Possible salvage purchase- 2004 Pontiac Vibe

Doesn't have a license yet? good score, comes pre-dinged for new driver "oops".

I have to ask, will this pass the "it must be an SUV" test? I mean, I'm not sure it qualifies as a CUV just because of AWD, let alone SUV, but maybe I'm running loose with the terms. Regardless: the person getting it may be no different on this assessment.

Not a body guy but my Camry got totaled for what I thought was less damage than that. Thing is, the hood still shut--and you could see the fenders were pushed out, as the rad support was tweaking everything.

I think eljefino is on the right track, use this for parts and find something that someone wasn't so good on oil changes.
 
It's actually a 'meh' history. No servicing history for the first 68k. Only one recorded transmission change at 114k which is an unusual mileage to perform that service. It does have a good body. Especially for the age.

I don't know your market. But I would be far more inclined to buy one with a bad engine or transmission, but with a good body, and use this one as a donor vehicle. Even then you have to deal with IAAs ridiculous fees.

If you have a friend who is a dealer out there, it would pay major dividends to go out there and inspect it in person. It has been well over 5 years since I needed a parts car so I'm not 100% sure if IAA allows for on-site inspections. And this one may not be available quite yet.

Keep us posted. You're doing a great thing.
 
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macarose said:
It's actually a 'meh' history. No servicing history for the first 68k. Only one recorded transmission change at 114k which is an unusual mileage to perform that service. It does have a good body. Especially for the age.

I don't know your market. But I would be far more inclined to buy one with a bad engine or transmission, but with a good body, and use this one as a donor vehicle. Even then you have to deal with IAAs ridiculous fees.

If you have a friend who is a dealer out there, it would pay major dividends to go out there and inspect it in person. It has been well over 5 years since I needed a parts car so I'm not 100% sure if IAA allows for on-site inspections. And this one may not be available quite yet.

Keep us posted. You're doing a great thing.
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I will actually go inspect myself if I am able. Just two hours away.

The very predictable pattern of oil changes post 60k miles strongly suggests the earlier oil changes were at a garage that not report to carfax, not that they were not done.

It is just hard to find a one owner toyota SUV in a non rust belt state with 130k miles, and with I speculate was a deliberate Maintenace schedule. Of course, I have been wrong before- many times.
 
1) If I were to drive this myself then maybe I'll buy it to fix, but definitely not to someone else (especially not my own in law). Giving to inlaw is just a way to ask for future trouble as any tiny thing will cause argument between the couple. She can always start a fight with your son about his dad being cheap or his dad didn't listen, or his dad doesn't care bout her safety, etc... Just buy a normal non-broken car and call it a day is my preference.

2) These front end collision has known problem to fix, but that doesn't mean nothing else is broken on it, and things may be "misaligned" afterward like certain panel won't fit right or if you buy bumper / hood to swap in they have different fade / color than the rest of the car, etc. Again, fine if I'm driving it myself but I'd rather not do that for an inlaw.

3) Are you willing to go newer and pay more? Maybe a Prius V would be a good choice? Maybe a Scion xB? A Vibe will be cheaper but not by much, and harder to find body parts to swap in the future (mirrors, hood, bumper, etc).


I don't understand why "must be an SUV", is it for safety? Vibe ain't much safer than a Corolla.
 
GON said:
I am thinking it will be closer to 2k out the door from the auction house.......
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Lol for a broken car from discontinued brand for 15 years++. Maybe the repair costs are far less than I think and your time a donation , it feels expensive to me.
 
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GON said:
I think the Vibe/ Matrix are the best match for what my DIL wants/ needs. I would prefer the Corrolla or Civic for her- but told must be a SUV.

I like the Vibe over the Matrix as the Vibe doesn't get the "Toyota Premium".
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This is a small wagon; its not an SUV or CUV.
 
supton said:
Doesn't have a license yet? good score, comes pre-dinged for new driver "oops".

I have to ask, will this pass the "it must be an SUV" test? I mean, I'm not sure it qualifies as a CUV just because of AWD, let alone SUV, but maybe I'm running loose with the terms. Regardless: the person getting it may be no different on this assessment.

