Quest for a new car

[chaotic_amber]

Ok, I have been looking at sites like this for a few months now to get some of the real dirt on a car before I even considered looking to buy one. Not that I don't read the official proffessional reviews, but I value the consumers voice even more. People who actually drive these cars on a daily basis, love them or hate them. So after having the Vibe pointed out to me I have been doing the research and reading the reviews. I took a 24 hour test drive last night and this is what I have to say...-Initial impressions – Outside: I have liked the way this vehicle looked since they came out. I think they are aggressive and sporty, a nice cross between a functional wagon and the rugged aspect of an SUV. My wife on the other hand thinks the Vibe is ugly. Love it or hate it just like the Aztec.It sits a bit higher than I had imagined another point in its favor. The extra clearance is very nice; my wife has a Saturn Ion that scrapes every time she pulls into the driveway.Inside: Good news and bad news. Good news first, I like the gauges, the back lighting is very clear and visible. Bad news, I don’t like the incrementing on the speedometer. A quick glance should tell me within 2 MPH how fast I am going. This speedometer has markings at 20, 40 and 60 MPH and most of the roads around here are from 35 to 55. I know of one section going around a sharp curve that is precisely 40 MPH so aside from that 100-yard stretch I will be forever guess-timating how fast I am going.Good news, more than enough room for me behind the wheel. Granted I had to slide the seat all the way back and lower it as far as it would go, but then again I’m 6’ 2” and I know that nobody is going to custom make a car based solely on the over six foot demographic. Headroom is phenomenal because of the upward sloped roof. Bad news, I’m not yet certain if I like the left foot footrest. It certainly keeps my feet about even and comfortable, but one of the things I wind up doing on a longer drive is to shift around and kick my foot all the way out to relieve pressure on my backside, this footrest pretty much takes that option away.Good news, the electronic controls for the side rearview mirrors has a neutral/off position. My current car has a left or a right and if you bump that control you are going to move a mirror. This one has a neutral position that won’t move either, a little detail but nice. Bad news, looking in the rearview mirror out the back windshield is decidedly odd, that back windshield is TINY.Good news, a bunch of nooks and crannies to place my stuff in. I am a packrat by nature and within easy grabbing distance there are easily a half dozen storage pockets. Bad news, the cup holders are not adequate in my opinion. If I am on the road traveling I usually like to get a liter of soda and these cup holders simply will not accommodate one. Ok, maybe it’s minor and maybe I shouldn’t be drinking a silo of soda to begin with but still it should be able to accommodate an insulated travel mug that is the same size shouldn’t it?Good news, the center console controls appear to be laid out well, within easy reach and all that. Bad news, the window buttons are awkwardly placed on the door at about mid-forearm level. I felt a little like a contortionist trying to roll down my window.Great news! I love the design of the trunk area and the inclusion of the tie-down rails along the backs of the rear seats. Fantastic! I looked at the hard plastic that I have seen some complaints on and found myself wondering why it was that my current trunk had carpeting. What am I placing in my trunk that needs to be comforted and coddled? My groceries? My luggage? When I folded a lawn mower into the trunk of my Saturn did I really need to be worrying about snagging the carpet with a blade? I love the modular design of the rails and could have used features like this many years ago.Driving: Good news, the front windshield and windows offer a wide-open view of the upcoming road. Bad news, along with the tiny rear windshield, looking behind you in any direction feels very cramped and blocked.Good news, the car handled quite nicely in my opinion. I’m not going to be racing anybody or trying to set and speed records between home and work. I don’t need a low slung gutsy sports car. Between the clearance I mentioned and the all wheel drive this car will more than adequately suit my needs. No bad news on this one, I enjoyed driving the Vibe for the evening. The gas pedal feels a bit soft to me, but that is something that can be gotten used to when you are more familiar with the vehicle.I had heard a few people comment on the engine noise while tooling around in their Vibes. I heard the same noise and I don’t so much mind. Actually I sort of prefer to hear the engine when it is revving up and working. That gives a better opportunity to get used to the engine when it is working correctly and will therefore give you a possible opportunity to hear when something goes wrong. The other noise commented on in a forum or two is from the rear windshield wiper. Ok, that one I agree with, bad news. It is a noticeable noise from something that should not in my opinion be noisy.I got out on the freeway and stomped on the gas to see what reaction I could get. Well, as stated, it is NOT a racecar. It got up to 75-80 MPH without a complaint and held on to the road nicely but I didn’t get the impression that it would get up to 100 MPH without a lot more effort. Fortunately I seldom even have to see the freeway so I am content with 75-80 MPH. I wouldn’t say it hugged the road, perhaps surefooted is a better description.Overall: I like this car and I am strongly considering purchasing one. The bad news items seem to be mostly little things or things that would ease with familiarity of the vehicle and overall I have very much enjoyed having the opportunity to drive around in this car. If the dealer and I can work out a few other details then within a week or so I could easily see myself driving a new Vibe and being quite pleased with the purchase.

