when i sold my tundra, the resale/depreciation value is the only thing that saved me from being upside down! only depreciated by $2K in 2 yrs! not bad at all.... of course it did help that i added about $10K in a/m parts.... even still, was worth just under what i paid for it in the beginning.
What you actually pay for a car is the difference between purchase and resale. Since I was able to buy my Vibe GT for a couple grand less than an XRS, I figured i couldn't lose. I thought there would be about a grand difference at resale. Oh yah, I like it better also.
Vibe GT, TRD springs, Progress bar, STB, Unichip, Borbet E 16x7.5, 225/50 Bridgestone RE750, beefed up grounds and battery bypass capacitors(had em laying around)
Don't forget Vibe usually comes with more rebates when new, I think it is more than fair if you Vibe has only $1k delta (compare to Matrix) on resale value.Most genviber paid more than $1,000 less than comparable Matrix. Vibe has these extra financial incentive, although not everyone will get them.1. GM Card money, up to $4,0002. current promotion of extra $600 (I got) or $1,000 coupon (my wife got).3. $500 coupon from gm autoshow in motion.4. $750 military discount.5. on and off of the so called "loyalty $1000 rebate" and "$1000 conquest rebate".6. Every January here in socal, $500 autoshow discount (LA Autoshow)7. There is now $2,500 incentive on Vibe ($2,000 rebates and $500 bonus cash, at least here in socal) vs. $0 for Matrix.8. Toyota also has the Powertrain warranty: 60 months/60,000 miles (engine, transmission/transaxle, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, seatbelts and air bags) vs 36 months/36,000 miles. I will say Vibe does VERY WELL on resale value comparing to Matrix !!
Bellwilliam2003 S/C VibeTrim : Base, Abyss , AutoOptions: Moon & Tunes, Power Upgrades: Supercharger, Split Second A/F controller, 225/45-17, My other cars are PTE Miata, 13 Tesla S, 13 Volt, 06 997
With all those deals it seems as if GM would give you a check to drive the car off the lot!
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
With all the rebates and other deals going on, Vibe is definitely a better buy. As bellwilliam said, what matters is the cost of ownership, not retail value or resale value. I would also say that the Vibe has lower cost of ownership. And lets remind ourselves, Vibe looks better!!