Pontiac Vibe...

HillHound · September 6, 2004

My wife and I bought an 05 Pontiac Vibe a few weeks ago to have as a shared third auto, mainly because the mileage on the Tbz and F250 is starting to hurt. The sticker said 29/34 for mileage and I was skeptical, but my first three tanks of gas have been 29.7, 30.8 and 31.5! I have no doubt it'll do 34mpg highway after it gets broken in.

Nice change from 12 to 15 for the F250 and 16 to 18 for my wife's Trailblazer! My V10 F250 is now my recreational/tow vehicle and I the Vibe to drive to work and my wife runs to the babysitter/grocery store with it. It will pay for itself easy with the gas $$ we'll save each month. I've been putting over $250/month in the Superduty plus it'll keep me from racking up mileage on the truck.

It has a little 1.8L I4 that's about the size of a shoebox and weighs about 2600lbs. Plenty of power with just two people and our kid in it. I'll tell ya, it's wild to get 400 miles per fillup with just a 13g gas tank! Hard to get used to being so small on the road but I finally bit the bullet because I'm convinced gas prices are going to stay up near $2 for good now.

If you decide to get an extra economy car to complement your truck I'd recommend it. We got the front wheel drive base model with auto for about $16K with the incentives and GM loyalty rebate. They have a ton of stuff standard-CD, fog lights, power mirrors, air, tinted glass etc.

I got a kick out the axle ratio...2.96! But I guess that's why it gets the MPG it does.

R Dogg 56 · September 6, 2004

Sounds like a heck of a deal. Congrats!

Greg · September 6, 2004

I test drove one when my daughter was looking for cars and thought it drove OK. I didn't like how close the steering wheel was to the dash. Once I adjusted the seat for my legs, I had to keep my arms almost straight out.

A co-worker bought a Vibe for his wife. They both like it and often take it on weekend trips instead of his tbz. She likes the interior space when all the seats are folded as she goes out to garage sales. He regrets this feature. Since his tbz is pewter and the Vibe is silver, his son calls the Vibe mini-me.

Truckman031 · September 6, 2004

Congrats on the new "rig"

SnakeEyeSS · September 6, 2004

cool, ya stuck with GM on this one!

Yeah,. GM is getting this mileage thing down, on the way to Indy, the Impala was getting over 30 with three people and full of luggage!

99silveradoz71 · September 7, 2004

Sounds good. I know I love filling my bike up at $4 every few days vs. $36 for the truck weekly.

asepgrad98 · September 7, 2004

cool, ya stuck with GM on this one!

It is re-badged Toyota Matrix.

Greg · September 7, 2004

cool, ya stuck with GM on this one!

It is re-badged Toyota Matrix.

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... Built by NUMMI in Fremont, CA. However, unlike the Corolla / Prizm, the Matrix is not built at NUMMI.

http://www.nummi.com/vibe.html

blue2kzr2 · September 7, 2004

Matrix and Vibe share NO body paneling. They're just platform-mates, that's all. Take a close look at the 2...

HillHound · September 8, 2004

cool, ya stuck with GM on this one!

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Yeah, I really like most of GM's stuff. I'm sure I'll be back in a Chevy pickup in the future. Don't care for the Colorado/Canyon at all though.

I was aware Vibes are shared platforms with Toyota and I'm not a big Toyota fan but heck, it's a nice car. I think it got GM styling, gadgets and performance with Toyota fit/finish. That's a good way to look at it I think.

Don't know how true this is, but the sales guy explained that the drivetrain was basically a Toyota product and the body and most of the interior and electronics was GM stuff. Seems like it's probably about right. The dash/interior is way too detailed to have had much input from Toyota. Most of the cheaper Toys I've been in were bland and minimally functional.

scooter70 · September 8, 2004

Don't know how true this is, but the sales guy explained that the drivetrain was basically a Toyota product and the body and most of the interior and electronics was GM stuff. Seems like it's probably about right.

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Yup. Welcome to the future of vehicle design.... PLATFORMS!!!

01silverado2500 · September 16, 2004

We picked up a new 04 Vibe in March and we love it. It sure beats the 8 and 13 mpg from our trucks. Cargo space is very nice, I have hauled 8ft long 2x4 in the Vibe no problem. Power is nice from the 1.8, no problem climbing the hills of W.PA, and passing on the highway. For the cost I think the Vibe is a great value.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/592082 Pics of the Vibe.

SnakeEyeSS · September 19, 2004

Don't care for the Colorado/Canyon at all though.

I was aware Vibes are shared platforms with Toyota and I'm not a big Toyota fan but heck, it's a nice car. I think it got GM styling, gadgets and performance with Toyota fit/finish. That's a good way to look at it I think.

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yeah, I pretty much hate Toyota, but I am starting to like some of their products. they just have good dieas sometimes, and they make some if the best commericals too!(remember the Celica and the Ketchup bottle?)

I am glad the made the Pirus, becase the enviro geeks whine less because they have a car they can buy, and the more they use it, the less demand it puts on gas, which mean lower prices for the rest of us!!!

And for the Colorado, I think GM tripped up on it. it's like they stopped development at 90% compete. The biggest available wheels look TINY in the massive wheel wells, and the engine is outdated as of 5 months from now. The Nissian 250HP V-6 Frontier will be out, and a few months later, the Dakota which may have the 5.7L, and the Tacoma which will have a drivetrain similiar to the Frontier.

Truckman031 · September 19, 2004

Don't care for the Colorado/Canyon at all though.

I was aware Vibes are shared platforms with Toyota and I'm not a big Toyota fan but heck, it's a nice car. I think it got GM styling, gadgets and performance with Toyota fit/finish. That's a good way to look at it I think.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah, I pretty much hate Toyota, but I am starting to like some of their products. they just have good dieas sometimes, and they make some if the best commericals too!(remember the Celica and the Ketchup bottle?)

I am glad the made the Pirus, becase the enviro geeks whine less because they have a car they can buy, and the more they use it, the less demand it puts on gas, which mean lower prices for the rest of us!!!

And for the Colorado, I think GM tripped up on it. it's like they stopped development at 90% compete. The biggest available wheels look TINY in the massive wheel wells, and the engine is outdated as of 5 months from now. The Nissian 250HP V-6 Frontier will be out, and a few months later, the Dakota which may have the 5.7L, and the Tacoma which will have a drivetrain similiar to the Frontier.

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I agree about what you said about the Colorado. It does look 90% complete. The current engine choices are fine for most midsize truck owners, however there are some who want the big engine that GM lacks in that segment. The I6 or even better, the 4.8 would really boost my opinion on the Colorado/Canyon.

BTW, I heard the Dakota will not get the HEMI.