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Pontiac Vibe

D

darth maul

Platinum Member
I think we are getting a Pontiac Vibe tomorrow or Thursday, the one we are getting has 118,000 miles, is $3,000 bucks and from two mechanically inclined friends say it is in good shape and should run "forever" on its Toyota engine. The two saw it, and rode with me during the test drive. THe Vibe is a 2004 FWD Automatic, with Sunroof.

So deal or no deal.....I am thinking deal of this persons short life. ok I am turning 40 next year, but I feal 30.
 
Yes, I think it is a good car. My country has a lot of those just because of the reliability on the drivetrain is very good.
 
We had one, it was a pretty nice car. Wife probably would have gotten another one but I started to call it a minivan and she fell out of love. I took a nap behind the wheel at 5:30am and we rode it into a cable barrier, came out of it safe with a totaled vibe. Still drove, but I couldn't sell her on buying it back.
 
We have one, nice little car. Good to great mileage, can carry a lot more inside than you would expect. Nice ergonomics inside.

Check out genvibe.com if you end up with any questions about it.
 
Great car, imho one of the best things built by Toyota in the last decade. Faaaaaaaar better than generic crud like the Corolla.
 
angry hampster said:
It's a Corolla with different skin. AFAIK, suspension is even the same. LOL
Click to expand...

It's the Toyota Matrix, not the Corolla reskinned, although the same basic underpinnings are on both cars. The suspension is tuned differently, they drive better than regular Corollas, the Corolla XRS is more similar. Toyota does a lot with different platforms, for example the Rav4 is also a product of that same platform, along with the Celica.

Reskinning = same car, different badging and minor styling, eg; Fusion/Milan, Yukon/Suburban, Matrix/Vibe. Platform sharing is a whooooooole lot looser.

Obviously all of these cars drive quite differently, with the regular Corolla being intentionally cheap/mushy/basic. The Matrix and Vibe, particularly the more tuned versions, are a lot more engaging to drive.
 
For $3k, there isn't much to lose, even at 100k+ miles. If the car is in good shape mechanically (body and drivetrain), I'd go for it.

Make sure it shifts readily and smooth - no slipping, hesitation, or hard shifts. Check for unusual road noise and grinding (wheel bearings), stalling or rough starts, and of course CEL.
 
LTC8K6 said:
AFAIK, Matrix is a Corolla, as is the Celica of the same vintage.
Click to expand...

No, by that logic a Rav4 is also a Corolla. If you've ridden in both and looked around the hood/suspension/etc, you will see they are very different.

The Matrix and the Vibe are the same thing with different styling accents/badges/plastic bits.

The Corolla is a totally different car on the same basic platform, which is also used on the deceased Celica, same-gen Rav4, etc. All of these are quite different vehicles. One wouldn't drive a Celica and a Rav4 back to back and notice any similarities in feel/noise/handling/etc.
 
Sukhoi said:
The RAV4 front underbody is based off the Camry. I'm not sure about the rear.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4

"continued on the Corolla platform"

I was long under the impression as well that the Rav4 was based on the Camry platform, but indeed that isn't the case. The only thing you can really tell is that the final product is a hugely different product in the end. The Corolla and Matrix are a lot closer to each other than the Rav4 and Corolla, but still very very different in design and resulting driving dynamics/features.
 
Arkaign said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4

"continued on the Corolla platform"

I was long under the impression as well that the Rav4 was based on the Camry platform, but indeed that isn't the case. The only thing you can really tell is that the final product is a hugely different product in the end. The Corolla and Matrix are a lot closer to each other than the Rav4 and Corolla, but still very very different in design and resulting driving dynamics/features.
Click to expand...

Well I can say for a fact that portions of the RX330 (should be same as RAV4) front underbody are built with Camry stamped parts shipped to Canada from Kentucky. Maybe it's a mix of Camry and Corolla stuff. Though that wiki just mentions the 2nd generation being Corolla, so it's possible the 3rd generation moved to Camry.
 
Arkaign said:
It's the Toyota Matrix, not the Corolla reskinned, although the same basic underpinnings are on both cars. The suspension is tuned differently, they drive better than regular Corollas, the Corolla XRS is more similar. Toyota does a lot with different platforms, for example the Rav4 is also a product of that same platform, along with the Celica.

Reskinning = same car, different badging and minor styling, eg; Fusion/Milan, Yukon/Suburban, Matrix/Vibe. Platform sharing is a whooooooole lot looser.

Obviously all of these cars drive quite differently, with the regular Corolla being intentionally cheap/mushy/basic. The Matrix and Vibe, particularly the more tuned versions, are a lot more engaging to drive.
Click to expand...

Let's ask Toyota!

ISK6O.jpg


They have the same drivetrain and it's sometimes referred to as the Corolla Matrix. No idea on the suspension/etc, though.
 
jlee said:
Let's ask Toyota!

ISK6O.jpg


They have the same drivetrain and it's sometimes referred to as the Corolla Matrix. No idea on the suspension/etc, though.
Click to expand...


The Pontiac Vibe GT/Matrix XRS/Corolla XRS share the exact same suspension, steering, brakes, and engines IIRC. The Celica GT-S was *very* similar as well.


Having said that, again it's a great little car. When my GTI was totaled last summer I looked at several Vibes. Couldn't find any with the right transmission though.
 
angry hampster said:
The Pontiac Vibe GT/Matrix XRS/Corolla XRS share the exact same suspension, steering, brakes, and engines IIRC. The Celica GT-S was *very* similar as well.


