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Wagons Pontiac Vibe Pontiac Vibe
2955 messages, Last post on Nov 13, 2009 at 2:08 PM
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Replying to: pilgrimjs (May 17, 2009 1:41 pm) 1. are you looking for good gas mileage since you are only using the car for short trips? 2. are you looking for a standard or automatic? 3. have you totally ruled out AWD? I have both a 2003 AWD and 2009 Vibe. I think AWD is virtually a waste of money. I want to make sure that you know that the 2003-2010 models are all Corolla, with the exception of the 2009-2010 AWD model which has Rav4 components and Camry engine, or the GT which has a Camry engine. The newest generation Vibe is far superior to the old one, but again, the Camry engine or AWD with Rav4 components/engines will get you much worse gas mileage than the 2009-2010 base model Corolla engine. I mention this because I think you should also throw the newest generation Vibe into your "new" car mix. With Pontiac out of business and these cars being all Toyota, the values of them will soon tank, making it easy to get a used "virtually new" 2009-2010 model for a song, knowing your car is a reliable Toyota in a GM outer skin. The Camry is a great car, but just a grocery getter since you can't haul anything in it. The Forrester is a gas pig, and is not comfortable for rear passengers. Both the Camry and Forrester however are bullet proof and will last you a long time; but if gas goes back up...........you may regret that decision. Getting back to your 2005, the miles you site are low and of no concern since it is a Corolla engine and is a proven 200,000 mile engine. On cars.com, I did a nationwide search and found only about 5 2005 Vibes around your $8900 price or less; most were priced A LOT higher, so your price seems like a good deal, especially if you can talk them down a bit. |
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Replying to: maxx4me (May 17, 2009 2:34 pm) The new Forester is bigger than the old, more comfortable in back, and fuel economy not bad. We're considering the manual version and many people get close to 30mpg with this on hwy, which is great for AWD SUV. Also looking at Rav4 but costs about $2k more (if 4wd, about same if 2wd). Forester drives better (unless v6 Rav4) but Rav4 a little more comfortable and not as cheap looking inside. My wife really likes the Camry. So far we've only driven an 09 but willing to consider slightly older ones. This would be automatic. Manuals very hard to find. Most Hondas are uncomfortable for me -- bad lumbar that pushes into my back -- but I find that Civics and Fits are somehow better. Accords the worst, CR-V not great. I think Accords perform better than Camrys -- which are boring -- but I cannot sit in an Accord for a long drive. I can get a great deal here on a CR-V, but it's not comfortable for either of us. (Sigh.) I've driven an 08 automatic Vibe that I liked -- although I'd prefer manual for this type of car. We're not interested in AWD Vibes. AWD would be nice in winter, but we're in Southern MI. This winter, we got a lot of snow, and our Saturn had trouble with it. Some winters, we don't get much at all. Can we survive without AWD? Probably. But occasionally it would help. If we rule out AWD, then we could go with Vibe + Civic/Corolla/Camry. Or maybe even two Vibes. We need to get two cars, and we need to get them soon. I don't really like the new Matrix/Vibe design. Do you really think it is better? Although I haven't driven one yet. So far I have not seen great deals on either one. Although I have seen a very low miles 08 for $13k. |
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Replying to: pilgrimjs (May 17, 2009 4:33 pm) |
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Replying to: pilgrimjs (May 17, 2009 4:33 pm) Personally I'd take a 5sp Forester over an automatic Vibe AWD any day of the week, but that's me. In this economy, in this state, at this time, I'm glad to be driving a GM product, though. Cheers, -Mathias
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Replying to: steine13 (May 17, 2009 6:31 pm) I'm certainly not seeing Vibes at the prices you mention. In fact, used Vibes around here are pretty rare, and low miles ones are always $12 or higher. Not considering a new one because they're no cheaper than the Matrix, and the Toyota will hold value better. But I see even less of those used. I did take a look at Ford. Tried to contact three different dealerships, even went to one and tested a Fusion. They only had souped up models with sunroofs, and those didn't give me enough headroom. No one would give me info on how to get one without. Kind of hard to sell a car when you don't even try. In this economy, I don't understand only stocking the higher priced trims and packages. |
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Replying to: pilgrimjs (May 17, 2009 4:33 pm) Pilgrimjs: as for the current generation Vibe, yes, it is far superior. Again I own the first and second generation. The only issue I have with the 2009 is that the Corolla engine has a horizontally positioned oil cannister covering a paper oil filter. I'd rather be changing my oil with a filter that is vertical and a hard/traditional screw on filter. Other than that, the car is far superior. I drive my Corolla-Vibes very hard, so in short: Electric steering, much better cornering, ABS, traction AND stabillity control standard, better seats and fabric, XM radio, dual level glove compartment, map lights in ceiling (not on the mirror), dual VVTi engine, better wipers, better and collapsable mirrors, better collapsable rear storage area cover, no more stupid body cladding, (and if you dare to go with the worse gas mileage) the choice of a Camry engine. Again, check on cars.com. There are a lot of good priced used 2009's out there already, and surely a lot more to come with Pontiac gone. As for the new Forrester, I'll have to take your word for it. I get 30 mpg in big city/suburban driving on my 2009 Corolla-Vibe automatic, so 30 on the highway would not sway me. Almost any sedan does that now. In fact, my old Malibu Maxx got 35 on the highway due to the old style GM pushrod engine and was a whole lot more roomy/functional than the Forrester. With gas prices heading back over $3 soon, I am not willling to get in a vehicle that only gets 20 mpg in town. Good luck with your choice. You have obviously done some homework since the models you are looking at are very reliable.
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Replying to: maxx4me (May 18, 2009 1:09 am) I'm not looking to buy... I've got one of those, and a few months ago learned that that's what they're worth... that was Manheim information, so no, you can't buy a low-mile '07 $10, but you also can't trade it for more than $9. $8.9 for a miley '04 is not good; I'd rather buy new. But that's me. -Mathias
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Replying to: steine13 (May 18, 2009 5:51 pm)
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Replying to: pilgrimjs (May 23, 2009 8:31 pm)
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Replying to: maxx4me (May 24, 2009 4:19 am) We're also new to this area and not sure where to take it. There's a local mechanic that friends recommend. He's done a good job with their high mileage Camrys (200k+).
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