05 Vibe vs. 04 Forester...Interesting comparison.

[Bobbyg123]

Car salesman are funny. Well, perhaps I should say they're interesting. I've been getting called off the hook by our local Subaru dealer who's throwing the kitchen sink at me if I reconsider his 2004 Forester XS. So far, this is what he's down to. 2004 Forester XS 5-sp manual LeatherMoon RoofPower windows/doorsHeated Seats/Mirrors$1000 rebate & 2.9% financing for 60 moInvoice total (after rebate) $21,9992005 Fusion Pontiac Vibe5-sp FWDLeatherMoon & TunesPowerUpgraded sound6-disc changer$1000 rebate OR 0.9% interestInvoice after rebate $19,476It certainly helps when you don't HAVE to buy a car. It's amazing the deals that they throw out at you when you hold your cards. What do you guys think?

[Mavrik]

I'm going to say the Vibe. It comes with a 5 year 100,000km powertrain warranty, 3 year 60,000km on everything and with those options you listed, your talking about a $26,000CAD Vibe. Very good deal there.

[Bobbyg123]

I posted this because it's an interesting lesson. What's preventing me from jumping on the Subaru deal is that their interest rate is a FULL 2% higher than GM's. That translates to $2552 over 4 years vs. $736 for the Vibe. Also, the 4 year fuel costs are about $1200-$1500 less with the Vibe. All told, I'll save $4,419 dollars in 4 years if I stick with the Vibe. The flip side is that a Subaru and the AWD capability here in the Pacific NW will no doubt carry a much higher re-sale value than the Vibe. So the million dollar (or $4,419) question is....Is a Subaru Forester $4500 dollars better than the Vibe??? In a sick way, this is kind of fun.

[Bobbyg123]

If I opt to take the rebate, my finance terms will jump up to 3.9%. I won't do this, as 0.9% is far greater over 4 years than $1000. The $4,419 over 4 years that I'll save with the Vibe is pretty accurate. Even though the gas milage numbers are estimated, I don't think many people will argue that a FWD Vibe (Corolla) will average 5-7 more MPG than a AWD Subaru. If anything, the gas numbers were probably tilted in the Suraru's favor. Also, since my Vibe is on a soft order, I'll be able to take whatever deal is being offered by GM when the car comes in around mid-August. Most people expect the financing terms to stay the same. I also could go with 3 year, 0% financing from GM and save an additional $736. Isn't this fun??

[Bobbyg123]

Just to be fair...The 04 Forester doesn't have the power driver's seat and I DID order my Vibe with ABS/Side airbags. The two cars ave very similar in terms of features. It's not that important to me, but I expect the Vibe's interior and leather quality to exceed Subaru's. Subaru has never been known for plush interior features.

[Bobbyg123]

I think the Vibe/Matrix is a fantastic car. Sure, the Subaru is great also, but the big question is how much better is it? Like I said, the Vibe FWD will always get better gas milage than an AWD Subaru and you can even argue that the Vibe/Matrix (Corolla) will be more reliable than a Subaru. Not many cars are more reliable than Toyota's. I'm older than most people on here, and I've been in Pharmaceutical Sales all my life. I know quite a bit about financial modeling, and to be totally honest with you I think the Vibe/Matrix do very well in a head to head with the Forester. The Subaru is clearly the superior AWD vehicle of the two, but the Vibe's foldable front passenger seat gives it almost the same storage capabilities as the Forester. The Forester has an edge with their roof rack, as it's much more stable. With the deal you got, I wouldn't look back at your purchase at all. In 5 years, you'll have saved $5-7 thousand dollars over a comparable Forester. We wouldn't be having this conversation if I thought the Forester was that much better than the Vibe. Truth is, I'm really not sure.

[Bobbyg123]

I "soft" ordered it. Because it's the current model year, they didn't require a deposit.

[Corny_04963]

I looked at new and used Subaru Legacy wagons before purchasing the Vibe. One thing I was disappointed to find was a 2000 Legacy with 36K miles on it and when I road tested it found the clutch was slipping. After having driven one Prizm which I just sold with 180K miles and another that has 121K on it and both with original clutch and drivetrain, I was shocked to find a worn out clutch with only 36K miles on it. I told the salesman that I felt that the clutch should go at least 100K. Even my GMC K1500 has over 110K on the original clutch with lots of towing and short hauls. My sons had driven the Prizms and I know that they are going to be a lot more aggressive in the their driving habits than older drivers so would be harder on a clutch. Also, looking under the hood there was a lot more corrosion than you would find on a GM or Toyota product. We live in Maine and corrosion historically kills a vehicle long before it would normally wear out. Never mind that the price of both the used and new Subarus are higher than the GM or Toyota vehicles!! As for AWD- you will pay a penalty in gas mileage. I live on a dirt road and still don't see the need for the AWD as long as your road is plowed. We went with the Vibe. Great "little" car- have no regrets at all... " BORDER="0">

[drunkenmaxx]

subaru...all wheel drive is all they do!

[jake75]

Also - don't forget '05 vs '04 is going to make a differecne when it comes time to trade or sell, or God forbid, you have an accident and it is totalled. In July 2008 there will be one model year difference in the used car pricing. That is probably another couple thouand in favor of the Vibe. Now if you plan to keep it 10 years (and avoid that accident) maybe it makes little difference.

[Mike-NC]

My .02--Buy the one you like the best. (Whatever your criteria-looks better, drives better, etc.) If you don't really like the car from the beginning, you won't be happy with is later.)I compared a AWD Vibe with a Subie Outback Sport. (It was really easy since my dealer was both a Pontiac and Subaru dealer!)Of course I chose the Vibe, liked the exterior styling better, interior styling better, better gas mileage, offered more features for the $.In the Subie's corner-it had more power, Subaru's reputation for AWD cars.My deal was $19K for Vibe or $19.5K for the Subaru.I don't think I would have made a bad decision by getting the Subie, but the Vibe just appealed to me more.Best of luck shopping!

[sylvainber]

just another .02 on 4WD cars. I grew up in hilly Eastern Townships in Quebec (aka a french speaking version of Vermont and we did just fine with FWD cars. 4WD will buy you more traction but mostly when accelerating. It doesn't do much at all for decelerating (a manual transmission and ABS will do much better for you there). NOTE: most winter accidents are caused by 'failure to decelerate in due time', aka excess speed, a condition sometimes promoted by the false sense of security 4WD promotes to drivers).In very hilly country with severe winters, 4WD will make climbing the hills much easier. For most of us on paved and plowed roads, FWD does fine and saves on expense/gas for the lifetime of the car.I used to drive a 4WD tercel wagon. mind you, that thing had very primitive 4WD (engaging and disengaging 4WD required bench press training... lol). I rarely needed to use 4WD, even in upstate NY winters. Careful driving in snow conditions is more useful than AWD or 4WD if you do live in hilly/mountainous country, i would tilt the balance in favor of 4WD and in that case, i would be partial to the subaru. They still do 4WD better than most.

[Zeromus-X]

American's only get the 3 year/36 month warranty.Yeah... those pesky 3 year/3 year warranties!

[SteveP]

I only looked at cars with the fold flat front passenger seat - I need that to keep my sailboard in the car when I want to. So the Forester didn't show up on my Radar. I choose between the Vibe and the Honda Element, for me the final criteria was gas mileage - Vibe beats the Element hands-down in that department. The Vibe is much better looking to me as well.

[JayC]

On the 05 Vibe, I think the rebate will go up to $2000 in a month or so, when all the 04 Vibes are off the lot. If you can wait a month or two, numbers may come out different.