My beloved Vibe is toast.......

[FLABSLAB]

Sunday was a day I won't soon forget. I had to make a run to church in the afternoon, and when I got finished there I decided to take the back way home which leads through the country since it was a nice sunny day and I was enjoying the air. I came around one corner, and there was a whole field on fire. The fire was being blown down this hill towards a treeline and there was some guy and his wife in the field trying to battle the fire. I thought about how I'd appreciate help if I was in that situation and so I pulled my Vibe off the road and parked, then went running down the hill. They gave me a shovel, and we started doing the best we could....trying to buy time till the fire departement showed up. Little did we know that the fire had burnt back around us and was now on top of the hill.....under my Vibe. *SOBS* So, to make it short, nothing was left when the fire department got there except the metal shell. The windows even melted. And the worse part is my wife wants another car besides the Vibe! I think she is looking at a Dodge Caliber. I would just go buy a 2007 Vibe myself....it served me well.On a funny note, as I stood in the field watching it burn, the windshield washers came on, kind of like she was waving bye. Then, and I promise I'm not making this up, the horn started blaring. Kind of gave me the creeps.....

[Sputnik]

Oh wow, that is really sad. It was nice that you helped, and good that everyone's alright, but your poor Vibe...

[joatmon]

That is unreal, and most of the words that come to mind the forum won't let me say. I am really glad you are ok, and sorry to hear about the car. At times like that you wonder what the lesson is, because you know it is not that you will get punished for helping someone out. Maybe a test on how you deal wth it, and it sounds like you are dealing with it well. I hope insurance covers the loss. Safe to assume you'll get more Vibe fans here than Caliber, I haven't checked out the Caliber myself, but some reviews I have read make it sound not that great. At some point try to post up a pic of the cremains.

[WaveAction]

sorry to hear about the loss..i'd cry if that happened to my car

[BlueCrush]

Sorry to hear! It sounds like it waved and then said goodbye. So sad!

[kevera]

Sorry to hear,what a bummer.She was sending you a sign.You need another Vibe.

Attached files

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by FLABSLAB » On a funny note, as I stood in the field watching it burn, the windshield washers came on, kind of like she was waving bye. Then, and I promise I'm not making this up, the horn started blaring. Kind of gave me the creeps.....That horn would give anyone the creeps...But I am sorry to hear about you're Vibe

[Merzbow]

I bet they appreciated your help though. That is a sad story I gues that's what happens when you do something good though eh?

[AKLGT]

wow. now that is a story to tell generations! i'm very sorry to hear it.

[WaveAction]

if you like wagons..should get the mazda 3 sport...they've very nice..test drove one awhile ago

[Tubaryan12]

as the old saying goes: No good deed goes unpunished.

[silvrhawk7]

Words cant even describe how i would feel if that happened to me, I treat mine like it is my child or something to that nature...Kind of reminds me of my neighbors car (acura integra) that went up in flames a month ago, the horn was blaring right before the windshield exploded and at first i thought it was my friends apartment because the smoke was coming up that way...

[kostby]

So sorry to hear about your loss!Definitely examine the Caliber (including driving and riding in all passenger positions) carefully before you decide. When I looked at one, the rear seat room seemed very cramped compared with the Vibe.

[ZubenElGenubi]

Yikes...you're a better man than me. I'd've just called 911 and yelled at the people in the field to get the heck outa there.Don't you dare go get a Caliber! If you need some reasons not to, just go visit the Dodge Caliber forums and see how upset some owners are with their horrible gas mileage.

[NascarXprt]

wow thats worse then mine. but were glad you and everyonelse are ok and unharmed.

[808 Vibes]

I'm so sorry!!!!! When I read that the story and it just got worse and worse...I wanted to cry! Hope you persuade her to get another VIBE!!!!

[ToolGuy]

(removed)! How horrible! First time I have ever heard of something like this... Fallen solder lost in a battle, it gave its engine to you and the others. You should watch the movie Christine if the wipers and horn freaked you out...

