New Vibe owner in Minnesota

[blumontag]

vibe.jpg (117.83 KiB) Viewed 2448 times

Hi-
We just bought a high miles neptune blue 2005 base with Moon and Tunes package. It was mechanically well maintained but suffered a hailstorm and salty Minnesota winter roads over its lifetime. Paint peeled badly on the roof, but maybe next summer I'll do something about it. For now, I need 2 new tires, window regulator on passenger front, and driver side headlamp assembly (it's missing a good size chunk of plastic). I've been a Toyota guy forever, but like how Pontiac styled their version of the Matrix. (I also own a 1972 AMC Gremlin). Looking forward to learning much good info here.

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[VibeNation2024]

Welcome to Gen Vibe and congrats on your new Vibe! Looks like your cat already called shotgun! When you replace the headlight, you could use a headlight restore kit like Cerakote. I used that and was impressed with the results for $16.88 at Walmart. Or you could replace both so one is not clear and the other oxidized. But you might not want to spend that money. Reach out if you have any questions/issues.

[andrewclaus]

Enjoy that car. I got my 2007 in the same color, different trim package, eight years ago and in the same condition. It was a lifetime Colorado car, ungaraged, and has the same roof and hood paint damage. Mine now has 230K miles, and so far I've had some front suspension, exhaust, and engine oil leak issues, all DIY jobs. It still runs great. The Toyota engine and chassis parts are cheap and plentiful.

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GejnVibe! Hopefully the undercarriage is still fairly solid. You might want to get it up on a lift and "coat/preserve" the steel with one of those penetrant chemicals. You said "high mileage", so in excess of 300k yet?

[blumontag]

Thanks. It's got 246,000 on it. First thing I did when I went to look at it was to get on the ground and look underneath (and bang on the rockers to see how much rust might fall down). My Scion xA had gotten to the point where rusted rockers and rear suspension made it unsafe. This Vibe looked
pretty good underneath by comparison.
We had a few warmish days for me to work on the lights (Meguiers Mag Polish and Magic Eraser is a quick fix, followed by UV protectant).
New fog lights, rear wiper arm and antenna from pull your own yard, and cabin air filter. I need two new tires.
I've got the so-called sewing machine clatter from the engine. Is the VVT solenoid the likely culprit?