GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I've been curious about what other people considered before making the big Vibe purchase. List what you considered and why you wanted it and why you didn't buy that instead:Mini Cooper base - Wicked fun to drive. Why oh why is the sticker price so high?! Can't afford the repairs on 2 German cars in the house. Suzuki G. Vitara(Used)- True off roader that could easily fit down narrow az trails. Deplorable gas mileage & hard to find stick shifts kept me from buying. Jeep Wrangler(Used)- See above.Elantra GT 5dr- Decent car for a Korean make. Love hatchbacks. Liked the handling and space. Didn't like the leather or the new car smell. Mileage could have been better. Buick Riviera 98(Used) Beautiful car IMHO. If only it drove as sporty as it looks. Is that a cavalier gear selector? Jet black Buick Hearse(Used) I gotta be me. Too hard to locate There you have it. What did you cross shop?

Well, I was considering:1. 2003 Evo VIII2. 2003 WRX Sti3. 2003 Civic HB SiI pretty much thought I'd save those dealerships for last, so I started at the closest dealership, a Pontiac one. I saw the Vibe and bought it on impulse. Only thing I regret is not getting the GT.

i was looking at a saturn vue awd, saturn L300, and a malibu maxx.malibu maxx was just too plain looking. $22000 loaded (gm employee)saturn L300 was nice (my last car was an L200). $22000 loaded (gm emp)saturn vue awd really impressed me. the new v6 was very quick. $25000 loaded (gm emp)in the end i decided on the vibe because it was so much cheaper than the other 3.

when i bought mine, i had already researched it for 6 mos prior. selling my tundra and had wanted another toyota. looked at the corolla s, camry, celica, folks wanted me to look at the prism, cavalier, and sunfire... the last 2 were not options for me what so ever. didn't like the trix... looked too funky for me. my fam's car guy, works for the GM dealer here, told me that the vibe was a toyota... so he knew that's what i was looking for. glad he did.

The only other two cars that I *might* have considered were the PT Cruiser and the Malibu Maxx. I test drove neither of them....the PT doesn't get very good gas mileage for a 4-banger, and the Maxx is fairly expensive and can't be had with a manual tranny. I wasn't in a position where I needed to buy a new car, so if the Vibe not panned out, I would still be driving my Passat.

I was looking at the vibe before they came out.. didn't have the money. then when i was set to buy a car i test drove it then bought the same one 2 days later.I need to look at my production number of the 04's cause i think i have one of first ones. Bought mine in the first week of june 03. Production date is late May.

Honda Element - Fugly, and I'd end up tipping it.Chrysler Pacifica - Toooomuch more than I could affordAnother used Ford Probe - Already spending too much on the one I hadVibe - Knew it since the concept of the Aztek (before it got GMified.), Loved it ever since.

MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3, MAZDA3!!!!! I bought my vibe before I even knew the Mazda3 was coming out. It is an awesome car to drive and a great price and it looks great. It also comes with a 4 yr 50,000ml warranty. If I had known this car was coming out, I would have never bought a Vibe. In fact, I am considering trading in the vibe a getting a Mazda3.

Quote, originally posted by Fialchar »I pretty much thought I'd save those dealerships for last, so I started at the closest dealership, a Pontiac one. I saw the Vibe and bought it on impulse. Only thing I regret is not getting the GT.Same here should have went with a GT. I also considered the 2004 Chrysler Sebring ( I had a 99.. nice car)

I originally wanted a Mazda Protege 5 and could get one for really cheap since they were being discontinued. But my wife didn't want a "station wagon." So we looked around some more, and found a 2001 Jetta 1.8T that we both agreed upon. We went into the dealer's office to discuss and decided we didn't trust the dealer. Then, that same night, I was looking through the car ads and came across the Vibe. My wife liked it because it didn't look so much like a wagon, and I liked it because it was fun to drive. I bought mine the next day!

I Saved for 1 year for a 2004 MINI Cooper, i was in love... but i did not want to face the probrlem of fixing a BMW offspring... and i was offered a deal on my Vibe.MINI CooperPontiac Vibe GTHonda Civic SiToyota Corolla SFord Focus SVT (i can't stand Fords...so it was at the bottom of my list)

My criteria were:Price ($13,500 or less)Sun/MoonroofHatchbackCould be serviced at a local dealer (Ford, Chrysler, Chevy, Pontiac/Buick/GMC)After 4 months, I'd narrowed the choices to the following vehicles:'01 PT Cruiser Ltd Ed - noisy, rough engine compared to the Toyota/Vibe (the extra 20-30 horses would've been nice though), didn't handle nearly as well. Similar storage versatility, though the rear seats don't actually fold flat, like the Vibe. Wasn't crazy about the leather interior, either.'03 Ford Focus ZTS 5-speed. Built in late '02, this one was still brand new, but I hated the leather seats. Interior was cramped compared to the Vibe, and it obviously didn't have a rear hatch. The '04's with the 2.3 engine had another 18 horsepower, too.'03 Ford Focus SVT 5-door - never actually drove one, after the ZTS cabin seemed cramped compared to the Vibe. '03 Toyota Matrix XR - The XR in light metallic blue without the alloy wheels and the factory body kit was just plain dowdy looking, and there was no local dealer.

