GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello,I'm looking to buy a Vibe and am weighing out the options of buying new or used. A couple of questions I'd appreciate some help with.1: Are there any noticable differences between the 2003 and 2004 Vibe?2: I've looked at buying new and am currently eligible for an employee discount via a relative, GM card earnings as well as a new graduate discount. Are there any other discounts out there or is there any way to get the price down further? I'm from Ontario, Canada if that matters.Thanks!-Mike

welcome to the board, you have come to the right placethere are no differences between the 03 and 04 base and awd versions (as far as i remember), the gt i think has a slight difference with something involving the enginei'm not sure of any other discounts

welcome to the family. the biggest difference that i know of on the 03-04 models is the instrument cluster. the 03 has a black faced cluster with red letters/numbers: and the 04+ has a black faced sluster with white numbers: some people have complained that the 03 cluster is pretty hard to read in direct sunlight. i have an 05 and haven't had any problems with mine

What model are you looking to get?

I think the vibe GT edu changed lift points on rpm between those years? Anywho I have a 04 vibe base model (1zz engine) and love it. Reliability has been great and even with some mods it is still awesome to drive.

THere was a problem with the unpainted plastic cladding on the 03 models, GM's fix was to replace it with better stuff from the 04s.I like the 04+ cluster better than the 03.If you buy new, then you can use the discounts. Also, the 05+ have a better stock battery, but no standard roof rack cross bars, and no 12V power outlet in the center console that was standard on the 03/04s. But there are some nice options available on newer ones, like tire pressure monitor, side curtain airbags, stability control, not available on 03/04s.People seem to be finding that resale value of used Vibes isn't what they would hope for, which means you as a buyer might be able to find a good deal on a used one. Having a brand new car is nice, being the first and only owner is a luxury, and the newer factory warranty is better than it used to be. Don't know what your money situation is, but I recommend not taking on much debt as a new grad. If you can pay cash, or know that you can handle the higher car payment on a new one without much risk or significant sacrifice, then get a new one, but if you are unsure of income, or know that a new car payment will be a challenge, then maybe a used one would be better. Also, if you finance a new car, learn about and consider "gap insurance".

Hello,Thanks for the advice thus far! I'm looking to get just a base FWD. Definitely want automatic and ABS, looking at other options as well.I have money to put down, that's one of my major considerations. If I buy used, I'm looking at 7-8.5% financing so I'd probably use a down payment that covers most of the cost of the vehicle. If I buy new, financing is 2.9% here right now so I wouldn't put down any money. I'd just invest it in something safe that earns 7-8% annually and use the extra cash towards a house downpayment or paying off the car later down the road.A couple more questions if you don't mind!1: Why the drop in NHTSA Crash-Test Results from 2003/04 to 2005 and beyond? Is the newer design less safe?2: Why no IIHS crash test results for the Vibe? Is it just not in a tested category?Thanks again for the help!-Mike

I don't know what the deal is in Ontario but here in the U.S. a dealer offers you $8,200 for a 2003 AT Power Package Vibe with 26,000 miles and then prices it at $13,000 on his used car lot. Seems to me a new comparable 2007 with full warranty and no maintenance/repair/replacement issues for 36,000 miles ought to be well worth an extra $4-5,000. And then there is the GM 5 yr 100,000 mile power train warranty.

-There was a slight performance drop as far as horsepower is concerned from '03 to '04-To elaborate on what Joatmon said, to solve the rock chip problem on the two toned Vibes, GM came up with a different side flare idea. Instead of the sideskirts tucking under the car like on the '03s, they just go straight down and flare out slightely (looks better IMO)-Also, like what everyone else said, the gauges are different. I don't have a problem reading mine in direct sunlight unless I have polarized sunglasses on...in which case you can't see a whole lot of the lit up stuff in the Vibe, like the screen on the stereo or the gauges. There is a switch to make the gauges brighter though so that helps.