Not a body guy but my Camry got totaled for what I thought was less damage than that. Thing is, the hood still shut--and you could see the fenders were pushed out, as the rad support was tweaking everything.

I think eljefino is on the right track, use this for parts and find something that someone wasn't so good on oil changes.
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CUV/SUV- just has to be "marketed" that way. Some people will say a Ridgline is a pickup, others claim it is not.

The Vibe/ Matrix meets the SUV/CUV label for the required purpose.
 
I passed on a similar Matrix...same "texting damage" except the hood wasn't involved.
A local guy replaced the broken parts and the car looked great...except for an oddly damaged interior.
The seats were shredded, appeared to have had lumber loaded hard against the dashboard (breaks and cracks) and a few of the skid ribs on the payload floor were missing. Others were bent etc.

Good luck with your decision.
 
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andrew_j said:
Lol for a broken car from discontinued brand for 15 years++. Maybe the repair costs are far less than I think and your time a donation , it feels expensive to me.
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The key when I search for aa vehicle like this is the prior ownership, and location of the ownership.

I gladly will take a one owner well maintained vehicle that had an unplanned catastrophic event, over a vehicle on a used car lot with five prior owners.

One of the many things I look at when searching for a vehicle like this in addition to ownership history, ownership location, accident records, and maintenance history include what manufacturer tires on the car, and what insurance company the prior owner went with.

Try to find a well maintained vehicle from a owner that invested in quality maintenance. This is part of my selection criteria.
 
That Vibe will be an easy repair.

Way back when, I worked for a guy that fixed salvage vehicles and flipped them on the side. The Matrix/Vibe twins were one of his favorite purchases due to their ease of repair. As long as the rails are straight (which they likely are), you're looking at nothing more than drilling out some spot welds and replacing the core support. Radiator, condenser, cooling fan, headlights, bumper, grill - all readily available for not much money, or find one in a yard. They sold hundreds of thousands of those things.
 
Nukeman7 said:
(1) why didn't any airbag deploy in a moderate front end collision that resulted in totaling the vehicle?, and (2) the difficulty in finding salvage yard body parts for a long discontinued model from an orphaned brand that was not produced in large numbers like its Toyota Matrix twin.
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1- It was a financial total loss most likely. You can key a car and total it with just the paint work labor alone, common for old cars.

2- I don't see much difficulty getting parts, I've written many estimates on these, great cars. Recycled clips from LKQ and smaller yards will be cheap, they will be happy someone other than a scrap yard is willing to pay for the parts.
 
Today was the preview day for this Vibe, which will go to live auction tomorrow. I am to busy at work to take the five hours it would take to preview (2 hours drive each way and one hour preview), so decided to place a pre bid of $275. Note a bid of $275 is a post auction price of $543. U haul rental is another $65. And fuel will be $175 (gas super pricey in this area). So lowest "in the driveway cost is $783. I can stand to make a $783 mistake- but not much more on a vehicle of this nature.

Biggest issue I see with this vehicle is finding a hood and bumper in this color within 500 miles of Seattle. The rest of the damage not to worried about. Very popular car (Matrix/ Vibe), so headlights, condenser, radiator support, radiator- all easy to acquire and cheap.

I doubut I will be anywhere close to being the winning bidder......but I have said that before.
 
cptbarkey said:
$400 this morning, good luck sir
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CPT B,

Thanks- I am out (I hope). That is actually a super nice car if one can find the hood and bumper in the same color. Hard to find a one owner Vibe, very well maintained (with records), West coast car at what I believe will be under $2500 all in after repairs and such.

I have a handful of other Vibes on watch. I was being cheap, came across a clean titled 2012 RAV4 with 69k miles, heavy hail damage in Texas, $12k. In today's world, that is a great vehicle at that price. That RAV4 sold 30 minutes after the auction house listed it as a buy it now.

Until then- I am not buying any more project cars?
358124021_673238208167100_2826077167656944726_n.jpg
 
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I tell myself the same thing and last week it was a Buddy 125 I had to tow home :LOL:

I had to go back and look what I paid, $805 dec 2022, plus +10% auction fee. 265k on the odo, blown engine, nasty interior.

1692880380191.jpg
 
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