My "new" Toyota with a few Chevy issues

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I made a long trip yesterday to southern Michigan to get the Pontiac Vibe AWD I've been searching for. It is actually a Toyota Matrix.  These things tend to go high around here.  Finally found this one at a repair-job-gone-wrong at a body-shop.   Quarter-panel was fixed around the gas-filler and paint does not match perfect. Makes no difference to me. I rushed down to get it with an agreed-upon price of $2100.  I got there and some goon was begging the shop owner to sell it to him for $2500.  Nice that the shop-owner was a man of his word, and stuck to the price we had agree on. He had promised me that he'd hold at that price once I left home and heading down to his place with my trailer.

NEAT little car.  Runs real nice for a 1.8 liter engine. Odd though.  It has a very high compression (like muscle-cars from the late 60s). Variable valve time, and all kinds of modern tweaks. Also no d*man timing belt!   Odd though.   I compared it to a Toyota 18RE engine from 1974 (2 liter fuel-injected) to this one.   Not much difference.  1974 engine  makes 115 max horse @ 5600 RPM, and this 2004 engine makes 120 max horse @ 5600 RPM.

One thing I find odd. This car has a 115 volt AC outlet built into the dashboard.  I've never seen a car with one of these OEM before. But maybe I am behind the times.

One funny thing.  As I understand it - this VIBE is 100% Toyota except for the badges and the radio.   Matrix uses a Toyota-sourced radio, whereas the Vibe uses a GM sourced radio. So wouldn't you know it?  NO display working on the radio and I come to find out it is a problem with many of these radios used in GMs (even in Corvettes).  I found a place that "rebuilds" them for $150.  Ends up the problem is three little incandescent light bulbs that burn out prematurely.  They are soldered in to the circuit board. I've got to ask.  Who the heck in this day and age would put incandescent light bulbs and solder them into a radio other then Government Motors?

The Corvette radio repair place offered to sell me three new light-bulbs for $30 shipped to my house, if I want to repair myself. I searched around and found a place on Ebay that is shipping me a 10-pack for $5, free shipping.

 

[Back East Don]

Hey, great that you found one.  Good deal too it seems.  In a modern sense, they were said to be a bit of a buzz box but very solid.  Reminds me I have another car to shop for the in-laws.  Doubt I'll do as well here.  Toyota's demand a premium.

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We drive a lot from our main home to the our place in the Michigan UP.  We need an AWD quite often.  The problem has been - near every used SUV I look at has a big engine (by today's standards).  The Vibe/Matrix is one of the few that can get 29-30 MPG, so we'll see.   My Chevy powered Suzuki XL-7 SUV with a 3.6 V6 can squeak out 19 MPG if I creep along at 55 MPH.  More like 16 MPG in normal highway driving.
I test drove a RAV-4 at a used-car dealer and it did not handle as nice as the Vibe.  Also - the  hood would not open, direction signals dead on one side, rear window did not work, crack in the windshield, muffler was broken off (expensive muffler too), and felt like the trans slipped a little between 1st and 2nd.  Yet the dealer wanted $3200. I'm glad I found this Vibe.  We'll see how it goes.  Feels pretty quick to me for a 1.8 liter engine.

Just before the Vibe, I found out a "little old lady" has her 2005 Subaru Outback for sale locally.  I went over and looked it over.  She told me she was the original owner and the car was super maintained by a mechanic she really likes.  Car has no rust and only 140K miles.  I drove it and noticed right-away - the check-engine light was on and the cruise-control light was flashing.  When I got back, smoke was coming out from under the hood.  The lady told me her mechanic says a little smoke is "normal" and it does not use any oil.  Hmmm.  I opened the hood and found both CV shafts to the front wheels had broken boots and all the grease was landing on the exhaust.  She said "oh" and promised to get it fixed if I bought the car for $3000.  I then asked about the lights on the dash.  She said her "mechanic" says that because of California emissions, means nothing, but would cost $2500 to fix !!  So the plot got deeper and deeper. I then drove 20 miles over to see her mechanic.  Ends up he has never done anything to this Subaru since new other then oil changes.  So it was due for a new timing-belt and idlers and tensioner at 104K miles and was like a time-bomb ready to go off as far as I am concerned.  Also never had head-gaskets.  Subaru 2.5s have head-gasket problems just like the Toyota 3 liter V6s.  Usually must be done by 150K miles.   Mechanic said the "California emission" problem is the need of two new converters (he thinks).  Oh well. I walked away from the deal. I don't want any more big projects.  At least this Toyota Vibe has no head-gasket engineering issues and has no timing belt.

I find the hardest part of buying a used vehicle is getting people to tell the truth.   Not so bad when it's local.  Really upsetting when you drive 300 miles to look something over.  

[Totem]

One of my favorite vehicles was my old subaru legacy wagon, the year before the outback came out. I ran that thing into the ground and sold it to my friend for 1 cent to be rid of it.

It had these airbag shocks that were "adjustable" with a Hi and Lo setting. on Hi the airbags would inflate more from a compressor pump and the cars suspension would raise it up a full 6 inches higher off the ground.

This would go down in low or after 55 MPH automatically go to low.

the shocks started dry rotting and popping. each shock was $800 or something ridiculous. Between that and the 2 shortblocks it ate from me running non premium in it i decided to give it away. I do miss that thing though it was rad in the snow up north and fast too. always got 27 MPG

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I had many Subaru Loyales.  All 4WD wagons with hi-low transfer-cases and 1.8 liter engines. One of them had air-adjustable suspension. Great vehicles.  I also had a couple of Imprezas with 2.2s up to 1995 that were also great.  The problems came when Subaru enlarged the 2.2 to a 2.5.  Seems to me that Subaru quality took a big dive in the 2000s.  No more Boxer engines for me.