New Vibe (09 GT) owner thanks to CARS ...

[ajb812]

Well, it seems as if I may be able to join the club now! Just picked up a new 2009 Vibe GT in Jet Black Metallic with the help of cash for clunkers. Went to the dealer last Friday (7/24) to get the car. Got everything worked out, but the dealer didn't have all of the info they needed, so I had to wait till the following Monday to finish the paperwork and get the keys (that was definitely a tough weekend). Ended up trading in a '94 Ford Explorer 4x4 with 121k on it. Sadly I was not able to get the full $4500 as I missed out by 1 mpg (Explorer's 15 v.s. Vibe GT's 24), but once I saw the GT I fell in love with it. It's all been worth it and I'm loving the new Vibe. Once I'm able to take some pictures I will post some (it's been raining here in Florida all week, and I haven't gotten a chance to take any pics). Hope everyone is well! Take care!

[TONY TAT2]

Congrats ! I read on my other forum the MPG estimates were changed!some people made out,some didn't.

[lowincash]

congrats and welcome have fun with the car. it's a great little car hehe

[BlueCrush]

Congrats! Welcome to GenVibe! I'm seeing a lot of people trading in Explorers and getting Vibes.

[lovemyraffe]

Congrats and welcome to the family!

[ajb812]

Thanks everyone! I've only had it for a little under a week now, but I can definitely say I really love the car! One of my close friends actually has an '05, which I've always liked. So, when the opportunity presented itself to get an '09 GT for myself, I couldn't resist. Tony - Yeah, I heard about that. Supposedly, last weekend the EPA decided to "refresh" its mileage ratings. A lot of cars were no longer eligible as a result. I don't think that ended up affecting me though. No big deal, I still ended up getting pretty much twice what it was worth. I just found it funny that I missed the full amount by 1 mpg ... go figure (lol)!As promised, I managed to get a few pictures of the Vibe. Sorry it's a little dirty ... it's been getting rained on all week!

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[star_deceiver]

Yup, it's black.... now black out those rims, calipers, and chrome grill accents!!!

[ajb812]

Sorry for the multiple posts ... didn't know how to attach multiple pictures per post ...

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[ajb812]

Last one ...star_deceiver - Yeah, I've noticed a bunch of people have been getting black Vibes lately ... lol! Painting the calipers black sounds like a really good idea, as well as chrome grille accents! I love chrome (not overdone though, of course)! Definitely, planning on tinting the windows very soon ... way too hot inside otherwise (especially in Florida)!

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[star_deceiver]

You can use the "insert image" button (click reply then the yellow landscape button. Insert the url of the pic[IMG][/IMG]inbetween these). Many people use photobucket, or pick a thread and attach some pics then use the url (when you click on the attachment). I have to use the lowest setting on my digital camera when taking pictures to put here. 2mb is a big pic but my camera takes 5mb per pic and those blow up pretty big! I'm not a chrome person... chrome and/or gold doesn't look good on cars (or motorcycles for that matter) IMHO.... but that's me (not a fan of the slushbox either). But I can't wait to tint my windows! It was 40C (105 Farenheit) here today and that was a toasty car.... but was a good day at the beach!!!

[ajb812]

Great - Thanks for the info! I don't have a photobucket account (or anything of a similar nature), so I will sign up for one. Yeah, I agree that gold doesn't seem right on a car. I do like chrome, but only tastefully done. When it gets too flashy and over the top it just seems cheesy. Sorry, I thought at first you meant to add some chrome to the grille, but I got ya now! Wow, 105 F, that's about how hot it was down here today - lol! With the black in my case, it definitely doesn't help either. Will most likely get the tint soon, should add to the look of the vibe pretty nicely too! Thanks again for the help, and thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I really appreciate it!

[ajb812]

Ok, hopefully this works a little better ... [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

[BahamaTodd]

Nice! Very familiar though...

[lowincash]

ya very similar lol

[ajb812]

Thanks! Yeah, as I've been looking around I've seen quite a lot of people with black vibes on the forum, especially black vibe GT's. The dealer I got the car from actually had a pair of identical twin black vibe GT's, thankfully I managed to get one of them. Now it seems as if I may have to start thinking about some mods to set it apart from the rest ... lol! Looking around the forum has definitely given me a few ideas to look into. One of the first things may be to replace the crummy stock horn. Even on my old Explorer while the horns were not terrible, I still ended up adding a few extra. I absolutely love the vibe, but the stock horn is definitely pretty sad. BahamaTodd - I noticed you recently got in on the clunker deal, and picked up an 09 Black GT as well. Congrats! It looks really good! It's also nice to see a fellow Florida Vibe!After this last week, I've also learned pretty quickly how tough it is to keep the black clean. I knew it would be tough, but really didn't realize how much so. When it is clean though, boy does it look good! Good thing the cover is on it's way - hopefully that will help out a bit too!Oh, BTW - lowincash - I love the projector headlights that you have! They look really sweet, especially combined with the HID's. I'm thinking about putting the HID's in mine too, but I want them for both low and high beams. Not sure how to work that with the DRL's (I hate the DRLs, especially when there is no way to turn them off)! I may just put some PIAA intense white bulbs in there if I can't figure something out. Who knows, we'll see what happens ...

[Dog Hauler]

Welcome! I replaced my horn also. What dealer did you get your vibe from?

[Blueridge9]

Welcome! You are so lucky to get the clunker deal - I'm jealous. Congrats on your Black, beautiful Vibe.

