GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

After a year with my Pontiac Vibe 2008, I finally sold it last week for $8,000 at 107,000 km. I bought myself a Honda CR-V EX 2008 AWD. For those who have followed my thread on AWD vs FWD, Ive come to a solution to my problem with my country house steep slope

Although the Vibe wasn't as I expected it to be, I enjoyed it pretty much. Good driving and handling, reliable mechanic, nice design, smooth engine, great on space, etc.

What I didn't like about the Vibe is that although its a 2008, it lacks some features: No power doors/windows (I had to install the power locks myself), no hatch release button... you have to take out your key to go open the trunk... the same way as my wife's Toyota Tercel SD '96... no reading light (I had to use a flashlight to look at a map at night), no cover to hide your stuff in your trunk so everyone can see what you have in it... BUT it was equipped with that Tire-pressure monitoring system which is a pain in the @$$ when it comes to switch your tires for your winter ones. You cant buy another set of rims because then you have to pay for 4 other little sensors to put in your rims. If you choose to put winter tires on your existing rims, the mechanic have to watch out not to break the sensors which cost $60 each. OH! I forgot to mention that there isn't any cruise control BUT the car system is already equipped for cruise control. All that is missing is the cruise control stick (which I went to a scrapyard and got it for $20). I know that I didnt get myself the Power package but when I come to think about it, there aren't many Power package Vibe on the road... well not many in Quebec... As for the interior assembly, it sucks. There were always vibration noise coming from the door panels. There were also a vibrating metal stick kinda noise behind the speedometer which Ive never found the source of the tickling. The engine is a little too weak for the car but is really reliable. I love its engine. Quiet and smooth (did I mention reliable?).

Anyway, I love the... simplicity of the Vibe but it wasn't the 'right' car for me.

Btw, Id like to thank those who've helped me with the power locks (tpollauf for your instructions and help). I really appreciate it

Although I dont own a Vibe anymore, Ill still visit GenVibe.

Enjoy your new-to-you CRV! Post some pics, let's have a look at it!

Hmm I had problem reducing the pics size... what todays picture less than 256 kb...

This was my Pontiac Vibe 2008 I sold last week

Congratulations on your CRV. Thank you for your assessment of the 2008 Vibe. I was kind of leery of the tire pressure monitoring system myself, since it appears to be easy to damage the sensors. I think the earlier Vibes were better values and also offered more in the options dept. If you looked at the earlier ones (2003, 2004, for example), they offered different combos to suit just about anyone.

I think that the 'good' year for the Vibe was the 2005. They had the AWD, GT version, etc. Ive heard that the GT version was high on gas but frankly, I dont mind. Ive seen the GTs specs and its not that much on gas. Besides, the GT engine is the same as the Toyota Celica GTS. My dad has one... a 2003 or 2004 i have to ask him... and it is pretty decent on gas. What would have been great was to combine the GT with the AWD... A Pontiac Vibe GT AWD... woooow... It would also be great if there were a manual tran on the AWD....

Sorry to hear you got rid of the Vibe, but it sounds like you made the right decision for you which is all that matters.

IMO, the less fancy stuff a vehicle has, the less there is to go wrong.

The Vibe didnt fit my lifestyle. Im more of an outdoor off-road kinda guy. The Vibe 2009 AWD 2.4L caught in my eyes but the interior was too small.... I felt suffocated.
I agree that the more gadgets you have, the higher for you to get something broken down the road. But what I was complaining was the fact that the Vibe has useless gadgets instead of something more practical. Why having electric mirrors and TMPS that I rarely use but not power locks or release hatch which I certainly use most. But as Ive mentionned earlier, I love the car in general. I like the engine, the exterior design, its comfort, etc...

lemay.08 wrote:The Vibe didnt fit my lifestyle. Im more of an outdoor off-road kinda guy. The Vibe 2009 AWD 2.4L caught in my eyes but the interior was too small.... I felt suffocated.
I agree that the more gadgets you have, the higher for you to get something broken down the road. But what I was complaining was the fact that the Vibe has useless gadgets instead of something more practical. Why having electric mirrors and TMPS that I rarely use but not power locks or release hatch which I certainly use most. But as Ive mentionned earlier, I love the car in general. I like the engine, the exterior design, its comfort, etc...

I certainly agree with you, the electric mirrors may look useless compared to power locks, but they come in real handy when you are parallel parking !

felixturcotte22 wrote:I certainly agree with you, the electric mirrors may look useless compared to power locks, but they come in real handy when you are parallel parking !

But once youve set the mirrors, you dont need to play with them again... well I dont need to and I live in the city.