Toyota Matrix vs Pontiac VIBE (OT)

I really didnt know where to post this but our local paper does a feature every Saturday on a new car and last week they did one on the Toyota Matrix and I kinda like them and they mentioned that the Pontiac Vibe is a cousin to it which means it may have been assembled in the US and or since Pontiac is going in the toilet might be able to get a better deal. I have an old 87 Corolla that has a broken ring due to my stupidity running through a foot of water in a torrential downpour and uses a quart of oil every 60 miles but starts instantly but fogs the mosquitoes. If you have a Pontiac Vibe can you give me some likes or dislikes? Thanks in advance.

My sister has a 09 Vibe. She likes it, easy to get in and out of and plenty of room to carry stuff in the back. Gets good fuel mileage and rides nice. As far as I can tell the only difference between the Vibe and Matrix is trim and and the radio. Both are assembled in California at the same plant. The drive trains are manufactured in Japan and shipped to this country and installed here. Good car for the money.

I have 2005 Vibe(auto) that I have owned a little over a year now. No complaints at all. Gets around 31-32 mpg combined. It has the Toyota drive train. The Vibe will be cheaper to buy but less on resale. Believe it or not you can haul a 8 foot 2x4 in it by folding all the seats down. I am almost 6 foot tall and when I have the drivers seat set for driving, I can still sit in the back seat with good leg room. I did buy a console lid for the Matrix to put on because the Vibe lid sits to low and I like to rest my right arm on the lid.
Barry

Scott, The plant you are talking about in NUMMI in Fremont California. They used to build them there. Toyota walked away and will build the Matrix and Tacoma some place else, the plant closed and layed off its 5500 employees. This ends auto manufacturing on the west coast. This plant used to build the Olds 442, Buick Grand Sport, Pontiac GTO, ect. Those were nice cars.

We have two Vibes, a 2006 and a 2010. We have enjoyed the 2006 a whole bunch. It gets 30+ mpg all the time with the 1.8 engine and has been completely reliable in 105K miles. My wife especially likes the way the Vibes sit up fairly high off the ground, as that makes it much easier for her to get in and out of than from other small, lower cars.

When the 2006 got to 100K miles, we decided to get a new car. We wanted another Vibe and preferred the 1.8 engine over the 2.4. Unfortunately by the time we got around to looking for a new car, Cash for Clunkers had hit the dealerships, and virtually all of the smaller engined Vibes had been sold already.

We looked at the Matrix and would have bought a 2009 with a 2.4 engine, but we had a fairly bad experience with two different Toyota dealers. They just wouldn't deal--so we went back to the Pontiac/Buick dealer and ended up buying a 2010 Vibe that is about as loaded as any Vibe could be, for significantly less than the Toyota dealer would have sold us the 2009 Matrix 2.4 with much less options.

The Matrix and the Vibe are very similar cars. I like the Pontiac frontend treatment a little better, but I think the way the Matrix handled the rear side windows is better. The interiors are very similar and I think the drivetrains are just the same. The 1.8 engine and 4 speed automatic transmission is the same as is used in the Toyota Corolla and the 2.4 engine and 5 speed automatic are the same as are used in the Toyota Camry. One thing I really like about both engines is that they use timing chains that don't need to be changed, rather than timing belts that should be changed at about 60K miles (and which costs about $400 to $500 to have someone else do). Toyotas have a great reputation for reliability.

There are a few things that I wish the manufacturers had done differently with both the Vibe and the Matrix. Rear side vision is not good in any of them. Larger windows would have been much better. I also think it is really stupid to require 16" wheels with low profile tires on what I would consider to be an economy car. But that is how they built them. Replacement tires are more expensive than they would have had to be. And the new car has 17" alloy wheels, so it will be even worse that way.

The 2006 Vibe with the 1.8 and automatic has completely adequate performance for what we have used it for. It is also very handy to be able to haul fairly big objects in it. Unfortunately, the back part with the seats folded down is too short to sleep in very comfortably as I was able to in some other station wagons.

Our 2010 Vibe is too new to really see how much the larger engine will bring the gas mileage down. On the other hand, the new Vibe is LOTS quicker than the 2006, probably a couple of seconds faster to 60. Both cars handle OK. The 2006 has been a very good Winter car. I need to buy a set of snow tires and wheels to fit the new car.

We are keeping the 2006 and I will continue to drive it. It is still an excellent car that I would not be worried about going anywhere in. I just like my wife to drive cars with fewer miles on them.

I have read that GM and Toyota are not going to continue the joint venture that produced the Vibe and Matrix anymore. We had thought about ordering a new Vibe with a 1.8 engine, but GM stopped taking new orders in about July.

There may still be Vibes available in your area, and you may be able to get a really good deal on a new one. On the other hand, in the future it might not be totally easy to get specific Pontiac parts for the Vibe, especially after a few years. Many things for the Matrix are the same, but not all. Mechanical parts are no problem, but body and trim parts could be hard to get.

I would anticipate that Toyota will continue to build the Matrix (I think in Canada), as it is selling well and is a good, handy vehicle. Buying a Vibe is taking a little bit of a chance, since it is kind of an "orphan" now. But we decided that the super good deal we got on the new car was worth taking that small chance.

I hated to see GM dump the Pontiac brand. My family has had several over the years, and all were good cars. I was a little surprised when I read that the Vibe would no longer be produced, since at least around my area, they have sold very well. I expected that the Vibe (or whatever they decided to call it) would become a Chevy or a Buick. But apparently the GM management decided to quit marketing Toyota products anymore.

Other than the fact that our first Vibe seemed to attract animals (we have whacked 2 deer and a bear over the time we have owned it!!!), it has been an excellent car. I recommend the Vibe and the Matrix, which are fraternal twins, as being super reliable, competent cars. Good luck, hope you can find one that is a good deal.

Thanks folks sounds like a Toyota commercial. I do like the Matrix but damn they sure don"t want to deal I"m going to wonder around what"s left of the Pontiac dealers this weekend and see what"s left. I do like taller tires for snow not fatter. My wife leases cars for her business and she"s on her second Camry in four years which for her is something she usually never leases the same brand or model in a row I"m impressed! Thanks again for the input.