NY Times article featuring the Vibe

[NSimkins]

Last week I got an e-mail from a reporter (listed in article) from the NY Times who wanted some of my opinions and comments on my Vibe. We ended up talking on the phone for about 30 minutes on my Vibe... plus I got my name in the the article too, so that's pretty cool. I bolded my comments.Here is the article from the NY Times site:Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/08/trave ... 8WAGO.html(Free Registration required)quote:An S.U.V.? Oh, That's So Over!November 8, 2002By ANNA BAHNEY THE hills around the Vernon Valley in northern New Jerseyhave curving stretches of graded, tree-lined back roads,and almost no traffic. It was here that Mitch Joseph led agroup of other car owners on a Sunday afternoon drive. Mr.Joseph, 38, an electrician from Elizabeth, N.J., likes toexplore, looking for hidden roads with what he callsrhythm, and a couple of times a month he shares hisdiscoveries. As the group headed out in a small parade, Mr. Joseph'sshimmering gray car led two others built just like it,vehicles anyone who lived through the 1970's wouldinstantly recognize as station wagons. But that's not whattheir owners call them. As their all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza WRX's hugged thetwists of the two-lane roads against a backdrop of autumn'speak display, the scene looked like a car commercial set toa turbo-charged beat. "I like the stealth aspect of my car," Mr. Joseph said. "Itdoesn't look like a sports car, but it performs like one." The Impreza WRX wagon, like the Mazda Protegé5, thePontiac Vibe and its co-engineered cousin, the ToyotaMatrix, is reincarnating the old family station wagon witha carefully calculated twist: a sportiness and versatilitymeant to appeal to the young and adventurous. From commercial spots at movie theaters to sponsorships ofrock tours, from online color-naming contests to rebatesfor recent college graduates, most marketing for sportwagons is aimed at buyers under 35. These consumersscarcely remember Vista Cruisers and Country Squire wagonsmeandering along full of spring-loaded children and picnicprovisions. Their cargo is more likely to be backpacks orrock-climbing gear. Nick Simkins, a 21-year-old computer administrator for abank in Youngstown, Ohio, purchased his white 2003 Vibe inJuly, six months after it went onto the market. Mention"wagons" and he balks. "I don't want to think of it as awagon," he said. "Most wagons aren't considered sporty andgood-handling." He was attracted not only by the styling of the Vibe, whichhe likes so much he drove 100 miles to find a dealer, butalso by what he perceives as the buzz factor. "I've neverbeen involved with anything like this," he said, "somethingthat is so new and interesting and has people so excited." The buzz is hard to gauge, but the wagons are selling.According to Autodata, which tracks trends in theautomotive industry, sales of sport wagons grew to morethan a million last year, from 56,000 in 1996. Sales duringthe first 10 months of 2002, it reported, were 18 percentahead of those during the same period in 2001. But if carmakers have successfully updated the stationwagon, what to call it is another matter. Steven Sturm, a vice president of Toyota for marketing,said the company specifically chose not to call the Matrixa wagon, preferring to refer to it as a "blend" -presumably of wagon, S.U.V. and sports car. Linda Pesonen, a marketing director at General Motors,calls the Pontiac Vibe "a high-function five-door." And atMazda, the Protegé5 is described as a "five-door sporthatchback." With nearly as much cargo space as small S.U.V.'s, but withbetter gas mileage and stability on the road, these carssupply S.U.V. critics with an alternative. "My car is the anti-S.U.V.," said Gen Kanai, 29, of NewYork, who works in the business development division ofSony and drives an Impreza WRX. "I carry bulky computerboxes, my mountain bike, my snowboard. The sports rack ison it all the time." What his wagon doesn't have, he added, is "theenvironmental image problems, the parking problems, thehigher-center-of-gravity problems" of an S.U.V. Members of Mr. Joseph's group - who joined him after heposted a message on a Subaru owners' Web site - saidsimilar things during a pit stop at the Sussex Queen Dineron Route 23. Frances Lee, 38, a pharmaceutical company employee fromSouth Plainfield, N.J., said she wanted a wagon after herS.U.V. nearly flipped. Edwin Kuo, 35, a graphics designerfrom Pleasantville, N.Y., declared that he likes being freeof what he called the "sociological baggage of an S.U.V." This freedom comes in an appealing package. The wagons looksporty, and their engines have up to 227 horsepower. Manyare easily souped up with modifications like spoilers,superchargers and polished alloy wheels. They are alsopriced for the young; most sell for less than $20,000. TheVibe's base model is listed at $16,365, and that's withoutrebates. The Subaru Impreza WRX is more expensive, withbase models at $23,995, but it is still less than manyS.U.V.'s. Market research suggests that while many sport wagon ownersfall into the target "sweet spot" - 25 to 35 year olds -you don't have to be young and single to crave an upbeatversion of a station wagon. And while it is too soon to saywhether wagons are taking a significant chunk out of therobust market for S.U.V.'s, it is worth noting that only 37percent of Matrix owners are under 39; half are married anda third have children under 18, Mr. Sturm, of Toyota, said.G.M. reports that the average age of a Vibe owner is 46. Rick McCallum, 50, of Oceanside, Calif., sees his red 2003Matrix as the perfect vehicle for his car-accessorybusiness. He sells a sound-deadening material that isdesigned to keep road noise from interfering with music,and when done, his wagon will carry about $30,000 worth ofelectronic equipment. With only some of it in place, he isalready getting the desired effect. At auto accessoriesshows, "everyone's all over it and looking at it everywhereI go," he said. "Even at stoplights." In a Mazda showroom in Wantagh, N.Y., on Saturday, RobinQuinn, 33, was looking at the Protegé5, which she called a"happy medium." She explained: "It's useful when you'rehauling things - groceries, laundry. But it doesn't looklike my father's or my grandfather's car." Old-fashioned station wagons still have their fans. KenMcDaniel, who owns a 1977 Malibu Classic and a 1995 MercurySable with vanity plates that say "Wagn Man," founded anorganization devoted to them, the American Station WagonOwners Association. It is open to all, he said, includingthose who prefer the latest models. "If it is a wagon, it'sa wagon," he said. Mr. McDaniel, 40, a project manager for the IndianaDepartment of Environmental Management, said wagons havebeen popular because they "tend to work for a living." "People bought wagons in their heyday because there wassomething they wanted to haul," he said, "a boat theywanted to tow or a family they needed to carry." S.U.V.'s, vans and similar vehicles are now performing thatjob. According to CNW Research, which analyzes theautomotive industry, about half of the vehicles bought thisyear will be either S.U.V.'s or some other variety of lighttruck. That leaves the business of play to the sportwagons.Source: http://
www.nytimes.com/2002/11/08/travel/escapes/08WAGO.html(Free Registration required)I tried to get her to post the link to GenVibe, but no luck. She said out of most of the forums and web sites she visited about the Vibe/Matrix, this one seemed to be the most lively and interesting, in her opinion.

