GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Im signing the papers today on a dark blue 09 vibe GT with apx 34k miles on it! One question I have is that every site I've looked at (emunds, kbb, a few others) list leather trim seats as standard on GT's. Is that true? This one doesn't have leather.

Leather (fake) trim (not the entire seat). If the vehicle has these rims/side skirts/rear spoiler/front fascia (bumper), it is safe to say it is a GT

Welcome and congrats! Though I'm jealous all over again now LOL

Welcome to GenVibe!!!

Welcome! Post some pictures.

However if your car looks more like mine, it is NOT a GT (though still awesome) I say this because my dealership had mine classified as a GT for some reason even though it clearly is not, maybe because it had every single upgrade package?

"However if your car looks more like mine, it is NOT a GT"This is what I'm wondering. It does have all the options; 2.4L, cd with subwoofer, power windows & doors, keyless, spoiler, same color bumper, etc ... and I'm getting it at a Subaru dealer. They act as if they don't know what was standard or not. Unfortunately, low mileage Vibes (with options) are rare around here such that I'd buy it anyway. I don't like this dealer.

BTW - I'm really glad this site is here.

Quote, originally posted by aikanae » I don't like this dealer. First, did you buy the car? You said you were about to sign papers....What did you not like about the dealer? I'm curious. I sold Toyotas a few years ago, and I can not recall anyone buying a car from me that was not happy.... Buyers remorse a bit later, but never unhappy.Something about the deal spook you?ou.grizzly gave you a list of external features to look for. The wheels are untique to the GT. Under the hood should also be a strut tower brace going from on top of one wheel well to the other. Unless debaged, it should say "Vibe GT" on the rear hatch.

It could just be a 2.4L 1SC with the sunroof and sound package.The 1SC package added power everything, the 2.4L engine and 17 inch alloys.The sunroof and sound package is pretty self explanatory.If it is a GT, the alloys should be chrome insted of the 1SC's aluminium and the front bumper should be slightly different than the standard one. The spoiler should also be bigger than the regular lip spoiler of the basic model. The GT also has different seats and 4 wheel independant suspension insted of a rear torsion beam.To put this simply... do you have a link? Here is a quick visual guide to see whether this is a GT or a fully loaded 1SC.http://i14.photobucket.com/alb...C.png The 1SC is still a good car but I'd sure love the 4 wheels independant suspension of the GT model compared to the torsion beam of the standard version...

Welcome to GenVibe! I was 'drooling' over a used blue GT on my dealer's lot just last week!

Congrats on the new ride and welcome to GenVibe!

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »Leather (fake) trim (not the entire seat).The leather is real. The technical term for the '09-'10 GT interior is Ebony Cloth with Ebony Leather Accents, but most dealers just list it as "Leather Seats". There are also leather inserts on the front door panels.Here are a few pictures of my '09 GT seats and front door panels for reference:

"What did you not like about the dealer? I'm curious. I sold Toyotas a few years ago, and I can not recall anyone buying a car from me that was not happy.... Buyers remorse a bit later, but never unhappy."There were a lot of little things; avoiding the Carfax, not knowing the car features (but "girlfriend had one"), and their attitude. Too many white lies kept my 6th sense of something's shady going on. I would've walked away if had faith of finding a similar Vibe soon. The car checked out with my mechanic. No signs of an accident. The paint around the back license plate was flaking off in one spot too. The car says GT. I have no idea why anyone would change the seats out. The dealer was lucky I really wanted the car they had.Between my schedule and the salesman, we haven't been able to connect (grrr). The car is paid for. The dealer is a hour away (ow) in heavy traffic. Tonight should be the night (again)!!! Thx.

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »The leather is real. At most, the lower portions may be real leather, but the rest is not. This is a fact.

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »At most, the lower portions may be real leather, but the rest is not. This is a fact.Prove it.

Hi !

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »Prove it.http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_...atherh ... o...=lastI found this out after purchasing so many vehicles and doing enough homework. For more concrete answers, give a well known automotive upholstery shop if need be.

Sorry, but I don't buy it. If it were vinyl or man made leather, it wouldn't smell like real leather. Both mine and my mom's GTs still have that wonderful leather smell even after 16 months of ownership.

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »Sorry, but I don't buy it. If it were vinyl or man made leather, it wouldn't smell like real leather. Both mine and my mom's GTs still have that wonderful leather smell even after 16 months of ownership.Many people have been mislead, sorry for the news. As from this, I hope all goes well for our new member and the Vibe purchase. Welcome to the forum Aikanae.

I honestly don't care either way. I would much rather have the Base model cloth seats. I have never been a fan of leather seats.

Putting my two cents in on the leather issue (which probably belongs in another thread but whatever)So a seat that appears to be ALL leather but is called leather-appointed probably just has leather on the main squares ("seating surface") and vinyl on the other panels...What about a seat like the GT which is mostly cloth but only with "leather" on the side panels? I'd think they couldn't get away with calling it leather if there weren't any, and the "seating surfaces" (main square panels) are CLOTH on the Vibe GT (which is where they usually put the leather on the other "leather appointed seats" according to the links)Man the Vibe GTs seats are so confusing. I've never seen another car with seats like that.