[AKLGT]

interesting review. i'm going to assume you test drove a base vibe with auto trans? or was it an AWD? certainly NOT the GT engine. and i take great OFFENSE to you refering that the vibe is a mini aztek! yuck! have you looked at the rear of the vibe? it's nothing like the aztek at all. now granted the front resembles it, but.... then the engine is toyota... so also NOT close to the aztek. sorry, to the aztek lovers out there... but, i like my vibe. it is sporty, but i have the GT. i test drove all 3 and the base manual wasn't too bad, but i needed that extra oomph! what are your other considerations other than the vibe?

[Mr. Poopypants]

It seems as though you have the same views as almost everyone here. Trust me, you will love the car. Once you really get into it, usually in the 2-3 month range, you will almost forget your negative views of the car. If you do decide to get the Vibe, congrats!

[chaotic_amber]

I Test drove an AWD. It was snowing/raining here and I wanted to get a real feel for how it felt on slick roads.I'd pretty much narrowed my options to the Scion xA when someone helped me out with a GM in the Driveway certificate that brought the Vibe down into my price range. Also since it is a GM product (for all its Toyota roots) I get to skip out on the last 5 months of my current Saturn lease a savings of about $1500.00 I sort of can't go wrong at this point if I get a Vibe.The dealer is trying to get in touch with a few other dealers to get me a two-tone Salsa AWD with power package. I'll know by Monday if he was succesful.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by chaotic_amber »someone helped me out with a GM in the Driveway certificate that brought the Vibe down into my price range. Also since it is a GM product (for all its Toyota roots) I get to skip out on the last 5 months of my current Saturn lease a savings of about $1500.00 I sort of can't go wrong at this point if I get a Vibe. wow! that's not a bad way to go at all!!!so you looked at scion xa but your wife DOESN'T like the looks of the vibe? i think they are very similar. and smaller aren't they? we don't have any here, but i want to crawl thru one once a dealer gets them in.

[Robert G]

I have an AWD Vibe. With the snow tires I got, it feels incredibly secure on snow, ice, rain. I highly recommend the car. The engine is abit buzzy at times, but what 4-cyl engine isn't? The usable space -- for people and stuff, with the rear seats up, and for stuff, with the rear seats (and front passenger seat) down -- is amazing. And after about 9 months, the car still feels tight and well put together. As to styling, I like the Vibe (much better than the Matrix, in my opinion). I find it doesn't have styling quirks that some other cars (including, in my opinion, the ION) have. So I believe that over the years, the Vibe will age well. Attesting to the decent styling is the fact that Toyota ripped it off for the Scion xA and Mazda ripped it off for the Mazda3 5-door, but, hey, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[ragingfish]

I would parallel the xA more to the matrix then the vibe!

[chaotic_amber]

Actually my wife thought the xA looked ugly too, but one of the things that drew me to it in the first palce was that it resembled a Vibe. I sort of thought it looked like the hybrd betweena Vibe and a PT Cruiser.Based in part from some of the forums here I am now very strongly leaning towards the Vibe, just all around it is looking like a better deal for me right now.Though from the reading I have done I have started a list of concerns.-The battery. I am hoping to have the dealer replace that with at least a 540 CCA battery before I take delivery. If not that can be replaced during the warmer months.-Snow tires. More research necessary but I will start saving my spare change and look for a good set later on this summer or at latest fall.Does anybody else have any concerns that might influence wether or not I get this car? I've been looking at a few discussions about the paint chip problem but I figure if worst comes to worst I can get the car repainted. I'm wanting to know about serious material concerns.

[AKLGT]

well if you're not into modding, then i'd say, overall no.the car is pretty good, i'll have mine for a yr come 4/19. so far so good! and i don't think my paint (with the exception of damage from my ditch diving earlier this month) is too bad at all. in fact i'm surprised it's not worse since i drove the crappy roads all summer from anchorage to fairbanks and all over alaska!

[Caretaker]

C-man: your points are right on the money. As a fellow 6'1 person, I can say that many of your points are why I will buy the Maxx over a second Vibe. I need to be 100% comfortable in my car. You can rip out the plastic foot rest. I did that on day one. You can take two small squares of carpeting and cover up the holes which are underneath the foot rest. You will get used to the small window in the back in time. It drove me nuts at first as well. In fact, the Maxx also has a small view out the back (due to its sloping hatch). By the way: the coupon was in the mail last night. You'll have it tomorrow or Monday. I hope you get the Salsa. That was my favorite too, but I went for the safety feature (white) to protect my precious cargo inside.

[chaotic_amber]

Thanks again for that certificate Maxx, after going over pricing with the dealer the end result was just a hair more than I had been intending, but I decided that it should be worth it. Without that certificate I simply would not be able to afford it. The dealer just called me to let me know that he was able to get his hands on the model/options I am looking for and it will be at the dealership on Monday for the final walkthrough.

[Mavrik]

Well if I had not already bought a Vibe, you would have got me sold. heh. GO FUSION! or Neptune or Salsa... awsome colours.I love my Vibe.

[Fformula88]

Congrats on finding the car you wanted, and getting a good enough deal for you to go with it! If its what you want, paying a little more for it won't be nearly as bad as having to shell out a check every month for a car you don't really like. Enjoy!!!