Back to the vibe after many years!

[cigvibe]

My first experience with the pontiac vibe was in 2017. As a long time Toyota enthusiast, I was pleased to learn that the corolla 1zz was in the matrix/vibe. After trying to find one, I picked up a 2003 vibe in "burgundy" with 200k miles and salvage title. I loved that car. With new brakes and tires, it really drove like a new car. People would often ask me, what kind of car is that? Sadly, the oil consumption (not leak) was too much for me. So I sold it to a young guy as is first car.

I then picked up a 2005 Toyota matrix in a light blue to replace it, at 165k miles, and stick shift! That was was just as fun, but as a base model it was lacking some of the fun bits of of the vibe. No roof rack, 120v plug, and the sides looked "naked" without the body trim add ons of the vibe. That one was used for uber and commuting up to the 180k mark. All I had to do to that car was change the clutch. Sadly, I had to sell that one as well as the transmission was acting up. The new owner reported that the transmission itself failed a few months after she bought it from me.

I have been loosely on the hunt for a vibe over the years, but they are often too expensive or too beat up to consider. Fast forward a few years and a friend of mine who buys and sells cars asked me if I could find a home for a pontiac vibe! I said sure, but how much? $1500 because it will not pass smog. I went to take a look and found a 2008 facelift model, in wave blue, with 235k miles.

Now if you saw this car for sale, you would probably pass. It has been horribly abused for the last 6-7 years. The body is straight which is good, but the front was painted incorrectly and the paint is flaking off all over. The owner must have been a makeup queen as there is makeup embedded in the seats, carpet, headliner, even the trunk. The transmission might be on it's last leg, when I checked the oil it looked like syrup the fluid didn't even move.

Still, at this price, even if I swapped in another engine and tranny, I would still be below the $4000-5000 that people are asking for these cars today. So I made the deal. I'll have a build thread where I will attempt to restore it to presentable condition. So far, even with the nasty tranny juice, it does drive well. The AC works and it is a clean title.

[tpollauf]

it will not pass smog.

Welcome to GenVibe. So it will NOT pass a smog test, which is why you got it cheap? Will this Vibe be driven in a state that does NOT require smog testing? Well you're certainly not from Ohio or Michigan, so where are you from (update profile for us)? Definitely post pics of this "trashed" neglected Vibe BEFORE you do any work, then later after its all cleaned up too! Keep us posted on all progress

[cigvibe]

California, the worst state.

I have the pics and video as purchased, I was just going to post them in the garage forum.

[Bookworm]

If the fluid is that bad, I'd suggest overfilling the transmission with something like Valvoline MaxLife, then either getting the car hot - or if it's not running enough to do that, putting a heating pad under the transmission pan. Then drain that out.

Refill, run for a bit, drain out. I wouldn't even take the pan/filter out until you've gotten the fluid moving a bit.

If you're really good enough - just pull the transmission out completely.

Makeup can come out of the carpet. To start, mix up a batch of Murphy's Oil Soap with warm water, and just scrub down the carpet, liner, etc. That worked for me to pull out all the soot and crap embedded in the headliner from 15 years of driving with the windows open