Potential Vibe Owner

[Xyxyll]

Hello everyone. I’m looking for a new/used vehicle, and the Pontiac Vibe has popped up as a likely candidate. I have a few questions though that I thought you might be able to answer.First a quick background: I’m 20 years old and in my second year at Virginia Tech (Mechanical Engineering). I currently drive a beater 1995 Honda Accord while at school and own a mint 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo that stays at home in the garage (300 miles away). I will be losing control of the Accord next year when my younger sister starts driving, and while I don’t need a car for school, will need a practical one for summer work.For a few months I have had my heart set on finding a used Subaru Legacy Wagon 2.5T. It has the same engine as the WRX Sti, wagon insurance rates, and an all-wheel drive platform that will work great here in the Blacksburg winters. Here’s the twist though: I was recently offered a well-paying internship with General Motors up in Warren, MI, and I plan on accepting the offer. This brings up some concerns involving the safety and politics of bringing a non-GM car to the job location. I’ve talked briefly with an engineer at the site, and there is a far-off parking lot for non-GM cars, but he also reaffirmed some of my concerns.I’m not quite sure what route to pursue, and I am hoping to find some good feedback here. Potential solutions:My easiest solution seems to be to pick up a very cheap 90s Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier, use it over the summer, and then sell it at the end.Or purchase a year-round daily driver:Subaru Legacy - accept that I may get some flack, but I’m also a college student. My concern is possibly not being able to afford a year-round daily driver right now though.Pontiac Vibe - seems almost too good to be true. AWD, sporty wagon (looks better than the legacy), Toyota engine reliability and aftermarket potential, GM tag, and a large online community (GenVibe). I just don’t know whether I can afford a Vibe at this point. I also am unsure of which model (AWD, FWD, or GT) to pursue or whether to purchase new (GM discount) or used. AWD will work best in Blacksburg, but has a weaker engine. I will like my year-round daily driver to be able to hold its own carrying all my stuff between home, work, and school (130 hp Accord struggles with just me in the car). The GM/TRD supercharger is a very appealing option, but it would be quite a while before I could afford the SC (plus it seems to only be available for 03/04 and voids warranty).One factor to consider is that I will probably end up returning to GM the following summer, and if I’ve just sold a Sunfire or Cavalier, then I will have to find another.Sorry for the disorganization of the post. I have to run to class and wanted to get this up this morning. If you have any questions for me please post and I will respond as soon as possible. I have some Vibe-specific questions that I will post later.Thank you

[ToolGuy]

Welcome! Hopefully to the Vibe community too! I work across the street from the GM Technical Center, I used to work there too as contract. My company supplies all the special dealership service tools to GM and many, many other OE's. I call on DamilerChrysler and drive a Jeep...At any rate get the car you want but yes it is true and other competitor vehicles sometimes are not welcomed very well. Mostly on the GM grounds you will see 90% GM vehicles. If you go to an assembly plant, there is no guarantee even if you park in the right non-GM lot it will not be damaged. I have seen it before, the plants have a different way of looking at this kind of thing. Even one of my wife's sales people, had an Equinox at the dealer so he drove his wife's Ford to a plant one day for a call. Two plant people saw him park and when he came back to leave, the door had a big dent in it. Mind you NOT all plants have people like this but it happens. Congrats on the internship!

[coldmm803]

welcome, hope u decide to staycongrats on your internship with GMI'm a junior in mechanical engineering (Widener U)I have a base vibe and love it, its a big help with moving my stuff back and the great gas milage helps too. I dont have any complaints about struggling for power (of course more would be great tho), i'm able to keep up with the Philly area traffic

[joatmon]

I feel like a geezer, I graduated from Virginia Tech before you were born but back then it was Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (vippey sue) or the Eastern Institute of Enlightenment and Intellectual Outgrowth (EIEIO)I like my Vibe. Where I am now doesn't get the snow that you do up there in the mountains, but when I was there it seemed like they did a good job of keepijng the roads clear in the winter. My FWD Vibe does better in the snow than the car I had when I was in Blacksburg. If you pick up a used Sunfire or Cavalier in decent shape for the summer, you should be able to keep it at school, you wouldn't have to sell it.There is usually a debate about new or used. If you get a used Vibe, you should be able to save some money, and still get a reliable car that will last a long time. If you are going to get a AWD or GT, it might get harder to find new ones. I'd say buy used for now, then buy your ultimate car new when you are out working full time bringing in the big engineer bucks. And take your mechanical engineering skills and design us a way to double both HP and MPG at the same time.