Having said that, again it's a great little car. When my GTI was totaled last summer I looked at several Vibes. Couldn't find any with the right transmission though.
Click to expand...

They're probably similar but not direct crossovers.
For example I am unaware of any Corolla that has a 2.4 in it. But the vibe GT and the non GT have an optional 2.4 and the base engine is still the venerable but gutless 1.8.
 
CraigRT said:
They're probably similar but not direct crossovers.
For example I am unaware of any Corolla that has a 2.4 in it. But the vibe GT and the non GT have an optional 2.4 and the base engine is still the venerable but gutless 1.8.
Click to expand...

Corolla XRS came with the 2.4L as well.
 
jlee said:
Let's ask Toyota!

ISK6O.jpg


They have the same drivetrain and it's sometimes referred to as the Corolla Matrix. No idea on the suspension/etc, though.
Click to expand...

I know it's tempting to follow marketing, but they were trying to cash in on the proven Corolla name by virtue of the basic platform being shared (not the same as a re-skin obviously).

The specs tell the tale :

2003 Matrix :

Width: 69.9 in.
Height: 60.6 in.
Length: 171.3 in.
Ground clearance: 5.9 in.
Front track: 59.6 in.
Rear track: 58.9 in.
Wheel base: 102.4 in.
Cargo capacity, all seats in place: 21.8 cu.ft.
Maximum cargo capacity: 53.2 cu.ft.
EPA interior volume: 96.2 cu.ft.
Gross weight: .32 in.
Curb weight: 2679 lbs.

2003 Corolla :

Width: 66.9 in.
Height: 57.5 in.
Length: 178.3 in.
Ground clearance: 5.7 in.
Front track: 58.3 in.
Rear track: 57.5 in.
Wheel base: 102.4 in.
Cargo capacity, all seats in place: 13.6 cu.ft.
Maximum cargo capacity: 13.6 cu.ft.
EPA interior volume: 90.3 cu.ft.
Gross weight: .30 in.
Curb weight: 2502 lbs.

Different weight, wheelbase, width, clearance, basically everything, though obviously drivetrains are shared (as they are in many cases, but nobody should confuse a Maxima with a G35 just because they share the drivetrain).
 
angry hampster said:
The Pontiac Vibe GT/Matrix XRS/Corolla XRS share the exact same suspension, steering, brakes, and engines IIRC. The Celica GT-S was *very* similar as well.


Having said that, again it's a great little car. When my GTI was totaled last summer I looked at several Vibes. Couldn't find any with the right transmission though.
Click to expand...

Yes, same optional performance parts in the premium setup and same engine/tranny, but distinctly different cars. Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta are more related than the Corolla and Matrix, but still distinctly different and not a reskin.
 
Arkaign said:
I know it's tempting to follow marketing, but they were trying to cash in on the proven Corolla name by virtue of the basic platform being shared (not the same as a re-skin obviously).

The specs tell the tale :

2003 Matrix :

Width: 69.9 in.
Height: 60.6 in.
Length: 171.3 in.
Ground clearance: 5.9 in.
Front track: 59.6 in.
Rear track: 58.9 in.
Wheel base: 102.4 in.
Cargo capacity, all seats in place: 21.8 cu.ft.
Maximum cargo capacity: 53.2 cu.ft.
EPA interior volume: 96.2 cu.ft.
Gross weight: .32 in.
Curb weight: 2679 lbs.

2003 Corolla :

Width: 66.9 in.
Height: 57.5 in.
Length: 178.3 in.
Ground clearance: 5.7 in.
Front track: 58.3 in.
Rear track: 57.5 in.
Wheel base: 102.4 in.
Cargo capacity, all seats in place: 13.6 cu.ft.
Maximum cargo capacity: 13.6 cu.ft.
EPA interior volume: 90.3 cu.ft.
Gross weight: .30 in.
Curb weight: 2502 lbs.

Different weight, wheelbase, width, clearance, basically everything, though obviously drivetrains are shared (as they are in many cases, but nobody should confuse a Maxima with a G35 just because they share the drivetrain).
Click to expand...

I think that actually supports the idea that they are the same platform.
 
LTC8K6 said:
Corolla XRS came with the 2.4L as well.
Click to expand...

Not the E120 Corolla, the 2.4L wasn't an option until the E140 model (10th gen) which wasn't released until 2008. Even then, the 2008 Corolla XRS was tuned at 158hp, while even the 2003 XRS 2.4L was tuned to 180hp (different VVTi/intake/ECU setup). Somewhat ironically, the outgoing 1.8L Corolla XRS engine was tuned to 170hp, and the lighter car performed better with more power, go figure 😀

Same basic platform, much different car, from all physical dimensions width/length/wheelbase/etc, to technical differences like that. Want a 2003 Corolla 2.4L? Nope. 2004? Nope. 2005? Nah. Etc.
 
LTC8K6 said:
I think that actually supports the idea that they are the same platform.
Click to expand...

huh? Nobody is arguing that they aren't based on the same underlying platform, just that two utterly different cars resulted from it. The Rav4 (compact SUV), and Celica (much lighter/basic FF setup) are also based on the same basic underlying design. The thing is that the Vibe and Matrix are the same car with different plastic crap and badges, while the Corolla and Matrix were different in almost every meaningful way. Size, length, width, weight, wheelbase, tuning, motor options, storage capicity, fuel capacity, gauges, steering wheel, stock wheels (yes, the 07 XRS Corolla and Matrix had the same wheels), upgraded brakes, etc, etc. Different.
 
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