2002 Sunfire2002 VibeThat's what I shopped.

yes, but the were for sale in may/june of 2002.

some places list them as 2002... even tho they were labeled as 2003, but you could buy them for 6 months in 2002! lol

Toyota Rav4Toyota MatrixVW JettaVW Passat----If the Mazda 3 HB was available that would of probably won

Purchased my GT Memorial Day weekend, '02Ford Escape (nice engine, not very much fun to drive)Explorer Sport Trac (Not enough engine, IMO)Subaru WRX wagon (Couldn't talk the price down enough, plus the salesman and sale mgr were idiots)Grand Prix GTP (wife (soon to be ex-wife now) didn't like it - could have bought it cheaper than the Vibe with all the incentives at the time)

Mazda Protege5-too small but peppyVW Golf TDI-unbelievable mileage but pushy salesmanMitsubishi Outlander-interesting but poor mileage and too new to Can.Toyota Matrix-duh, but I actually wanted the roof racks!!!Mazda6-but it didn't have a wagon-does now though....If I had to buy today I will still buy the Vibe, I love it after my first year and keep finding it useful, but fun and stylish too...

There are four big things I was looking for in a car. One was gas mileage, two was awesome crash tests, three was hatchback (for more room), and four was a good consumer reports rating. Bought the vibe in late august of 2004. At that time, I was shopping for:Elantr GT 5door, bad crash testsFocus ZX3/ZX5, poor reliability record, but that has since changed, but don't know if I trust it yet.Mini Cooper, too small, good mileage, but requries premium on both engines.Saturn Vue, reliability risk and poor mileage.Volkswagon Golf TDI, great mileage, but relibility risk, also expensive, awesome crash tests thoughMazda P5, crash tests ok, but could have been better.Toyota rav4, I though this would be a winner, until again the crash tests.Matrix, Umm, how you say (removed) ugly in japanese?Scion xA,xB, too small, and a fugly xBImpeza wagon, poor mileagehonda element, poor mileagehonda civic si, wish I could get a maller engine for civic ex,hx,and lx like mileageIon quad coupe, hey I was curious, but the interior suckedSuzuki Aerio SX, actually almost bought one, but the dealer was kind of numb and very slow, bought the vibe instead.Bought in August of 2004, and began researching Thanksgiving of 2001.Other cars I would consider buying today that are new:Mazda 3 hatchback, Mazda 6 hatcback (not wagon, only 6 cylinder for the wagon), Chevrolet equinox, malibu maxx, aerio hatchbackThat's about it

I've got the GT. Checked out the base model, Matrix, Hyndai elantra GT, Jetta/Passat wagons, Subaru WRX/Impresa and a couple of small SUVs. The loadability to fun ratio won me over to the GT. The Mazda 3 and 6 wagons would definately be in the current mix but not available at the time. I've always been a Mazda fan but the 6 is a bit long (city parking) and the 3 a bit tight on storage for my needs. If my business wasn't involved, I probably wouldn't have considered any of the above and spent a few more bucks. After a few tweeks, I stay impressed with my GT.

Quote, originally posted by noginsk »Suzuki Aerio SX, actually almost bought one, but the dealer was kind of numb and very slow, bought the vibe instead.How could I forget that? Yeah, I was looking at the Aeriola SX as well. Actually rented one for a week last october in New England. Good engine, handled well, very comfy seats, Suzukis are very reliable. No storage space, irritating electro speedo, no ground clearance, tiny wheels, kinda dorky looking, use the windshield washer with the windows open and the fluid drips down the side windows and into the interior door fabric, the only used ones I could find were automatic rental returns.

Quote, originally posted by noginsk »Bought the vibe in late august of 2004. wow... does your license plate say "OUTATIME" ??

I was considering a...Matrix - styling not as good as Vibe Element - styling not as good as Vibe, but more functionalProtege 5 - like the styling, but not the way the seats folded down Mazda 6 - like the styling but not very versitile, good powerPT Cruiser - like the styling when they first came out, but look got oldGot the Vibe cause it was at first sight.Might have gotten the Mazda 3 or possibly a Scion if they were out when I was looking.But I think I will stick with my Vibe for a while casue it is everything I dreamed it was and more.