[NSimkins]

quote:How did the guy find you.....Actually it was a woman. Anna BahneyApparently from browsing various forums. Just out of the blue one day, I got an e-mail. She also said she found someone with a Matrix on another forum (raamaudio from matrixowners.com), whom is featured in the article too.

[Frosty]

21 Nick? You will go far. Did your high chair have a keyboard on it?

[old man winter]

SUV"s will never be over, just not the new flavor. There are a lot of reasons people use them that actually need one. Most people bought them because they were the trend when in fact they did not want to be caught dead in a mini van. Now that cool wagons are available they will be the craze. A wagon is a much more stable platform for handling, more fuel efficient, and economical to produce/purchase.Way to go Nick, you 15 minutes of fame…or is this the beginning.

[LocDog]

I dont appreciate my car being called a station wagon...

[old man winter]

Okay, a 4-door sedan with vertical trunk access door.

[rasermon]

WTG Nick. Did you also get a NYT paper today?

[Frosty]

quote:I dont appreciate my car being called a station wagon... Face facts, this is a practical car. I like the vertical access door thingy but how does a 5 door grab you?

[rasermon]

LocDog add this to your signature. Face it folks...we drive 'station wagons'.Found this in another forum.

[Sputnik]

quote:LocDog add this to your signature. Face it folks...we drive 'station wagons'.Found this in another forum.Thats in matrixvibe.net isn't it?Great Job Nick! Too bad there was no link to genvibe, but ya can't win 'em all I guess.

[rasermon]

quote:Thats in matrixvibe.net isn't it?Thats correct.quote: Too bad there was no link to genvibe, but ya can't win 'em all I guess. I'm sure Nick did mention GenVibe.com, I don't think he wanted to hog all that fame for himself or did he. Again, great job Nick

[Sputnik]

quote:I'm sure Nick did mention GenVibe.com, I don't think he wanted to hog all that fame for himself or did he. Again, great job Nick Yes he said he tried to get a link to genvibe in the article. (see his post above)

[LocDog]

Yes.... a 5 door sports car....

[NSimkins]

quote: WTG Nick. Did you also get a NYT paper today? Thanks.. it's nothing that big really.. just glad to give good press for the Vibe! I looked at all the places around my area to get a NYT paper, but they were already sold out. I may have to stop by the library and make a photocopy, if possible.I politely pushed a few times on the phone call to mention GenVibe and sent a polite "thank-you" e-mail to Anna with that info also.. but I guess there is only so much you can put into an article.

[shenandoah24]

I honestly don't care what people call my car..... Everybody seems to think it's one of the coolest cars on the market. Station wagon, SUV, car, truck..doesn't matter. We've all got one, and a lot of them don't.