GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys,
Just curious about this, ans I've got about 18 months left until I've paid off my 09 Vibe GT. I may give it to my wife, or trade it in, but either way I will probably get a new car because I currently do a lot of highway driving to commute to work and school. The wife maybe drives 50 miles a week.

So, given that the Vibe is no longer an option, I was curious as to what some of you folks have or would consider replacing a Vibe with, presuming that you want a similar vehicle. I thought about the Matrix, but they are so much more expensive. Also, given that gas just continues to rise, getting better mileage would certainly be a consideration. I definitely don't want to get anything smaller than the Vibe cargo space-wise, as it's just the right size to hold all my music gear when I play gigs.

This car seems quite promising:
http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/elant ... -show.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Been hearing good things about Hyundai, but I have no experience with them. The specs on this, however, seem pretty impressive.

I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on the subject!

A Hyundai is on my short list for sure as our next vehicle, but probably the Sonata Turbo to replace the Explorer for my wife. She wants a regular family car now that my older two are in college. I have a couple of friends that I was discussing the need to buy a 4 door family car with, and they both said Hyundai. One owns two, a 2005ish Elantra and the Entourage minivan. Him and his wife love them both. The other friend's wife has a 2007ish Sonata and he is in agreement too that they are great vehicles. I may end up buying a regular Elantra for my daughter in a couple of years since she wants a car with a trunk, not a hatch.

I don't know what I will get next, most likely that will be 5 or 6 years from now when my twins are driving age. I might look at the Elantra GT or even the new Ford Escape, but it will be something along the same lines. Unless I end up with a new Mustang!

I guess that's the replacement for the Elantra Touring (station wagon). And as the Honda ad says, you can rely on the 5 yr bumper to bumper warranty [10 year power train] even if the Elantra is not as reliable as a Honda. But at 5,000 miles a year I don't think my '09 Vibe is going to kick the bucket anytime soon.

My 03 only has 270K miles on it. No use worrying about what to replace it with now, maybe in 5-10 years I should start paying attention again to the new models. Driving a car well past the time it is paid off is a great way to save money. Haven't had a car loan since 94

That's definitely a good thought. My car is in really good condition mechanically (knocks on wood). Most of my driving is interstate, cruising at 72 MPH. So, it's entirely possible that I'll have it paid off and it'll still be good to go. I just know that I put so many miles so quickly on a car, that I'll worry that something big will eventually "happen." It may be a better decision to upgrade my wife's car (she has a 96 honda civic hatchback with numerous problems, and no power steering!). I would love to live without a car payment, though...

I'll for sure have my Vibe for another two years while I'm in school; I've got around 93,000 miles now. After that it really depends on what I can afford. I really like the 3 door VW GTI, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, or Ford Mustang; I hate to admit it but I also like the VW Beetle Turbo. Though, it depends on what some of these look like because I'm sure they'll be redesigned in the next 2 years.

My Vibe has 130K now & I wont buy anything soon. It will be paid off in 6 months so im going save mucho money after that. When the time is right ( 5 years or so ) I will buy a used RAV4. I dont care about new cars anymore. After the next model comes out your "NEW" car is just another used car on the road just like everybody elses. Take for example the current mustang V6, it has as much HP as the previous generations GT did (removed) !

I won't have to worry about the me outlasting the Vibe. At my current pace of driving it (4000 miles/year) the Vibe will certainly outlast me

tpollauf wrote:I won't have to worry about the me outlasting the Vibe. At my current pace of driving it (4000 miles/year) the Vibe will certainly outlast me

Keep me in your loop. Once you go I'll take your Vibe and DD it. By then my Vibe should be reaching an age where a new engine might be appropriate, and it'll reach weekend-car status.

When my vibe dies, it's getting replaced by either a new VW beetle, a Prius v, a fiat arbarth, or a scion iq. Unless something else tickles my fancy.

KITT222 wrote:
Keep me in your loop. Once you go I'll take your Vibe and DD it.

Nick. I haven't forgotten about you. In fact I should name you in my will as "first person to acquire my Vibe GT" in the event something would happen to me sooner. Let's not think that way though

I will give my Vibe a proper funeral, and I will never drive another car again.

KNINE wrote:I will give my Vibe a proper funeral, and I will never drive another car again.

You could always drive rentals

As many others have said, I'm not too worried about new vehicles at this point in time. I plan on having the Vibe for at least twice as long as it takes me to pay it off (6 year loan = at least 12 years), so I'm looking at another 9 years at the very least. At the rate I'm going, my Vibe should only have about 60,000 miles when it's paid off in early 2015 so I should be able to keep it another 3+ years after it's paid off no problem. I am hoping it will be like our 1994 Pontiac Sunbird LE Sedan; my parents bought it brand new on January 1, 1994. It's still running strong to this day 18+ years later with 267,xxx miles. Needless to say it was paid off a long time ago.