Quote, originally posted by blake31 »wow... does your license plate say "OUTATIME" ??Actually, I just realized that Igoffed on the time I bought it. It's not even august 2004 yet! * insert homer simpson style doh! here*It was August 2003, buying a 2004 model. And no, the tags are just a regular Virgina tag.

I was looking at: SRT-4--too cheapy made WRX-STI--too expensive Evo VIII--Grand AM GT--just not meI never even really heard of a Matrix til i got my Vibe

Matrix - the looks don't compare to the VibeProtege 5 - Looked good, but never thought there would be an aftermarket following for it (Hot damn was I wrong on that >_Mazda 3 - Not out yet (sadly)Subaru WRX Wagon - Still looks too much like a "Wagon", $$$Now that I know about the following the P5 has, and the Mazda3 is out ... I would've seriously given the Vibe a second look -- especially since I realize that the aftermarket following that I thought would be once there for such a neat looking car never really appeared.

I considered a few Hyundais: Elantra GT, Sonata GLS, and Tiburon GT just for kicks. Also looked at the Kia Optima, twin of the Sonata. I liked all of the above, but the dealers seemed to be high-pressure.The Vibe actually wasn't even on my shopping list.I ended up with the Vibe on an impulse, had the clunker that was my Malibu in the shop for more front-end problems, and when the service manager came back with a $1400 estimate, I told them to keep it. I didn't know much about the Vibe, but I did know enough to feel it would be one of the safest buys on the GM dealer's lot. And, I liked the dealership. So, here I am...

I looked at the Elantra GT, it had a great warranty, and tons of standard equipment, but it ended up being to small, to hard to find one, and the closest Hyundai dealer is 40 miles away.I also considered the 5 door Focus hatch back, since it was priced nice with plenty of options, and it had a 100,000 mile power train warranty in 2003, but in the end, it was still a Ford, and cheaply built one at that. It was also a lot smaller.

oh ya! i actually looked at the new tiberon v6's. but then my attention was guided to the vibe..... so i spent 6 mos on figuring out what i was wanting in the vibe. shulda ordered it but didn't do it in time before the 04's were rolling out. so i had to take what was on the lot.

We looked at theHyundai Tiburon Tuscani -- Fun to drive, nut no rear spoiler, so it looked like it was lacking something.Mazda 5 -wife did not like that the 5 speed shifter vibrated badly in 3rd. (honestly that is the only reason that we did not get that car)Mini Cooper S - could not get the finance rate lower than 7.9%But all is well, I have a new car comming my way this spring which means a mini Copper s with the JCW full package (as soon as the dealership can get me one)

It was between the Vibe and the Nissan Altima.

I just went to the Toyota dealer to find out if they were going to refresh the Matrix for '05 lke GM was with the Vibe. Duhhhhh........stupid sales people didn't know......what a suprise. I did sit in the Scion B; amazing headroom and legroom for the rear passengers. If only they gave the driver one more inch of leg room, I might be in one.

I checked out the Viper... decided it wasn't good enough... bought this Vibe. It was the right decision, too.

I'm down to my final 3: an '05 Vibe, the Maxx, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. If the hybrid comes out too many $$ above what I can get a Maxx for, I'll likely go with the Maxx. The new Vibe will have to wow me with its new cloth to get me in a second one. Oh by the way, my wife got 26 mpg with our AWD in mostly city driving. Thank goodness. Our mileage during the winter was around 21. I'm glad the warm weather and non-ethanol gas is here for a while.

What would ever posess you to get a ford? That aside, I'd avoid any new model, or new hybrid for the first 1-2 model years...as you saw wtih the vibe, tons of bugs get worked out in just those 2 short years...the 07 will be a million times better than the 05 would be...

cross-shopped with nothing! Saw the first concepts of the Vibe. Had to have one! But that's when they were claiming AWD, 180 hp, and 6 speed!

Well, since you asked, here's what is driving me to take a close hard look at the Escape Hybrid: http://wardsauto.com/microsite...id=26 Also, it will have a new AWD system just like the Vibe's where you are driving in FWD all the time until a sensor detects slippage. No driver input needed. The Escape hybrid's battery is made by Sanyo, will get 35+ MPG in the city, and has a new variable transmission which provides for smooth shifts (certainly a first for Ford). Sure it has a Ford nameplate on front (hand is shaking as I am typing), but the risk/reward seems in its favor. If it is priced around $24k nicely equipped as the Ward's article indicates (and $22k with my buying service), I think that is a great deal worth test driving come August.