2004 Pontiac Vibe User Reviews

Pros

LOOKS NEAT

Cons

BUZZY ENGINE, POOR MILEAGE, LOUSY STEREO, CONFUSING CONTROLS, NO POWER

WE BOUGHT A 2004 VIBE BASE MODEL. IT HAS DEALER INSTALLED SPOILERS, GROUND EFFECTS, SKI RACK, AND SUPERCHARGER. THE CAR LOOKS NEAT BUT DEALER DID LOW QUALITY INSTALLATION WORK. THE ENGINE IS VERY BUZZY AND HAS NO POWER FOR ACCELERATING ONTO FREEWAY. HOWEVER THE SUPERCHARGER DOES GIVE DECENT LOW END TORQUE. THE STEREO SOUNDS LIKE A KRACO UNIT FROM THE 70'S. THE CAR GETS TERRIBLE MILEAGE, 20 CITY, 27 HWY. THE DEALER TOLD US IT WOULD GET 2 TO3 MPG BETTER THAN EPA RATING BECAUSE OF ADDED EFFICENCY OF SUPERCHARGER. I THINK HE LIED...IMAGINE THAT! OUR 99 MONTE CARLO Z-34 WITH A 200 HP 3.8 LITER V6 HAD MUCH BETTER ACCELERATION AND GOT BETTER MILEAGE. WISH I HAD IT BACK....read morehide

Pros

mileage, roominess for size

Cons

slightly noisy engine, base engine is a wimp

Go for the GT engine, well worth it, the base is really wimpy! The gas mileage is great (we get 30-32 mpg, mostly hwy). There is a ton of storage room in this little car! Overall the best value for any car around in that class! (believe me, we compared and drove them all!!)
Like other reviewers, the hood and windshield are magnets for rock chips, but we havent had to replace a windshield yet.
Unlike other reviewers, no problems with the sunroof, radio, or manual transmission. Car is pretty decent in Michigan snow as well......read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy, quiet, comfortable

We bought our 2005 Vibe & love it . The ride is smooth & quiet , gas mileage is great , it`s easy to get in & out of.

I like the look of the base Vibe and the fuel economy. However, the manual transmission wasn't built to last. The 36000 mile warranty is all they expect the car (every moving piece in the car) to last. After 40000 miles, my transmission had a bearing cease destroying all the gears and requiring a new transmission be installed. Thanks to the only 36000 miles warranty and Pontiac telling me that I'm on my own, a $3200 transmission had to be installed. I've read the other reviews and with all of the driving I do, I've yet to have a broken windshield, but thanks for the heads up. Also you don't have to have anything in the compartment below the shifter for it to keep opening. Try just moving your right knee sideways into it and see how many times it pops open on you. I've had this happen several times just by repositioning my right leg....read morehide

I'm in the process of buying an '04 Vibe, but considering an '04 Grand Prix GTP. I've driven it over 400 miles but the dealership has it now fixing a huge faux pau on the paint job. The Vibe has a nice sporty look to it, it's almost a hybrid between SUV and station wagon. It is great on gas mileage and has good power relative to its size (because of Toyota engine). It is actually smaller than it looks, and you can tell by the amount of space you have in parking spaces, as well as by its turning radius.

Speaking of the size, 3 people can't fit comfortably in the back. The steering wheel doesn't tilt as much as I would like (I need it up farther when I get in and out). I'm not that fond of the plastic floor of the trunk, and I think the side view mirrors should be a tad bigger.

Bonuses for the AC outlet, the nifty position of the gear shifter, allowing more space on the floor, the fold down front seat with the hard back to double as a laptop station or dining table, and the sun roof....read morehide

This is the second Pontiac that my wife and I have purchased. The first is a Grand Am SE with the 150HP 2.4L. The second, the Vibe, has an amazing HP to liter ratio. It's getting close to 100HP per liter. For a Toyota engine that's pretty amazing!

a little under powered and alittle noisy
but great milage good price and after 19,000k mile just keeps running like a clock. Thanks Toyota for showing gm how to make a decent car

I have a 2004 vibe that has 52,000 miles on it. i have never had any major problems with it however there are a few things that bug me about it. first off i have had the windsheild replaced three times, due to rocks flying up and cracking it, ive had many many vehichles in my life and have never had to replace any before. second, the paint is terrible already had the entire car repainted due to rock chips all over the front and hood, that was in march of 2004, it is now august and looks as bad as it did before it was repainted, i hope they fixed this with the 2005 but i doubt it. third, you have to be careful of passangers with long legs in the front seat, if they stretch out their foot will loosen a hose that runs to the A/C evaporator and your floorboards will fill up with water and your engine noise can be heard more loudy through it when you accelerate. fourth and final, some interiour lights have burnt out on the dash such as the A/C light button, happened around 30,000 miles. This car has a few quirks but it really is a great car, fun and easy to drive and looks good too, just really hoped being built by toyota it would be up to par with the rest of their line-up...read morehide

We bought our Vibe in May and on July 16th we set out for a 5200+ mile trip. The vibe did awesome. We did dozens of mountain passes and gravel roads. It never once gave up. True, it is a little lacking in horsepower, but she pushed her way up the most treacherous pass and held it in check on the way down. We averaged well over 30 MPG throughout the entire trip. And that is with the AC running almost constantly. The vibe, which we named Candy, held all our camping gear and personals with ease. The extra outlets proved handy for recharging all the electronics. All in all, I would buy another one in a heartbeat....read morehide

Have owned my 2004 Vibe for about a month now. The gas mileage is super and I've found nothing that I don't like.