GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I am new here and purchased a 2009 Vibe on Saturday. It has only 48,000 miles on it and because of an accident it was in, the rear hatch does not have any markers on it. I have not found anything saying it is the base model or GT, I think it's a base model but some features tell me otherwise. It has 18" chrome wheels, the stereo has the ipod jack but I do not have steering wheel control of the stereo. The steering wheel and the shift knob appear to be leather wrapped and I do have the cargo organizer in the back. I'm sure there is something in the VIN that identifies model but I don't know what that is.

Thank you for your insight, I'm looking forward to being involved here. I'll post pics soon.

Welcome to Genvibe! Based on the tire size I'm guessing GT, but once you post a pic it'll be much easier to tell what it is. But for reference:

Base/AWD



GT

I don't know what all the differences are but I don't think it is real easy to tell from the picture of the front. The "base" version also had options packages that included the 2.4L engine, fog lights and Alloy wheels (like mine). My understanding is that the GT came with the 18" wheels while the upgrade package(s) like mine were 17" wheels, but the car could have been upgraded to 18" wheels after market. The GT came with a full width spoiler on the rear hatch, that was also available as an aftermarket upgrade but would be more rare than upgrading to a new set of wheels.

Again, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the big difference between the "base" model and the GT, was that the GT came with independent rear suspension as opposed to the torsion bar suspension on the other models.

JimWalton wrote:the stereo has the ipod jack but I do not have steering wheel control of the stereo.

I know my GT has the controls on the steering wheel, but i don't know if that's standard, this is a base...


and unless someone took off the GT lettering that could be your clue right there, and these are what the GT rims look like...



As for the spoiler DennisLee mentioned, it looks like this...



The fog lights are also different (i wanna say the fog lights are standard on the GT)

Base...



GT...

Welcome to GenVibe!

Here are a few pictures of some tell-tale 2009 Vibe GT-specifics:

Front end - The GT has noticeably larger fog lights then the Base and of course, a completely different looking front bumper cover.



Brakes - The rear brake calipers on the GT are toward the front of the vehicle as opposed to being toward the rear on the Base.



Side - The GT has color matched side skirts whereas the Base has flat black side skirts.



Rear end - The GT has a fairly "pronounced" flat black fascia on the bottom of the rear bumper cover and an oval shaped chrome muffler tip.



Interior - The front and rear seats are a combination of cloth and leather and the front seats feature the "GT" logo. The Base has all cloth seats. The GT also has leather on the front door panels as opposed to cloth on the Base.





Front strut brace - The GT features a chrome and black front strut brace.



If none of this helps, you can run the VIN on CompNine. Post some pictures of this mystery Vibe when you get a chance !

...did anybody consider looking at: (a) which engine (1.8L = base; 2.4L = GT) or the VIN number (duh)?

Old Tele man wrote:...did anybody consider looking at: (a) which engine (1.8L = base; 2.4L = GT) or the VIN number (duh)?

This is not true, the base Vibe could also be had with a 2.4L. As for the VIN, that has been mentioned a few times now... I'm sure there's a VIN decoder on the Vibe somewhere.

VforVIBE wrote:

Old Tele man wrote:...did anybody consider looking at: (a) which engine (1.8L = base; 2.4L = GT) or the VIN number (duh)?

This is not true, the base Vibe could also be had with a 2.4L. As for the VIN, that has been mentioned a few times now... I'm sure there's a VIN decoder on the Vibe somewhere.

Don't forget, the 2.4L was also the engine that came in the 2009-2010 AWDs.

Also, Old Tele man, we automatically know the original poster's Vibe has a 2.4L because he said it has the GT wheels on it. The 5x114.3 bolt pattern of those wheels would not fit on a 1.8L .

J_TO_ENVY wrote: Don't forget, the 2.4L was also the engine that came in the 2009-2010 AWDs.

This is true, we've kinds left the AWD out in the cold haven't we?

VforVIBE wrote:This is true, we've kinds left the AWD out in the cold haven't we?

Yeah. If it has a 4-speed auto, it's an AWD.

VforVIBE wrote: GT...