My 2009 only have 61000 km in 3 years and 3 months, so it's still good for a couple of years at the least. I paid it off in 2,5 years (had a 6 years loan originaly). The car is very reliable and never let me down. It will need new tires next spring, but other than that, nothing is wrong with it.
I sometimes look at new cars, but then I look back at my Vibe and just can't let it go. I had it special ordered for me so it's exactly the car I wanted when I bought it.
However, I now have a new summer toy, so it will save some km on the Vibe.

tpollauf wrote:

KITT222 wrote:
Keep me in your loop. Once you go I'll take your Vibe and DD it.

Nick. I haven't forgotten about you. In fact I should name you in my will as "first person to acquire my Vibe GT" in the event something would happen to me sooner. Let's not think that way though

I would enjoy that immensely. The will part, not the dying part.


I want my son to someday ask, "Daddy, why do you still have that silver Vibe?" Then, years later, "Hey Dad, can I take the Vibe out for a spin?" To which the answer will be a prompt "Take the CTS-V instead." Not too far fetched, considering that the Vibe could last me another 200,000+ miles on this engine. I got 'er young! By the time a new car is even a conceivable thought, the Vibe will be worth no money, but worth lots in sentimental value, plus I'll be out of college and in the real world. My dad still owns his first car, a '77 Monza 2+2 Spider (package, not convertible).

If and when I change cars, I'm either getting the current model vw gti or the mazda3 hatch. I don't know if I want to get new again though. I might just get a used one, I don't really mind. But either way, I'm getting a hatchback/wagon again The vibe's my first hatchback/wagon and I really love it haha Very useful but kinda annoying at the same time. People keep asking me to move things for them =/ Just this past month I've been helping my friend move furniture back and forth so many times. Kind of surprised with the stuffs I'm able to carry lol

My husband discovered the Vibe for me. He kept his eyes out on the highway for a hatchback that was not too big (I have a problem even thinking of buying an SUV), yet big enough to carry my walker with a seat that I use in my work. (I do have bad knees, but I mostly use the walker to help my neck - I cannot carry my computer bag for long without being in pain). So small hatchbacks are not big enough for me.

Husband's original idea was to get me a used Vibe, then be ready to buy a Ford C-Max once they have gotten the kinks out in a few years time. We ended up with a low-millage '09 GT, though, so I may have it for a long, long time. But you with more milage on your Vibes may want to consider the C-Max:

If the Vibe were to croak today? Here's the short list of what would replace it:

FJ cruiser w/6 speed stick
Longbox Dodge or Ford 1/2ton pickup - 4x2 reg cab w/ Hemi or Ecoboost
Fiat 500 Abarth
Scion FR-S

Of course, all this is subject to testdrive...

If (dog forbid) something happens to Neptune, I still have Frosty!

The list of possibilities so far is:
Toyota Matrix or Yaris
Mazda3
Hyundai Veloster

whatever Hyundai is selling is what I'll buy.

When mine kicks the bucket I'm for SURE buying....
A NEW ENGINE!

Three thumbs up for NO car payment!

A Psycho Martyr wrote:Three thumbs up for NO car payment!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

star_deceiver wrote:Fiat 500 Abarth

lannvouivre wrote:Mazda3

Either one...but I have to admit...the Abarth!!!! Where else can you find a performance tweeked car that still gets 45mpg...They have also come out with a limited Carbon edition that pumps bhp from 160 to 200

Oddly enough i think I would probably go and get a 1992-1996 Toyota Camry.





Sure it is old and the oldest version of this generation of Camry is 20 years old and the newest(1996) is 16 years old but they are rock solid and reliable and still look good and modern even though it is a 20 year old design. To me it is the best looking Camry ever. The generation right before it(86-90) are too boxy looking and looked dated in the late 1980's(of course most cars looked boxy and dated in the 1980's after the Taurus came out) and the 1997-2001 Camry looks generic.

The 92-96 Camry benefited from those ball bearing tests that the 91-96 Lexus ES had done to it. There are still thousands out on the road and they still look good

Volkwagon GTI either 3 or 5 door.

kia soul sport version

If I were in to 4 dr sedans I'd buy my persnickerty brother's 2008 Avalon Limited, 53,000 miles, new tires, absolutely spotless $20,000.

I miss having a truck, so I'd like one of these:

musicmanmu wrote:Hey guys,
Just curious about this, ans I've got about 18 months left until I've paid off my 09 Vibe GT. I may give it to my wife, or trade it in, but either way I will probably get a new car because I currently do a lot of highway driving to commute to work and school. The wife maybe drives 50 miles a week.

