2008 Pontiac Vibe ..GOOD BUY ???

[lucerne06]

I just put a deposit down on a 08 Vibe.It has 24,500 miles on it and was a one owner car.No accident history. They bought it in 05/08 and traded it in on 06/09, for a lease on a nissan rouge... so what do you all think?

The owner was/is an accountant who had their territory changed
who bought the car as a personal vehicle. they traded it for a lease to preserve the value of the car.I am paying $12,100 plus T/T. It is fully loaded including a sunroof, the only options it does not have is ABS or leather seats.

According to carfax the car was dealer serviced FIVE times for oil changes and other manufactuer recommended maitanice during that time.which comes out to OCI every 5000 miles.

So do you guys think the mileage is too much for one year driving? had to be mainly a mix of highway/country road driving, it's from the subburbs around quakertown,pa. area.

I have three days before I go pick it up,and finish the deal. any suggestions would be appreciated..thanks

 

[Saturn_Fan]

I think that sounds like a pretty good deal. I have an 08 Corolla (same 1ZZFE engine if yours has the 1.8L) and I am very happy with mine. I have an auto and get around 34 city/40 highway.

I was looking at a Vibe at the same time I was looking for my Corolla and thought they were handy little cars.

The car is basically a Toyota with a Pontiac badge put on it for all intents and purposes.

Bill in Utah has a 1ZZFE engine in his Corolla and I think he is around 153,000 with 0 problems.

Solid little rigs.

The mileage, while high for one year of driving, wouldn't scare me off in the least. That engine is very reliable and they are extremely simple to work on and perform maintenance on.

Edit: I paid 14,100 bucks for a brand new 08 Corolla CE and it only came with automatic tranny, AC, and CD player, so 12 grand for a loaded car that is similar seems very reasonable with 24,000 on it.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Here is what Edmund's says about the 2008 Pontiac Vibe:

Pros

Roomy backseat, comfortable ride, versatile cargo area, excellent fuel economy, reliable Toyota powertrain.

Cons

Major safety features are available as options only, lackluster acceleration, Toyota's version is likely to have better resale value.

 

[ThirdeYe]

My dad bought an '08 PT Cruiser last winter with over 20,000 miles on it at the time. It's been a good car so far, aside from one small suspension issue (fixed under warranty). Don't let the miles scare you.

I know it's not a PT Cruiser that you're looking for, but I was just comparing the years/miles/situation. Those Vibes are pretty reliable from what I've heard. As previously mentioned, the Toyota engines in them are very good.

 

[lucerne06]

plus the way I am also looking at it is I have the remainder of the 3 yr/36,000 basic warranty till 05/11( I only put 7000 miles a yr on my car) and the 5 yr/100,000 powertrain warranty till 05/13.

also it's an automatic ..anything anybody would change out when they got it home??

I am also wondering what COOLANT is in it ???

as far as resale for me...I will keep it till the cows come home..

 

[Hezz]

I like to see highway mileage, easier on the car. The Vibe is mostly Corolla underneath, should be quite solid running gear. If you dig the car I'd say go for it.

I didn't look up blue book on it but I'll assume you have.

Good question on the coolant, Toyota has their own proprietary P-OAT special sauce they fill with but it being sold as a Pontiac it may have DEX, should be marked under the hood. Probably safe to run it a while longer and then drain and fill with the Zerex Asian P-OAT.

 

[lucerne06]

KBB is 16,200 retail ,,,yes I am wondering does the coolant get filled at the factory or at the dealership?

 

[HTSS_TR]

All fluids are filled at factory.

 

[lucerne06]

so if it's filled at the factory...would it get the toyota coolant?

 

[defektes]

check if it gets dex cool or toyota pink in your manual

 

[daves87rs]

Just love the trans, and you'll be fine...

 

[JHZR2]

A good friend has that car. If he drives 55, he can do 42 MPG.

However, it is:

noisy, cheap and plastic, so-so A/C, and the first gear gives a false sense of acceleration, without decent gearing after to keep it up.

Other than that, it is pretty utilitarian, with comfortable seats, decent enough stereo and controls, and pretty economical.

 

[tom slick]

Originally Posted By: lucerne06
so if it's filled at the factory...would it get the toyota coolant?


More then likely it does. They come (came) off the corrola line at NUMMI. They didn't become "GM" until they went out the factory gate to the GM distribution center next door. There was literally a "hand off" of the keys from one company's employee to the other.

 

[dwcopple]

If the dealer makes it a certified used, then you get full coverage until 100k. ask about it.

 

[lucerne06]

I think that making it certified you get 12 month 12000 bumper to bumper, and that ALL 2008's have a transferable 5 yr or 100,000 powertrain warranty's.

 

[aaxb970]

good car....matrix / vibe

 

[Saturn_Fan]

When I got it home I would have a tranny flush done. T-IV can and does get spent earlier then it should and is in no way a lifetime fluid as Toyota tries to tell me. T-IV can be had for 50 bucks with shipping included from Ebay or get some from the dealer, but don't pay much for it.

Personally, I would search here for my thread and "TheOak"'s thread about how to properly do a cooler line flush and how to install a Magnefine on your Vibe. Here is a pic of the tranny filter I put on my Corolla.

 

[x97labelle]

Thats a good deal. I just sold an 06' with 85,000 miles for $8100. I ran Mobil 1 5w30 since new and had good UOA'a at 7,500 mile intervals.

That car will be very reliable.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: lucerne06
so if it's filled at the factory...would it get the toyota coolant?

My Suzuki/GM Tracker had the regular suzuki coolant and an all suzuki maintenance schedule. This is different than all the other cars the dealers service, my particular dealers service department needed to be reminded of this and sent out the "normal" chevy service reminders anyways.
I now just go to the suzuki dealer for parts or to get particular suzuki vitara issues taken care of. Probably if I got a Vibe I would only take it to a toyota dealer if I was going to take it to a dealer for service. A GM service centre might not even have something other than GM coolant on hand.

 

[artificialist]

From the beginning to 2006 or 2007, the Vibe interior was all GM, and from my experience that makes all the switches and plastic bits fail more quickly. That is why I would avoid the early ones.

However, I closely examined the interior of the 2008-2009 Vibes, and I found the exact same switches and buttons found in a Toyota. That is a bonus.