GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I just got an 03 Vibe off a salvage yard. I don't know why it was totalled out. It looks like it was hit in the hood. The left headlight is slightly askew, but can be adjusted. There is a gap on both sides of the hood and the fenders. It has just shy of 179k Mi and runs like a top. It's a GT and I can't believe the horses that 1.8l 4cyl has. It's getting great gas mileage and other than the minor front damage it looks great. I need to ask others who have owned vibes in the past, is there anything I should look for as far as diagnostics on a car I know nothing about? I mean I'm a bit of an amateur mechanic, but I've never touched one of these cars.

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That's look surprisingly good for being a total loss. They probably didn't think it was worth much due to the age and high mileage. Make sure everything on that front end is in one pice, radiator mainly. Could have hidden undercarriage damage so maybe put it up and take a look at the oil pan, exhaust.The only real common issue w/ GT's is a stock clutch that doesn't last long. I'd recommend changing out the man tran fluid since the history's unknown, Redline MT-90 is really good.

Easy, it may have undercarriage damage, as mentioned and/or damage to the steering, suspension. It's too late, since you bought the car for any recourse, so take it to a mechanic to see if the front end damage will affect the driveability of the car. As well, good luck on getting it insured, and if you do get it insured, you'll probably be paying some nice money for the insurance.

Yeah, thanks. I just joined this site and I appreciate any advice. I had a mechanic check it quickly before I bought it, and I've previously purchased an Audi from this lot. I got that for 1600 and after putting 1900 into body work and another 500 into brakes, tie rods and front axles, I sold it for about what I'd put into it. I plan on driving this one till the wheels fall off. I'll check the clutch and xmission fluid. It feels pretty tight and at 179k I'm guessing it's not the original one. Oh, also I noticed the radio doesn't work. Idk if an impact jarred it or maybe it blew a fuse. I'll keep on that and post here if I find any issues. Thanks!

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looks like a great find. Just remember to give it good gas. GT's shouldn't be fed 87 octane. Wish i would have found something like that myself when i went for my second Vibe. Radio's are cheap if that one is blown so just finish out the little stuff and that car should last you a long time.

I had a car totaled out myself in December. I was talking to the insurance folks ('cause they're actually friends of mine...go figure!)... They said when a car that's been hit in the front goes into the body shop for an initial look, if any one of the "crumple zones" is even barely "crumpled" or wrinkled, the car is done as far as they are concerned.Sooo, went and talked to the body shop ('cause again, the guy is a friend of mine...go figure x2!). He verified what I was thinking, in that it's kinda like an aluminum can. If the can doesn't have any wrinkles in it, you can almost stand on it while it's standing up straight. But, crinkle the can once, and then try to put it back into shape, and you can't put hardly any weight on the top of can before it crushes down.Same thing with a car. Crinkle the crumple and if the car gets hit again, practically zero protection from the zones. Doesn't matter if the air bags were blown or not. Some crumple zones can get tweaked without a direct hit.In short, I'd get under it and look over the body work carefully. Any little bends/tweaks/etc probably mean that the car's bodywork isn't going to help you out much in an accident.My 2 cents...

Nice find!!!

Quote, originally posted by skimask »I had a car totaled out myself in December. I was talking to the insurance folks ('cause they're actually friends of mine...go figure!)... They said when a car that's been hit in the front goes into the body shop for an initial look, if any one of the "crumple zones" is even barely "crumpled" or wrinkled, the car is done as far as they are concerned.Sooo, went and talked to the body shop ('cause again, the guy is a friend of mine...go figure x2!). He verified what I was thinking, in that it's kinda like an aluminum can. If the can doesn't have any wrinkles in it, you can almost stand on it while it's standing up straight. But, crinkle the can once, and then try to put it back into shape, and you can't put hardly any weight on the top of can before it crushes down.Same thing with a car. Crinkle the crumple and if the car gets hit again, practically zero protection from the zones. Doesn't matter if the air bags were blown or not. Some crumple zones can get tweaked without a direct hit.In short, I'd get under it and look over the body work carefully. Any little bends/tweaks/etc probably mean that the car's bodywork isn't going to help you out much in an accident.My 2 cents...It's a little late for that, since he already bought the car.