So, given that the Vibe is no longer an option, I was curious as to what some of you folks have or would consider replacing a Vibe with, presuming that you want a similar vehicle. I thought about the Matrix, but they are so much more expensive. Also, given that gas just continues to rise, getting better mileage would certainly be a consideration. I definitely don't want to get anything smaller than the Vibe cargo space-wise, as it's just the right size to hold all my music gear when I play gigs.

This car seems quite promising:
http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/elant ... -show.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Been hearing good things about Hyundai, but I have no experience with them. The specs on this, however, seem pretty impressive.

I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on the subject!

This makes no sense to me whatsoever, what makes the Vibe "no longer an option"? Just because it's paid for? Is that the end of the car's useful life or something? I paid cash for my '04 in January of 2006 when it had 38k, it has 130+ on it now and if I had a long commute to work/school it's the only car I'd consider driving. If I had an '09 I'd pay it off as early as I could and drive it forever. Why would you buy a new car to put lots of miles on when you have something that's paid for already? What am I missing?

Mark wrote:

musicmanmu wrote:Hey guys,
Just curious about this, ans I've got about 18 months left until I've paid off my 09 Vibe GT. I may give it to my wife, or trade it in, but either way I will probably get a new car because I currently do a lot of highway driving to commute to work and school. The wife maybe drives 50 miles a week.

So, given that the Vibe is no longer an option, I was curious as to what some of you folks have or would consider replacing a Vibe with, presuming that you want a similar vehicle. I thought about the Matrix, but they are so much more expensive. Also, given that gas just continues to rise, getting better mileage would certainly be a consideration. I definitely don't want to get anything smaller than the Vibe cargo space-wise, as it's just the right size to hold all my music gear when I play gigs.

This car seems quite promising:
http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/elant ... -show.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Been hearing good things about Hyundai, but I have no experience with them. The specs on this, however, seem pretty impressive.

I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on the subject!

This makes no sense to me whatsoever, what makes the Vibe "no longer an option"? Just because it's paid for? Is that the end of the car's useful life or something? I paid cash for my '04 in January of 2006 when it had 38k, it has 130+ on it now and if I had a long commute to work/school it's the only car I'd consider driving. If I had an '09 I'd pay it off as early as I could and drive it forever. Why would you buy a new car to put lots of miles on when you have something that's paid for already? What am I missing?

I guess I should've worded it differently. In saying it's "no longer an option" I simply meant that you cannot buy one brand new anymore (although I'm not the type of person who needs a brand new car...like my grandfather did!).

In my mind, as many miles as I put on the car, I just presumed that sooner rather than later, something would happen to it. Hell, I still have a year and half left to pay it off. By then, it will probably have around 200,000 miles on it. I take very good care of it, but I just want to be prepared for the eventuality that something major will malfunction sooner than someone who drives 50-100 miles a week rather than 100-150 miles a day.

I also wrote that I may give the car to my wife when it's paid off, as her current car is much older and lacks a lot of basic amenities.

At any rate, we'll see where things stand after it's paid off, but I will definitely keep my eyes open for 09 and 10 Vibes with low miles too.

This WILL be my replacement or my 2nd car
2013/14 Scion FR-S/ Toyota GT-86

Barring something horrible happening, I hope to be driving my '08 for at least another five years, if not 10 or more... love the car... I kind of imagine it might be my kids' first vehicle in 13 or 14 years. At that rate, I will probably replace it with something that isn't yet on the market.

If I had to replace it today, I'd look to the Matrix first, but consider the Mazda 3 and maybe the Elantra GT. I would consider a Honda Fit, but I can't get over its appearance. My wife has also been talking up the idea of a larger vehicle, which would be something along the lines of the Mazda 5 or the (Canada-only) Chevy Orlando -- a peoplemover more than a typical SUV or van.

The reason the Elantra is only a maybe is that my wife's current car is the Elantra Touring, the model the GT replaces. We got the Touring instead of a Vibe/Matrix in part because it had a bit more room (fit our family of four -- with two young kids and strollers -- better) and also because we could get financing that worked better for our situation. It's been more or less fine. I like the experience of driving the Vibe more, and while we've only had relatively small issues with our Touring, they've been a little more numerous than I'd like... despite the oft-repeated story that Hyundai has come a long way (and let's face it, there's truth in there), I'm still not completely sold on their overall reliability relative to the competition.

depending on child status (if i have any or not) will determine my next car, if i dont just put a new engine in the vibe. i would consider a focus for sure. or a mazda 5 sporting. and is the c max a large crossover or van or what!? very interesting.

I just saw the 2012 Kia Sportage while i was in the Keys this weekend. Looks really nice ! In a couple of years it will have a nice used car price too ! Im still sticking to the Vibe & wont veer off to another car payment unless its nessessary.