Quote, originally posted by aikanae »There were a lot of little things; avoiding the Carfax, not knowing the car features (but "girlfriend had one"), and their attitude. Too many white lies kept my 6th sense of something's shady going on. I would've walked away if had faith of finding a similar Vibe soon. The car checked out with my mechanic. No signs of an accident. The paint around the back license plate was flaking off in one spot too. The car says GT. I have no idea why anyone would change the seats out. The dealer was lucky I really wanted the car they had.Between my schedule and the salesman, we haven't been able to connect (grrr). The car is paid for. The dealer is a hour away (ow) in heavy traffic. Tonight should be the night (again)!!! Thx.This maybe too late, but I would walk from the deal.... My $.02. From what you have described, there are too many warning bells. More than likely you will have to deal with the salesman/dealership in the future and it does not sound like your off on the right foot. There will be other Vibes.Carfax is a crock. Sure it may show you accident info, but only if there was an insurance claim or a police report. Never if it was fixed out of pocket. Maintence records are a joke, unless the car was serviced at the dealership from where it was purchased. I have personally seen clean carfaxes for 30k pre-owned where the oil was never changed.... So I would not put any faith in Carfax. The advice on from your own personal mechanic, that is a different matter.Changing seats, hmmmm. Side airbags deployed? Original seats damaged beyond repair? I have seen dealerships swap parts, although usually wheel/tire combos, from one vehicle to another to make a deal.... That may have happened.You did not mention if it was a dealership who had the car. You said Subaru I believe. In the salesman's defense, I did not know everything about every used car we offered, but at least I would admit the fact and find out the answer for the customer. Especially if it was an off brand.Well, if you did pick it up, you should post photos here. I atleast am curious what features the vehicle does have.

Your right. I don't know if this is a good time to talk about my experience or not since I'd probably use a lot of 4 letter adjectives right now. I did sign the papers and drive the car home largely because in the last 3 weeks I've only seen about 3 GT's for sale in the state - which were sold before the ad was published. Because of personal and professional reasons, I am out of time. I didn't even know Vibes existed until my truck died.But it's not a GT. Over the course of talking to the salesman several times a day, he never corrected me it was not a GT. I do have a2.4L engine and I don't know what else. I'd like to know. The salesman assured me all 2.4's include an upgraded suspension (independent) but he's the last person I'd believe right now. This is a big dealer, associate with BBB. So they wouldn't be hard to reach with complaints if I want to go that route. I do know 2009'a (or 08's) with under 100k and power options are few and I paid a fair price. Not great, but not bad. The Carfax is not the end, it's the beginning to pulling a history together. It tells me where the car has been licensed and that's good for my records. One I looked at had obviously been in a serious accident (or more) but had a "clean" Carfax. At least the dealer didn't try to hide anything on that one. I felt lucky it held together on a test drive. I asked the dealer to change the transmission fluid because it was "dark" and now it shifts hard. Right now my imagination could be running overtime because of dealing with this dealer. It's late. My dad is going into hospice and that's why my time and patience is short. Basically the salesman was several hours late. Then I discover he'd been paid his commission and spent his time selling another car. Bad move. He may have created a very unhappy and angry customer. The owner of the dealership already knows this. A "detail" and free oil change isn't enough.But I needed a car and wanted a Vibe.

Well, hopfully when the dust settles your new to you Vibe exceeds your expectations.I knew numberous salesmen with the same personality as yours. Most would disappear when a client came back with a complaint leaving the mgrs to cover their asses and try and pacify the client. They fell into two groups. One -- The type that would slam a customer into a car, gouge them on the price, brag about their commission check, and disapear for a week or so after they got paid. Most of this type had substance abuse problems and usually at least one pregnant girl looking for them. The mgrs tolerated their behavior because they pulled in very high gross deals. This type also survived on "fresh ups," rarely be-backs or referrals. They usually disapeared and no one knew for sure what happened to them...Two -- The green pea. The newbie. Fresh to the business and wants to earn a quick buck. Not substance dependant, but very ego driven and always owed money to someone. Often trys to cut their own deals on the lot rather than getting numbers from the manager. Tries to dazzle you with bull**** rather then spending the time to learn the ropes. This type is usually fired.Quote, originally posted by aikanae »Basically the salesman was several hours late. Then I discover he'd been paid his commission and spent his time selling another car. Bad move. He may have created a very unhappy and angry customer. The owner of the dealership already knows this. A "detail" and free oil change isn't enough. One piece of advice I learned took very seriously in sales was you need the customer to leave satisfied... Very simply, IF the customer feels they got a "good deal" they may tell one or two people. But if they feel they got cheated in any way, they tell everyone! Not only do they drag the dealership through the mud, but also the saleman.,,, In order to thrive in sales, you need the referrals.That said -- hopfully better times lie ahead. Post some pics.