GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I've finally got my hands on a vibe. It's a 2006 Vibe Base auto with 73k miles. It's not too pretty but it feels solid. The previous owners didn't take care of it like they should have. Seats are covered in stains. It's also been in a few accidents(nothing serious from what I can tell). The guy I got it from is a surfer and the paint is fading badly due to the salt water at the beach. It's gonna need some love but the motor and transmission feel good. Here's a picture of the baby. I'll post some more later on once I clean her up.

congrats man, wish I could have found something with that low mileage!

is the undercarriage good? You checked for bad rust right?

Congrats & welcome Yeah looks like it will need a little cosmetic help.

Congrats!
It sure needs a bath and lotion!

Make sure you wash the underside really well with a garden hose. Check often for rust underneath. Look at Derf's battle with the ferrous oxide here: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=40549.
I also suggest you take the interior out completely and clean everything. I bet you find enough sand in there to fill a 5 gal bucket. Open the drain plugs and wash the inside as well.
When the carpet is out you can wash it with a power washer or the garden hose. I would wash it repeatedly because of the salty sand.
Use a Bissell carpet and upholstery cleaner for the seat covers. A Wet/Dry vacuum and a sprayer for the detergent solution will do in a pinch.

I think she looks beautiful even as is . . . ! ! !

I prefer the shrouds being the same color as the body paint . . . as your vibe is (mine has black shrouds against white paint).

Congratulations!

BustedVibe wrote:congrats man, wish I could have found something with that low mileage!

is the undercarriage good? You checked for bad rust right?

I didn't check for rust before but I checked last night and to my surprise, the rust isn't bad. There is a little rust here and there but it just looks like surface corrosion, which as suggested by another poster on my thread, I'm going to wash it down with a hose. I plan on cleaning her up a bit today as I have a day off. So far I'm happy with her. I've got a bit of a ways to go but it seems so worth it.

Welcome to GenVibe! Wow, she definitely looks a little rough, but it's good to hear you have plans to get her all fixed up and looking good again! I look forward to seeing updates from you!

vibenvy wrote:Welcome to GenVibe! Wow, she definitely looks a little rough, but it's good to hear you have plans to get her all fixed up and looking good again! I look forward to seeing updates from you!

She definitely needs some love. I'm working on the interior currently. I also have a recall I've gotta get done as the previous owner did not do. Today, I'm planning on oil change and spark plug replacements just as maintenance as I have no idea when they were last replaced. I was going to replace the air filter but there is a K&N air filter already installed and it looks very clean. I just replaced the radio a couple days ago. Speakers in the doors are next in that process. I've been waiting 2 years to use my subs as my previous car had a bad leak in the trunk, I never installed the subs (leak was too much of a pain to try to patch). I feel a clunk in the right rear of my vehicle when I hit bumps so I'll have to check that out. Battery or Alternator is going out as my battery indicator is lighting up while the car is on. For the price, I got a steal but I also expected to have to do work to it.

Battery or Alternator is going out as my battery indicator is lighting up while the car is on.

Have them tested at the parts store or give all contacts to the battery and at the other ends a good cleaning. Bad grounds can cause trouble.

vibrologist wrote:

Battery or Alternator is going out as my battery indicator is lighting up while the car is on.

Have them tested at the parts store or give all contacts to the battery and at the other ends a good cleaning. Bad grounds can cause trouble.

I work at an auto part store for the time being (two jobs). I'm going to have them check it today. I'm just the parts delivery driver (they provide the car and gas )

Cool. This job does have some fringe benefits, I suppose.

haha I thought you were like a pizza delivery driver or something

BustedVibe wrote:haha I thought you were like a pizza delivery driver or something

I am. I have two jobs. I deliver pizza for Papa Johns and I'm a parts delivery driver for Bennett Auto Supply.