I agree with the new scion!!! It looks badass!!! However I would probably do something that even my close friends wouldn't expect me to do.... I would go back and try to find another 91' GMC Typhoon. AWD turbo 4.3V6!!! I loved my old one but it got hit in a parking lot by a semi truck.

Wingnut wrote:I agree with the new scion!!! It looks badass!!! However I would probably do something that even my close friends wouldn't expect me to do.... I would go back and try to find another 91' GMC Typhoon. AWD turbo 4.3V6!!! I loved my old one but it got hit in a parking lot by a semi truck.

Heck yeah, that or a Syclone, they're my dream cars and are getting older and older every year

Yes they are and I just got done looking on autotrader.com and I found one for 10k! Low miles and needs to sell!

Snap, if I had the cash I'd be on that faster than anything haha. For now, gonna stick with my AWD vibe haha, not quite the 0-60 of a typhoon but definitely a car I can pour my love into.

I really liked the Syclone & Typhoon. If money was no object I would love a 2013 Mustang GT. I miss having a car with some balls LOL

For the past week or so, I have been seeing this one Lexus commercial over and over. It has caught my attention so much I decided to look into the vehicle it features more today... purely out of curiousity of course . All things considered this Lexus would definitely be an excellent replacement for the Vibe in my opinion (not that it's going to be).

The 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid F-SPORT in either Tungsten Pearl (1st picture) or Ultrasonic Blue Mica (2nd picture).





Ugh... don't tell the Vibe, but I think I'm in love ...

Well... My rims will fit quite nicely on a Scion FR-S... May have to take a test drive one of these days...
Then again... There's a Lil' Red Express down at the auto maxx...

J_TO_ENVY wrote:For the past week or so, I have been seeing this one Lexus commercial over and over. It has caught my attention so much I decided to look into the vehicle it features more today... purely out of curiousity of course . All things considered this Lexus would definitely be an excellent replacement for the Vibe in my opinion (not that it's going to be).

The 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid F-SPORT in either Tungsten Pearl (1st picture) or Ultrasonic Blue Mica (2nd picture).





Ugh... don't tell the Vibe, but I think I'm in love ...

I too have looked at this. Nice ride! Go with the blue, it was my choice too! We have awesome taste in color!

When my 2006 base kicks the bucket I will likely get an 05 Vibe GT !

I hate to say this but I went and test drove the new scion... I'm thinking of using the money I saved for the vibe as a down payment on one.... The vibe would become our family vehicle. I'm still not sure yet.

Wingnut wrote:I hate to say this but I went and test drove the new scion... I'm thinking of using the money I saved for the vibe as a down payment on one.... The vibe would become our family vehicle. I'm still not sure yet.

Quite the situation. I'm not a fan of that Kia, but.... Vibe! You could still do a decent amount of mods to the Vibe as a family rig (says the one who plans on hauling kids in a used CTS-V sport wagon) but that Scion Fr-S is just such an awesome car. If you do get an FR-S and switch out the rims, I'll lowball you an offer on the stock rims... they're sexy and will fit the Vibe.



Generally, this is what I plan on doing:

Keep the Vibe through college. No car payments once I'm out, just student loans. Once I begin making money, get a garage. And if there's a house attached, that'll be nice, too. Once I get a house, buy a new daily driver and keep my Vibe as a weekend runner. Possibly get Tim's barely-driven 09 GT (with >50,000 miles on it). From there, there's too many variables to consider...

Planning of getting rid of the Vibe later this year . Now that my kids are older, we need something bigger. Leaning towards the Hyundai Genesis and/or Infinty M37.

Pat

star_deceiver wrote:Then again... There's a Lil' Red Express down at the auto maxx...

Now that would be cool!

Pat

KITT222 wrote:
Generally, this is what I plan on doing:

Possibly get Tim's barely-driven 09 GT (with >50,000 miles on it).

Hmmmmmmmmmm ............................... Lets see ................... You realize you may have to wait at least 30 years before I'm either GONE or so old & beat up that I won't be able to drive my Vibe anymore You will have first dibs on becoming the second owner of my Vibe

tpollauf wrote:

KITT222 wrote:
Generally, this is what I plan on doing:

Possibly get Tim's barely-driven 09 GT (with >50,000 miles on it).

Hmmmmmmmmmm ............................... Lets see ................... You realize you may have to wait at least 30 years before I'm either GONE or so old & beat up that I won't be able to drive my Vibe anymore You will have first dibs on becoming the second owner of my Vibe

Meh, anything nice as a daily to give my Vibe a break once time comes. Chances are, though, there'll still be less than 200,000 on her once she's set aside for weekend duties.