[coldmm803]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »And take your mechanical engineering skills and design us a way to double both HP and MPG at the same time.you can do that by buying 2 cars like a lambo and the vibe, the lambo gives you 2x HP of the vibe and the vibe gives you 2x the MPG of the lamboor we can just figure a way to make cars with greater than 15% efficiency by decreasing the # of moving parts and heat

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by coldmm803 »you can do that by buying 2 cars like a lambo and the vibe, the lambo gives you 2x HP of the vibe and the vibe gives you 2x the MPG of the lamboor we can just figure a way to make cars with greater than 15% efficiency by decreasing the # of moving parts and heatThe Lambo produces only 260hp and gets only 15mpg? Who the heck would want that? lol. Lambo FTL! Xyxyll: Welcome to GenVibe! Hopefully you will make the intelligent choice and get the Vibe. We are a wee bit biased though. lol.

[Xyxyll]

Thanks for the welcome. I've definitely decided that if I am going to get a "new" car, it will be used. As for the Pontiac Vibe, here are some of my questions involving the car and your experiences with it.-What was the Vibe's first year? 2002?-What are the differences between the years?-Which year do you suggest I pursue? Note that I'm looking for a vehicle that will last me through college and into full-time work.-Which model do you suggest? AWD, FWD, or GT? Why?-I've been told that the AWD on the Vibe is not very good (not very good was never defined). Why might this opinion arise, and how does the Vibe's AWD compare to say Subaru's AWD systems?-How much would you expect me to be looking to pay for the suggested year and model (AWD, FWD, GT)?-Are there any specific options that you wish you had gotten from the factory?I have more questions written down back at the room. I'll post them up when I get home.

[SeattleJeremy]

I'll see if I can help on a few of these. For reference, I own a 06 Base 5speed, purchased in June.- First year was 2002, but was labeled as a 2003. - Between the 03-04 cars there was almost no difference. In 05 they changed several parts. Added: New front bumper, Drive By Wire for Base cars, better Catilitic converter. Deleted : roof mount cross bars, & Extra storage in arm rest06 is the same as 06.In 07 : AWD and GT where discontinued because of Emissions, but the base stayed the same. - Any year Vibe should last you well in to your new job.- The Model is really more up to you. Sometimes I wish I'd gotten a GT (Because I miss my WRX Sedan, and like to go fast), but I don't really like paying the extra for Premium gas, and love the gas millage the Base gets. - I can't write about the Vibe AWD system, because I've never driven one. But the Subaru AWD system is very capable in all situations. - http://www.kbb.com and http://www.autotrader.com are your friends when looking for prices on used ones.- I'm glad I got the Preferred Package (power door locks, windows, remote entry and cruse control). I wish id gotten the moon and tunes package (Moon roof + Seven speaker system), because my aftermarket subwooffer takes up too much space in the back.Hope that helps a bit.

[BlueCrush]

The Vibe's AWD system uses a viscous coupler that engages the rear wheels only when the system senses the front wheels are spinning.The Subaru's are fulltime AWD.The year and model you get will depend on what you are wanting:If you want the best fuel economy get the base 5 speed any year.If you want to be able to modify that base Vibe with out any DBW issuses, get the '03-'04 .If you want the most power available get the 2003 GT.If you want AWD get the AWD any year will do.If you like like the older front end style get the '03-'04If you like the newer front end style get the '05+It sounds like a 2003 GT with low miles that already has some mods like an intake & Exhaust along with an aftermarket clutch and flywheel might suit you the best. The fuel economy is still very good. You will have the highest HP rating ad 180hp, you can get snow tires on steelies if need be for winter. Good luck on your search!