Quote, originally posted by zaxellord »It's a little late for that, since he already bought the car.I know. But in my particular case, if I was to buy a car like that (and I would if a deal came my way), I probably wouldn't carry my kid around with me in the car seat.Just throwing it out there...

Quote, originally posted by skimask »I had a car totaled out myself in December. I was talking to the insurance folks ('cause they're actually friends of mine...go figure!)... They said when a car that's been hit in the front goes into the body shop for an initial look, if any one of the "crumple zones" is even barely "crumpled" or wrinkled, the car is done as far as they are concerned.Sooo, went and talked to the body shop ('cause again, the guy is a friend of mine...go figure x2!). He verified what I was thinking, in that it's kinda like an aluminum can. If the can doesn't have any wrinkles in it, you can almost stand on it while it's standing up straight. But, crinkle the can once, and then try to put it back into shape, and you can't put hardly any weight on the top of can before it crushes down.Same thing with a car. Crinkle the crumple and if the car gets hit again, practically zero protection from the zones. Doesn't matter if the air bags were blown or not. Some crumple zones can get tweaked without a direct hit.In short, I'd get under it and look over the body work carefully. Any little bends/tweaks/etc probably mean that the car's bodywork isn't going to help you out much in an accident.My 2 cents...My first car was a 2000 Mustang that I had bought at a salvage yard. It had been rear ended, probably at a pretty moderate speed since both rear quarter panels were bent downwards. After being fixed, it looked great. Then I got rear ended. Lightly, well around 10-15 MPH and it did nothing but scuff the bumper. So, I don't know if I would put full faith in that statement.

Nice find! Looks almost exactly like my 04 base, love that color. Do you have any mods in the works once you've got it all fixed up?

My Vibe is on a salvage title, and it was a rear end collision. Judging by the body work done on it, it may have been pretty bad. But it's 100% now, and when my friend gave me a tap in the rear all I needed was a new plastic bumper. I still don't have it, but I needed a new one anyway. My Vibe is insured for pretty cheap actually, and I'm a teenage boy. Rates for this "station wagon" are naturally pretty low (I think). Still, though, take it to a guy to check it out. My friends Vibe was in an accident, and while it did look pretty bad the plastic hid most of the damage.

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »So, I don't know if I would put full faith in that statement. Well, every accident is different. Different masses, different angles, different circumstances, different weather, and so on.Jist of the story, if a "crumple zone" is compromised, it's compromised. End of story. You can't bend the metal back straight. You can't beat it back into shape. It's done.Now whether or not that "compromised crumple zone" will hold up to a 2nd collision, well, again, a different this, a change in that. It might hold up just fine. It might fold up like a piece of tin foil.One thing for sure, an uncompromised crumple zone WILL fair better than a compromised crumple zone exactly 100% of the time. How much better? Well, again, too many variables to count.Your Mustang getting hit and surviving with a scuff, is one story, one piece of anecdotal evidence, one set of circumstances.You can't base anything off a data set of 1.

Thanks for all the advice, guys. The more I'm looking at it, I think the crumple zone in the front is a little bit bent. I have a couple body shop guys I know that I'll ask about it. That said, I'm pretty confident that the safety isn't going to be too much of an issue. I'll tighten up the body as much as I can. I'm thinking about modding the clutch/shifter and doing some engine work. I'm kinda short on cash right now after purchasing the car, so I'll have to save up after repairs and see what I can do. Thanks again, and I'm glad to be on the site. Do you guys have any local clubs or get togethers?

I'll recommend some brass shifter bushings to replace the rubber ones. They help with the spongy feeling while shifting. < $15 on ebay and a very easy job.

Quote, originally posted by twalth01 »The more I'm looking at it, I think the crumple zone in the front is a little bit bent.Well, crumple zones don't bend. They...uh...errrrr....crumple Heck, as long as it steers straight and all that, go with it.A "strut bar" might help stiffen up the front end and may even help compensate for a bit of metal weakening (and hence flexing) caused by a "compromised crumple zone", but it's surely not an end-all/fix-all.