You are here: Forums Wagons Pontiac Vibe New Vibe Owners - Give Us Your Report

New Vibe Owners - Give Us Your Report

66 messages,  Last post on Nov 06, 2009 at 4:47 PM

You are in the Pontiac Vibe Forum. Your Host is kcram

What is this discussion about? Pontiac Vibe, Car Buying, Wagon

Messages Page 6 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#50 of 66 Re: owners reports by macneil Aug 31, 2008 (3:23 pm)
Replying to: tstorm (Aug 06, 2008 12:14 pm) I have been looking for a new car to replace my 1995 Honda Accord 2.2 LX. It has almost 200K on it. New battery 3X. New Struts 180K. New Timing Belt 136K New Ignitor (recall) but didn't need it until 140K. I only change the synthetic oil 3 times a year. Airfilter and PVC last year. Never changed any other fluids, though I have to now top up the brake fluid every 2 months. New Plugs and Wires only once.  She (Shirley) prefers to drive at 140km an hour on the Highway and pass everything in sight, Well when I can. My car goes like stink. It's only 130horse but drives better than the 2008 Mazda 3 sport I tested. Her windows have trouble at -30C There is rust on the wheel wells and gas cap area and truck lid. Not much but getting worse. Never tuned up and I drive it like it's a 4x4, country roads, back roads, off roads, she's been there done that. I drive the hell out of her and she looks forward to it. But it's time to buy new and after reading these posts, I'm scared. I would drive Shirley into the deepest jungle and know I'd drive out. But with all the talk about lights out, oil leaks, bad tires, etc. I'm scared. My engine is high and dry and the lights, all the lights work. I don't know how to change a fuse. The radio is awsome too. I like the room in the Vibe but if it cuts out I'll be so mad I'll be scary. I liked the 2008 Mazda 3 but you have to hold the gas down and count to 3 to get it into high gear. My Honda just goes when you tell her to and she's 13 years old. Mmm. The Vibe felt ify with bad torque steer around corners, and that was FWD I'm ify about the AWD being too irrational and taking me off the road in the winter rather than keeping me on it. The Honda's don't have the cargo room I'm looking for unless it's the Element, yuck.. and suicide doors? mm I'm stuck on 3 cars now. Mazda 3sport, Vibe, and the closer to Honda, Subaru Legacy for it's cheap insurance rates and comfort and room. I know cars will have trouble, but some of the things I've read about cars only 3 and 4 years old is absolutely apaulling and frightening for new shoppers who like to drive their cars into the ground. To bad Honda didn't make the Vibe and the Honda FIT is OK but no power just reliability. That sucks. Confused but still needing a car. My favorite drive was the Subaru Imprezza, but can't find a 2008 anywhere. Maybe I'll buy a 2009. A new Accord is too expensive but maybe not in the long run. mmm I still want the cargo space. Honda doesn't supply that which is just not fare. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much, maybe I'm too informed, maybe I'm too loyal to Shirley. Maybe I'm just going to take my bike.
#51 of 66 by richardhgregg Sep 02, 2008 (1:04 pm)
Best of luck in your vehicle search. I would suggest that you visit www.OCCUZONE.com while you are in this search. We have posted fast and straightforward seat comfort reviews for vehicles we have had in our lab.   We are a group of professional biomechanical engineers with expertise in seat design and analysis. Our reviews correlate very well to small, medium, and large drivers' opinions during real life ride-n-drive studies.   Basically, you may learn in two minutes what would normally require several visits to dealers. The reviews are FREE while the site is up the next couple of weeks. If you have any feedback I would GREATLY appreciate it.   Rich
#52 of 66 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD by vibeguy37 Oct 06, 2008 (7:52 am)
I'm really concerned after reading some posts with regards to the 09 Pontaic Vibe AWD. I barely got 240 miles to a tank and was absolutely shocked to see that I'm averaging about the same consumption as my old Chev Equinox. I know I'm still in the break-in period so I'm not sure how much this is going to improve. I'm by far not an aggressive driver. I'm very conscientious about starting slowly from a stand still while waiting at traffic lights. In fact, about half of my drivng was on the highway at about a 56-57 mph average. If this continues, then I will definitely be dumping this little pig in about a year or so. Anybody else experiencing poor mileage with the 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD? By the way, I live in Canada so you really don't have much of a choice but to go with an AWD system if you want to make it through winter in one piece. Replies to this message: maxx4me (Oct 11, 2008 4:47 am) snackbar (May 19, 2009 5:31 pm)
#53 of 66 Press Request by KarenS HOST Oct 07, 2008 (9:04 am)
A reporter from a national newspaper would like to speak to consumers who recently purchased a new small or mid-sized car and either got great financing or cash back/incentives offered to them . If this is you, please respond to ctalatiedmunds.com with your daytime phone number by Wednesday, October 8, 2008.
#54 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [vibeguy37] by maxx4me Oct 11, 2008 (4:47 am)