Sorry to hijack the thread, but who's GT is this?

Here's a pic of the mystery Vibe. Also a pic of the engine.

Thank you so much for all of the indicators that will help determine what I have gotten myself into.

Here is what I can tell you.:
18" chrome wheels
No fog lights
Brake caliper on the rear
No GT seats
5 speed automatic with DSC
Rear popup storage bins
Rear spoiler - I'm not sure if its the actual GT spoiler or something less prominent
4 speaker stereo with DVD and aux port

In my opinion, I have a base model with a few upgrades. Whatever it is, I like it. It's quick, responsive, corners well and is fun to drive.

I do want to run the vin and see what that tells me. The title does not say GT. What size engine is it?

I would love to hear all of your opinions because at this point, you are more knowledgeable than I on this. I think one reason I love this car so far is because the car I just sold was a 1998 Toyota Avalon with 253,000 miles on it. This is like night and day, for sure.

That looks like a 2.4l AWD Vibe.

KITT222 wrote:That looks like a 2.4l AWD Vibe.

But he says that he's got the 5speed slush with top gear limiter... that would mean he has a 2.4 base model with a lot of options.

JimWalton wrote: Rear spoiler - I'm not sure if its the actual GT spoiler or something less prominent

That's the base model spoiler.

Definitely Base model, the spoiler on the GT is a separate piece from the body and is the full width of the body.

On the base, the 1SB package gives you the 2.4L engine along with the Rear Cargo Storage system and the fold down front seat back. Adding the Preferred Package brings Criuse, PW, PL, Keyless remote entry and F/R intermittent wipers. I believe AT, AC, Fog Lamps and Roof Rack were all separate adds, and then you could upgrade to 17" wheels in either AL or Chrome. If you have 18" wheels they were not a factory add-on, altho there is no reason someone couldn't have upgraded to the GT rims, either at the dealership or from an aftermarket source.

09vGT wrote:

VforVIBE wrote: GT...

Sorry to hijack the thread, but who's GT is this?

Found it threw Cardomain...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3323808/2009-pontiac-vibe

I searched last night in all the records and paperwork that I received but couldn't find the sales sticker. I knew this was a 1 owner vehicle and figured I would find that. Tonight, I dug deeper and found it! So really, I was just testing you all and you did well.

Here's what I have:
2009 Vibe 2.4L DOHC VVT-i
AM/FM stereo CD player with aux input jack
XM
Fold flat front passenger seat
Many other standard features but these are some of the ones pointed out above

Preferred package
Remote keyless entry
Power door locks
power windows
Cruise control
Front and rear variable intermittent wipers

5 speed automatic with driver tap shift control
A/C with rear air ducts
17" aluminum wheels, chrome clad //my bad, I measured them last night at 18"
Luggage rack with cross bars

Mystery solved by all of you and confirmed by my elusive sticker.

Thank you very much for all of your insight!

I'll post some better pictures soon, today was too bright and sunny.

Pretty much the same thing I have, except for the roof racks and the color (mine is black)

Yep, definitely a 2.4L Base with a bunch of goodies! Very nice looking Vibe! Glad we could help you figure out exactly what it is! Also, glad to hear you're enjoying it so much !

VforVIBE wrote:

09vGT wrote:

VforVIBE wrote: GT...

Sorry to hijack the thread, but who's GT is this?

Found it threw Cardomain...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3323808/2009-pontiac-vibe

That person did post on here a long time ago, but not very much. I'll see if I can track down some of their posts...

Oh its okay! No need to track them down I don't guess. I just really liked the headlights. Looks like he/she "smoked" them.

09vGT wrote:Oh its okay! No need to track them down I don't guess. I just really liked the headlights. Looks like he/she "smoked" them.

skillz305

skillz305 #1

skillz305 #2

He supposedly turboed his Vibe, but never posted pictures or anything .

Thanks Carrie!

welcome to the forum!

09vGT wrote:Thanks Carrie!

No problem Ethan! I remembered the username was "skillz..." so when the search didn't turn up anything, I just started looking back through the Garage until I came across one of this posts .