[Xyxyll]

Thanks for the replies.What is changed with the GT motor that makes it 180hp? Just compression ratio?What do you think of the GM/TRD supercharger option for the 03/04 base engines? Compared to the stock GT?I asked about pricing mainly because I wasn't aware if Vibes had any special resale value. With MR2s, a 1993 can cost you as much as $14,000. I'll keep an eye on autotrader for a better idea.MiVibe - ToolGuy:Thanks for the congratulations. It was a long process, and I'm pretty excited about the opportunity. When I spoke with the recruiter recently, he mentioned the Tech Center, so I assume that will be my work location.coldmm803:Thanks for the congratulations and the feedback on your Vibe. Good luck with your ME degree. It's defintely been fun so far.joatmon:Wow, you were here for VPI&SU? That had to be... ages ago! Thanks for the information. My only concern with keeping the Sunfire or Cavalier would be disliking the car. I would only be purchasing it to "deal with it" for the summer. I suppose I could "deal with it" for longer, but I'm not a big fan of the J-bodies. I'm definitely looking forward to the big engineering bucks, and who knows... maybe I will discover an innovative way to make our engines more efficient. That would be BIG bucks (and pretty cool too).BlueCrush:Thanks for the information. I understand this forum will be a little biased, but I still respect the loyalty. I know all about product loyalty dealing with MR2s for years. Jeremy96gase:Great information, thanks! I'll keep your feedback in mind.

[BlueCrush]

I think they changed emissions on the GT from 2003 to 2004 and that dropped the hp from 180 to 170. In 2005 they way hp was calculated changed so that the 170 hp motor was rated at only 164hp(??). Also the 2003 model has a higher redline. 8600 rpm I think. Others can confirm that.The base with the TRD S/C will have more torque than the GT but the GT will have more HP than the S/C'ed base. In essence the base TRD S/C would win in the low to mid rpms but the GT will win at the higher rpmsAlso, the GT has a speed limiter of 138 and the base is at 118 or so.

[joatmon]

I suggest finding one of each kind of Vibe to test drive, since for the most part we all tend to prefer the kind of vibe that we have. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Of all of them, the FWD auto seems to have had the best reliability so far. cars.com is another good source for info on available used cars.I don't care for the sunfire or cavalier either, and am taller than average, and found both of them too low in headroom. If I had to buy GM and not a Vibe, I'd probably go for an S-10 with a cap. The engine in the GT has a mechanism that kicks in a more aggresive cam profile at high RPMs. This extra surge of power is called lift, kicks in somewhere over 6000 rpms. There's more than just that different in the engines, you can't converrt a base engine to a GT engine. The GT gets a lot more HP than the base, but you have to rev it way up to get that extra power. supposedly that's why the GT gets a 6 speed tranny, the closer gears allow you to hit lift and shift to keep the RPMs in the lift range all the way up. You would have to take a look at your driving habits to figure out how much you are likley to take advantage of something like that. The extra hit of having to run premium gas in teh GT (or a S/C base) isn't as bad as it was a while ago, since the extra cost of premium is a lower % at high $/gallon. I have a base 5 speed. I like the 5 speed, lets me wind up the RPMs into the power band when I need it, feels more sporty to drive than an auto, but sometimes I get stuck in terrible traffic around DC and at times like that I could use the auto tranny. So I try to not get stuck in traffic.In addition to the GM/Toyota supercharger, there are folks here who have turboed their Vibes with impressive results.Vibe resale value is less than stellar, which is great for someone looking to buy a used Vibe, not so great if you like to buy a factory new car every year or two, or if you buy a new one and then shortly thereafter find out you don't really like it.(another good reason to take a realistic test drive)If you want to show you are a real hard core GM fan for the new job, find a used Aztek. Suppsoed to be really nice to look at from the inside