Replying to: vibeguy37 (Oct 06, 2008 7:52 am) sorry for your troubles vibeguy37. I now own two vibes. My '03 is an AWD, and I would NOT get another AWD. While it is true what you say about AWD and Canadian living, people in the lower 48 truely don't need it. I went with the base "Corolla-Vibe" due to the dramatic improvement in gas mileage over the "Camry-Vibe". The power in the modified 1.8 is very good. I agree with you that getting 20mpg in a Vibe is disgraceful. I encourage everyone to rethink getting the 2.4 liter engine. It is too bad the GT didn't have that option (nor the AWD for that matter.) We have 105,000 miles on the '03 Vibe. The build quality was crap, as was the paint. But despite all the now ugly imperfections, plus the fact that it burns oil like crazy, the car continues to run. Underneath there somewhere is a Corolla that refuses to quit. My '09 is a fabulous car. Build quality is 10 times better than the previous version and comes with a lot of safety features, all while being cheaper in price. I only wish my base model had some additional creature comforts such as the radio controls on the wheel, sunglasses holder, and one more inch of legroom for the driver.
#55 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [vibeguy37] by gmloyal60 Nov 18, 2008 (10:28 am)
I have 2,000 miles on my new 2009 AWD Vibe and I'm getting the EPA estimates of 20 and 26. I also own a 2006 FWD Vibe and get great mileage on it. I was hoping my conservative driving habits might yield somewhat better mpg on the '09AWD but I guess I was forewarned. My son has a 2003 AWD Vibe and still loves it. I drove it the other day and quickly noticed how much more "free wheeling" the older AWD model was. I don't know why there is this difference but my '09 has a lot more drag on it. It even will slow down on a level surface or a slight downgrade with my foot off of the accelerator! Is this the experience of others? I'd be interested in knowing. Replies to this message: maxx4me (Nov 18, 2008 12:29 pm)
#56 of 66 Re: 09 Pontiac Vibe AWD [gmloyal60] by maxx4me Nov 18, 2008 (12:29 pm)
Replying to: gmloyal60 (Nov 18, 2008 10:28 am) yep, you are right....it feels like a brake assist function, although I'm sure it is not. Sorry about your low mpg on the AWD. I knew that going in which is why I went (again) with the Corolla Vibe instead of the Camry Vibe. I have been getting 29 mpg in 90% city driving with my 09 automatic. Nice huh? I have been reading on genvibe.com about many '03 owners having tranny problems. I have 107,000 miles on mine, and have not had any major problems yet (a lot of minor problems to include mysteriously disappearing oil). As for the '09 Corolla Vibe, I had to replace the battery already. I got a higher cold cranking amp (550) Delco battery to replace the small Japanese 350 cca batteries they put in these Vibes. Other than that, the only design flaw I have found in the '09 is that the passenger side seat belt anchor rattles against the center console. You need to take a piece of female velcro and place it on the back side to act as a cushion when there isn't an occupant in the seat. I'm amazed how much more refined this latest version is over our 03. If the old one goes, I know what I'm buying next, that's for sure.
#57 of 66 2009 AWD by bills350 Feb 08, 2009 (10:07 am)
We purchased a red AWD in December. Excellent car!! Drives well in the bad western PA ice and snow.   GM needs to add a remote start option to the Vibe.
#58 of 66 09 Troubles by bossman141 Mar 26, 2009 (1:26 pm)
From what I can gather this seems to only be happening to my Vibe as neither the dealership service dept nor pontiac engineers can diagnose the problem.   When coming to a full stop, I can feel the car downshift and when the car finally comes to a full stop the tranny then drops into first and physically jerks the car. This is a 2.4 Auto BTW. No one can figure out the problem and have been told to basically drive the car till the engineers can figure out a fix.   I already have a call in to Pontiac and they have taken a report.   Just wondering if anyone else out there has experienced this. Dealer swears it's not the transmission but it sure feels like it to me.   Otherwise its a great car. Replies to this message: maxx4me (Mar 27, 2009 12:47 am) bossman141 (Mar 30, 2009 9:26 am) maxx4me (Mar 30, 2009 2:20 pm)
#59 of 66 Re: 09 Troubles [bossman141] by maxx4me Mar 27, 2009 (12:47 am)
Replying to: bossman141 (Mar 26, 2009 1:26 pm) Unless they are lying, I think everyone is experiencing the same thing. I have the '09 1.8 liter Corolla engine. I'm unsure whether the tranny is any different for the "Camry-Vibe" as it is the "Corolla-Vibe." You won't get any good answers out of your Pontiac dealer since they have been clueless about this car since the first Corolla-Vibe was built in 2002 (2003 model year). Either way, it is almost like a brake assist function, but is definitely the tranny downshifting. You should also feel it when you are giong around 50mph down a hill and tap your brakes. The tranny likes to downshift to help slow the car down. Good luck getting an answer from GM. I think they'd rather go out of business than help their loyal owners. I wish them well in that regard, which is why I own two Vibes (which means I own two Corollas). I can always get service and parts from Toyota should GM's "fantastic" business model finally drag them out of business where they belong. Replies to this message: bossman141 (Mar 30, 2009 9:26 am) maxx4me (Mar 30, 2009 2:20 pm)

Messages Page 6 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums Wagons Pontiac Vibe New Vibe Owners - Give Us Your Report