[Vibr8tr]

Wow, that is straight out of a movie kind of thing. I am glad no one was hurt.You have to admit though, once you have a new car, and everythign is back to normal, when you are sitting with the family, telling your kids or grandkids abotu that, you will be laughing. Just cause... I mena, what are the chances of your car just burning down, and waving on it's way?

[mikey00]

Check Consumer Reports before you get the Caliber. It looks real nice but is not a very good car according to them.

[silvrhawk7]

Quote, originally posted by mikey00 »Check Consumer Reports before you get the Caliber. It looks real nice but is not a very good car according to them.I meant to tell you in my other reply was that i test drove a Caliber when they first came out and I'm glad i got the Vibe instead because the Automatic tranny's in them run off of rubber bands (like the Nissan Murano) and 1 in every 7 seem to fail from a report my father read a while back (He works for an automotive group who has Nissan and Dodge) Thats ok if it happens at 30,000 miles, but when you hit 70,000 and that happens it gets costly in the long run. Plus like everyone else has said, they do not have the same room as the vibe does. If your Wife needs anymore convincing, just show her this thread and like mikey said look at consumer reports, thats what convinced me overall to buy the Vibe....

[jwalcik]

oh wow. i'm really sorry to hear about your car, but i'm glad everyone escaped injury. best of luck with the insurance, and your hunt for a new car.

[Lancer]

Yay, it's grass fire season! I was a firefighter for over 13 years. I never could understand why people always freak out at grass and field fires and use so many resources trying to save DEAD GRASS AND BRUSH. We even had a local fire chief die from a heart attack from fighting one. It's such a waste.Sorry the your loss of your car. But it could have been worse! Next time, help the people that need help. But leave firefighting to trained professionals. Grass and brush fires (even forest fires) are nature's way of cleaning up the trash.How did the fire start, anyway?

[angelic_demon]

Wow....that is the saddest story i have ever heard in my life. near the en i actualy shed a couple of tears. i ahve a very close and special bond with my cars and almost any car...especially my baby, "the fallen angel, which is my vibe's name. i felt nothing but pain and sadness in my heart as i read how she wave bye to you right before she was gone with her last breath. i have always felt like our crs have always had a life and a soul as they are alive just like us. i swear, my old car got jealous when i got my 06' vibe in september of 2006. my old car started acting weird and some point got sick and needed repairs. i know my cars have a soul just like me so i try my best to keep them happy. as for the the caliber...i suggest no...get another vibe. theres a reason why i went with the vibe rather than any other car. when i was first shopping for a new car i was considering the caliber till the day i met "the fallen angel" no other car compared to the vibe so i knew i was in love. how i met my car and howi got her ar long stories for another time and i think i wrote too much already in this reply but long story short....dont trust the car with rubber bands in its tranny first of all and secon....the vbe can do so much more than the caliber. BESIDES...THINK OF WHAT YOUR OLD VIBE WOULD THINK IF SHE KEW YOU REPLACED HER WITH A CALIBER RATHER THAN WITH ONE OF HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS...FAMILY

[sk8r78]

Its situations like this that make you question Karma, the silver lining to the story just hasn't presented itself yet. what ever you do, make sure, you make it perfectly clear to your wife that purchasing the Caliber it soley her decision, so you can atleast have a chuckle in your heart, when it fails and she blames you for buying it.

[awfavre]

I knew there was a reason I joined this forum. My People!angelic_demon, I know what you mean about feeling like cars have souls. My old 1995 Cavalier Z-24, Shirley-Flo, took me to over 301k miles. That car & I grew up together. When the end was finally near after 11 years, I just cried. “Fortunately,” the repairs started to nickel & dime me to death, so it was much easier to part when the end finally came last August. FLABSLAB, I almost cried reading your story. If that had been my car . . . [shudder]. I don’t even want to think about it. I wish you the very best in your hunt for a new vehicle. I checked out the Calibers at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2006 & hated it just sitting in it. It always feels to me like someone took most of the Jeep/Chrysler models, heated the dashboards, & used a large piece of plywood to smoosh/flatten them into seemingly a single pane. The Caliber was no exception. I have to have some curve to my dash. For that reason alone, I didn’t feel comfortable in them. Good luck with whatever you get.May your Vibe RIP. Keep us posted with your choice of new car.