[lowincash]

if you plan on putting hids in your high beam, which i really don't suggest you or anyone doing, you can disable to drl. i hate them and disabled mine by cutting a wire. by disabling the drl you disable the auto light too. that's another thing i hate about this car, you can't turn off the lights at night if it's on automatically lol anyways here's the directions to disable the drl. it's for 09 corollas but it worked for the 09 vibes too.1) Remove the glove compartment2) Locate the DRL module. Its a black unit mounted sideways with a wiring harness plugged in the side of it.3) Unplug the harness from the module4) Cut the blue wire at pin 12. Leave at least 3 inches of wire sticking out of the connector in case you ever want to put it back.5) Tape up the end of both blue wires.6) Plug the connector back in.7) Put the glove box back.8) Enjoy the freedom of controlling your lights yourself.

[MotoXdog]

SAWEET! I know what I'm doing when I get home! (if it stops rainging)Thanks Lowincash!!!

[ajb812]

Blueridge9 - Thanks! The timing was just right with the clunker deal. I was actually the first one to do it at my dealer, and considering the initial funds ran out within a week, it worked out perfectly. Even though they ended up giving more funding, it was by no means a guarantee. My advice to anyone out there thinking about it - do it before the funds run out for good. I know I'd kick myself if I missed out on it.Dog Hauler - Thanks! What did you replace your horns with? I've seen that Hella horns seem to be pretty popular with others on the forum. I haven't looked into it yet, but I am planning it very soon. I ended up getting the vibe from James-Rivard on Adamo Dr. (SR-60), essentially in your backyard I notice ... lol!lowincash - Thank you very much for the info on the DRL's!!! I've been looking into how to disable them, but up until now had not been able to find clear info! Is is possible to put a switch on the DRL wire, so as to avoid disconnecting / reconnecting the wires all the time should I want the automatic lights on? Why do you recommend against putting HIDs in the high beam? Is it really any different then using Bi-Xenon HIDs in the 03-08 vibes? I'm thinking maybe the glare / brightness could be too much to oncoming cars. I've never had HIDs before, so I really don't have anything to go by. I had "xenon" gas bulbs in my old Explorer that definitely gave more light, which I really miss. I may just go with better bulbs (maybe PIAA intense white - anyone have any experience with them, or suggest anything better / different?) until I can get the HIDs figured out. Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and the help and advice. This forum is definitely filled with a group of awesome people!

[lowincash]

actually i have an on/off switch on mine so i can turn on the drl/auto lights if i wanted to =Das for the hids for the high beams, i guess it really depends on how often you use them and if you use them a lot at night. because if you're just flashing it on and off for a few seconds it's bad for the hids and when you flick them on it won't be on full brightness right away as it takes a few seconds to warm up. the 03-08 uses the same bulb for low and highs while the 09+ uses a separate bulb for highs so it's more beneficial for the 03-08 to get the bixenon function.

[Dog Hauler]

I actually put in an air horn. I bought my 2007 vibe there and then traded it for my current GT. if you walked through the used cars my old wave blue car is still there. V for Vibe also bought hers there too.

[lowincash]

Quote, originally posted by Dog Hauler »I actually put in an air horn. I bought my 2007 vibe there and then traded it for my current GT. if you walked through the used cars my old wave blue car is still there. V for Vibe also bought hers there too.by any chance you have pics of your air horn? i want to change mine to air horn. i already changed out the stock ones to some louder ones but thinking air horns this time lol

[ajb812]

Quote, originally posted by Dog Hauler »I actually put in an air horn. I bought my 2007 vibe there and then traded it for my current GT. if you walked through the used cars my old wave blue car is still there. V for Vibe also bought hers there too.I actually remember seeing the wave blue vibe there - small world huh? Well, at least I now know of two other people who have gotten their vibes there. If you know any other vibe owners in the area, and want to meet up, feel free to let me know! I'd love to meet some fellow vibers. How did the air horn install go. I've never had them before, so I have no idea what to expect. Sounds pretty cool though ... definitely something I think I may look into!

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by Dog Hauler »V for Vibe also bought hers there too.HEY twin!!! I some how missed this post. How is everything going with the GT? I too switched out my horns for some Hellas. So where in Tampa are you? I'm in the Lutz I-275 to Tampa area.

[KNINE]

It's like V harmony.

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by K-NINE »It's like V harmony. The Florida Vibers are crawling out of the wood works.

[ajb812]

Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »HEY twin!!! I some how missed this post. How is everything going with the GT? I too switched out my horns for some Hellas. So where in Tampa are you? I'm in the Lutz I-275 to Tampa area.Yay! I found my Vibe's long lost twin! I love the new GT! Had it for nearly 4 months now (wow does time fly!) and wonder how I went so long without it - lol! Yeah, I'm thinking I might put the Hellas in there as well, just haven't gotten a chance yet. I couldn't stand the stock horn, so I switched it out for the meantime with a Cadillac horn I had lying around. Looks like you're just north of me. I'm in the Tampa Palms / New Tampa area just north of USF. Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »The Florida Vibers are crawling out of the wood works. It's definitely about time - lol! Let me know if you ever want to arrange a get together for the "twins". Could be an interesting photo-op (double vision perhaps) - lol!

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by ajb812 » Looks like you're just north of me. I'm in the Tampa Palms / New Tampa area just north of USF. That's where my brother lives, so I am in fact over there every once and a whileQuote, originally posted by ajb812 »It's definitely about time - lol! Let me know if you ever want to arrange a get together for the "twins". Could be an interesting photo-op (double vision perhaps) - lol! We'll have to set something up sometime.