New here and wanting a vibe...

[shelleylisabeth]

Hi there. My name is Shelley and I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have a 10 year old Honda Civic with 150,000 miles on it. He's been a good little car but my hubby is too tall to drive comfortably in it and the car's been slowly going downhill lately. I am starting to think about what I'm going to replace my little car with and at the top of my list is the Pontiac Vibe. I always swore I'd stick with Japanese cars (they last forever and never break down) but my hubby bought a Grand Prix in January and has loved it and has had no trouble with it and those Vibes are just so darn cute that I have to have one! I'm going out this afternoon to test drive one for the first time. What are other people's experiences with them? Which do you prefer? GT or non-GT?

[debi5475]

Well it is a Japanese car. Really, under the skin. that is why I am going to buy one. I can use my GM dollars and get Toyoto reliability. Though my husbands regal and my saturn have both been good, so I shouldn't complain. But I first looked at the Montana, untill I read the comments on Edmunds about it. Then I found the Vibe, and the comments were good. And the people there told me to come here. So I did.

[ragingfish]

You really need to drive both to know what you want.GT obviously will give you more power, but that comes at a cost -- no auto tranny option (6 speed manual only), and premium fuel.The other alternative is to get a Base and add a supercharger down the line, IF power is what you're out for.I have a base, and retrospectively wish I had gone for the GT. But I couldn't drive stick then, so it was kinda not an option.

[jake75]

Well - a perfect solution not unlike the battle of the sexes on HGTV. Wife can have her Japanese car because the Vibe is essentailly made by Toyota, and husband can have his Pontiac. I'm cheap and am never in that big of a hurry to get to the next traffic light so the base non-GT floats my boat. Current discount in this neck of the woods is about 5-6% of msrp plus a $1,000 rebate on '05's (2,000 on '04's). A "conquest" rebate for a non-GM owner of $1,000 might also be available - was advertised here by dealer a month or so ago, but not recently.

[jake75]

Never focused on the fact that the GT is only 5 speed (I am too old to shift gears) and requries premium fuel. But - different strokes for different folks!

[ragingfish]

GT is a 6 speed actually.

[MoonDogg]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 » A "conquest" rebate for a non-GM owner of $1,000 might also be available - was advertised here by dealer a month or so ago, but not recently.Yeah its still avail. I just bought my Vibe GT a week ago and got that rebate...

[debi5475]

According to Edmunds it ends tuesday though. On 2004s. In the northeast. It might be different elsewhere.

[ragingfish]

IIRC, the conquest didn't kick in on the 04s until later in the MY, so it may be a while before you see conquest on the 05...

[shelleylisabeth]

Does it have clutch problems or does it just burn up the clutch faster because the car is fast and people run it harder?

[shelleylisabeth]

Well, I just got back from test driving the Vibe. I was really impressed with all the head space and storage space in the car, as well as all of the safety things (the passenger seat having a sensor as to whether the air bag should be on or off, etc.). My one concern is that the car was LOUD when I was accelerating. Does anyone else notice that? All in all, though, a very nice vehicle and when my little car dies, it's still tops on my list. First choice would be a 5-speed (although I drove an automatic today) orange fusion with the keyless entry package. No tunes and moon (or whatever it's called lol) because I'll replace the stereo and speakers when I get it anyway for cheaper. The one question my hubby had but we didn't think of until after we left was whether they had power seats - he'd like a little more adjustment than what the base model we drove had.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by shelleylisabeth »Well, I just got back from test driving the Vibe. I was really impressed with all the head space and storage space in the car, as well as all of the safety things (the passenger seat having a sensor as to whether the air bag should be on or off, etc.). My one concern is that the car was LOUD when I was accelerating. Does anyone else notice that? By design this car is louder than others I've driven...but you'll drown it out fast, especially if you're putting in a nice stereo. My XM keeps me happy, I never hear the car anymore. Quote »All in all, though, a very nice vehicle and when my little car dies, it's still tops on my list. First choice would be a 5-speed (although I drove an automatic today) orange fusion with the keyless entry package. No tunes and moon (or whatever it's called lol) because I'll replace the stereo and speakers when I get it anyway for cheaper. The one question my hubby had but we didn't think of until after we left was whether they had power seats - he'd like a little more adjustment than what the base model we drove had.No, power seats aren't an option yet...never know what the 06 model will bring us though! But there are manual forward/backward and up/down adjustments.

[shelleylisabeth]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »By design this car is louder than others I've driven...but you'll drown it out fast, especially if you're putting in a nice stereo. My XM keeps me happy, I never hear the car anymore. Thanks for such a quick reply! I figured with radio on (I never drive without it) it wouldn't be too much of a problem but it was very noticeable when driving down a quiet road with no radio while accelerating hard.Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »No, power seats aren't an option yet...never know what the 06 model will bring us though! But there are manual forward/backward and up/down adjustments.Oh! We missed the up/down lever when moving the seat. That's all he wants, it just usually doesn't come on a car unless they're power seats. Thanks again!Shelley

[MiFrosty517]

From a new Vibe owner (of an 03 mind you) the engine noise is slightly higher than a few cars I have owned. However the reason is that I shift in the higher RPM range in the Vibe than in any other cars I have owned. I tend to shift mine at around the 4200-4500 mark just around max torque. This in itself makes the engine alot noiser than it really needs to be. When my wife drives and "granny shifts" it at around 2200 the engine noise is no louder than anything else really.

[kostby]

Welcome to the encyclopedia of Vibe!With an automatic, and the standard intake and exhaust systems, it gets 'noisy' (I prefer to think of it as 'a sporty growl') around 3500-4000 rpm and stays that way up to the redline at about 6200 rpm. The sporty sound of a very capable 16-valve 4-cylinder engine was/is one of the things I really enjoy about my used '03. IMO the oft-maligned Moon & Tunes 200-watt stereo is capable of drowning out most if not all of the engine 'noises' without significant distortion, but my 51-year-old ears really can't stand the sound system that loud.

[Jahntassa]

As for the acceleration noise, that's really not too bad to fix. Though if you don't have someone willing to do it, it might be expensive.What i'm going to end up doing is pulling out my seats and pulling up the carpet. I can get a can of "Sound Deadener" which is a spray-on kinda thing, and spray it in the bottom of the car. That, or Dynamat will help cut down on the sound.It's naturally a loud car, but it's by no means a "fart machine." And yes, with an upgraded stereo, you'll be just fine as far as noise goes.If you get the Dynamat treatment, it might be pricey up front... But..it'll be worth it.Of course, like me, you might just get used to it! I had an older Probe that had a rip-roarin' hole in the exhaust, so it was pretty loud. The Vibe was actually quieter! Anyway..it can be fixed! I'd just give it some time, though, you'll eventually tune it out!

[futseal04]

I've noticed that engine noise is kinda loud when you are accelerating, but when you get to speed, it quiets down nicely. IMO, there is more tire and wind noise than engine noise when cruising at 75 (about 3000RPM). The M&T radio or even regular conversation is enough to drown out 99% of all noise.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Leave it to me to be last!!! Welcome!! I have nothing to add, everyone else already said it.