GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi everyone, my name is eddie, and i am looking into purchasing a 2009 pontiac vibe... any info is good info, just want some heads up good or bad...thank you

All depends on what you're looking for in the car and how much you want to spend. Stick/slush, 1.8L/2.4L, sunroof, ect...

What to look for will also depend on where you live and how the car was maintained... and what's available in your area. There are several recalls... but I've found that only one of them was actually important.

My (loss-leader) base model with the 1.8L/5spd stick is at 145000kms and has no major problems and very few minor ones.

Check the stereo knobs, they break easily.
Sunroof track rusts.
Sunroof drains and A/C drain clogs can mean a wet floor.

06mineralvenom wrote:Hi everyone, my name is eddie, and i am looking into purchasing a 2009 pontiac vibe

Hi there Eddie. First off, update your profile showing us where you're located. This will help us GenVibers in determining what should fit your needs and the price range of a used 2009 Vibe also. Our family has TWO of them and love them both. Reply back with more info and you'll get a ton of support in return. FYI. These are very dependable versatile little cars that will be around for a VERY long time

well i have this white one in mind, its a 2009 with 69k miles 1.8l 4 speed automatic...they are asking 9450 for it...i live in albuquerque nm, and on the carfax it says it was a commercial vehicle...there are some available but this is the only low mile low price one i could find

Could be a good price ??? When they list it as commercial, it merely means that some company used it for deliveries and likely leased it. AutoZone, Honeywell (my company) and probably dozens of others leased White Vibes for their employees to drive. As long as it was well maintained that price seems OK. Have someone VERY knowledgeable give it a good inspection ....................... Then BUY it Oh, and if it indeed lived it's life so far down there in NM, then it's solid & rust free ... that's a huge bonus!

tpollauf wrote:Could be a good price ??? When they list it as commercial, it merely means that some company used it for deliveries and likely leased it. AutoZone, Honeywell (my company) and probably dozens of others leased White Vibes for their employees to drive. As long as it was well maintained that price seems OK. Have someone VERY knowledgeable give it a good inspection ....................... Then BUY it Oh, and if it indeed lived it's life so far down there in NM, then it's solid & rust free ... that's a huge bonus!

thats the problem i don't know anyone, so its just basically me inspecting it and i was wondering what i should look for since many of you have had yours for awhile, im getting it for my wife since we are having our very first baby and i want to get her something reliable and comfortable and fuel economic...

It looks to have been maintained fairly regularly according to the carfax. It did have struts/shocks replaced it says, so that would be something to look at. I would hope they replaced them in pairs and not just a single one. Of course it still has the balance of the 5 yr 100K powertrain warranty, but that is a decent price. We had one down in Houston with 79K miles, a 5 speed, no options for about $8K several weeks ago. It sold quick. It looks like it has been for sale for several months. The only negative I see is that it does not have power locks. IMO I want that so my wife can easily make sure all the doors are locked for safety sake. But you can have locks added along with a remote/alarm system.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.js ... listType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

trb wrote:It looks to have been maintained fairly regularly according to the carfax. It did have struts/shocks replaced it says, so that would be something to look at. I would hope they replaced them in pairs and not just a single one. Of course it still has the balance of the 5 yr 100K powertrain warranty, but that is a decent price. We had one down in Houston with 79K miles, a 5 speed, no options for about $8K several weeks ago. It sold quick. It looks like it has been for sale for several months. The only negative I see is that it does not have power locks. IMO I want that so my wife can easily make sure all the doors are locked for safety sake. But you can have locks added along with a remote/alarm system.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.js ... listType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WOW thank you for your help...i believe tomorrow we are going to look at it in person...yea you are right about the locks really need power locks....thanks again for your time in looking at it....

You can also use one of the mobile inspection services if you want someone independent to go over the car for you. It runs about $100-150 but might be worth it if you want to know more about the car. Here is one, but there are several companies that do it. Just do a search and check their reputation with the BBB and good luck!

http://www.autoinspectionservices.net/new_mexico.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On the locks, if you do look into it, check with some stereo/ alarm places and see how much to add an aftermarket power lock system and factor that into your equation. Might run $200-400 or so, but maybe that could be a bargaining item.

thanks a ton trb really appreciate your help....

star_deceiver wrote: Sunroof track rusts.
Sunroof drains and A/C drain clogs can mean a wet floor.

Eek! I just bought an 07 with a sunroof. Are these issues common? Are they expensive to fix??

leighangela wrote:

star_deceiver wrote: Sunroof track rusts.
Sunroof drains and A/C drain clogs can mean a wet floor.

Eek! I just bought an 07 with a sunroof. Are these issues common? Are they expensive to fix??

Yes, any model with a sunroof can have issues that can be costly to fix.

The sunroof rust problem, as far as I know, is mainly limited to 09-10 models.

The drains of the sunroof usually clog from the top so it should be pretty easy to clean them.

FWIW I paid 10,300 4 months ago for my 2009 Vibe base w/ 2.4l engine w/ 5 spd auto, 17" AL wheels, PL, PW, no sun roof, 69,000 miles, clean carfax. It was about $1500 - $2000 less than what other dealers were listing their vehicles for (altho it is what I was thinking of offering the other dealers). From what I've seen, if it had been a matrix it would have been maybe a couple of grand more.

You should try CarSoup.com, Cars.com, Yahoo autos, AutoTrader, etc, and search for vibes/matrix's in your area to get an idea what other people are asking. If there are other choices available, it is the end of the month so especially if you have cash (or at least the ability to produce a check from your credit union) by sometime Saturday, this is the dealers last couple of days to make a sale this month.

DennisLee wrote:FWIW I paid 10,300 4 months ago for my 2009 Vibe base w/ 2.4l engine w/ 5 spd auto, 17" AL wheels, PL, PW, no sun roof, 69,000 miles, clean carfax. It was about $1500 - $2000 less than what other dealers were listing their vehicles for (altho it is what I was thinking of offering the other dealers). From what I've seen, if it had been a matrix it would have been maybe a couple of grand more.

You should try CarSoup.com, Cars.com, Yahoo autos, AutoTrader, etc, and search for vibes/matrix's in your area to get an idea what other people are asking. If there are other choices available, it is the end of the month so especially if you have cash (or at least the ability to produce a check from your credit union) by sometime Saturday, this is the dealers last couple of days to make a sale this month.

Used Matrixes usually cost more than the Vibe.

I wonder what a comparable end of year 2012 Matrix costs. $17,000?
That's $7,500 more than a used 70,000 mile 2009 Vibe.
What are "miles" worth? At least 7 cents - that's $4,900.
What is a new 3 year bumper to bumper warranty worth? At least $2,000.
What's freedom from wear and tear costs - battery, tires, belts, hoses, brakes, fluid changes (coolant/transmission) etc. worth? $500
What's your time worth to attend to all those maintenance items?
Throw in $1,000 for having a "new" car.
New car finance rates are lower than used car finance rates.
Bottom line - you might be better off with a new car than an overpriced used car.
In 3 years that 2009 will be 6-7 Years old with over 100,000 miles; a 2012 will be 3-4 years old with 36,000 miles.

If you hunt around, Toyota still sells a base model Matrix for under $17K (probably cheaper then that in the states)... Mind you, few people can even imagine a car without power locks/windows and no A/C... and only 5 forward speeds that you row yourself...

Spoiled brats...