Vibe vs Vue--Help me Decide!

[harleyquinn]

Some of you might know that we are looking to purchase a new car. We have it narrowed down between the 2009 Pontiac Vibe or a 2008 Saturn Vue.

We test drove them yesterday and like them both a lot. When priced out with comparable equipment and incentives the Vue comes out to be $10 more than the Vibe. I was thinking the Vibe would be less and make the decision a lot easier, but no.

So if you were me what would you choose?
We are trying to get pregnant and twins run VERY heavily on both sides of our families. The Vue has more cargo and interior room. The Vibe gets 25/31 MPG to the Vue's 19/26, which is the reason we looked at the Vibe in the first place. I would drive the Vue and my commute is only about 5 miles round trip, so gas isn't a huge factor, but of course it's still important.

DH was concerned about the blindspots on the Vibe and it would be his car if we choose it. So I'm putting most of the decision on him.

Sorry so long...any thoughts?

 

[Belle2667]

I love my 2004 Vibe. I have 80,000+ miles on it now, and the only thing I've had to replace are tires, windshield wipers, and there was a recall fo rthe windows that was performed. Other than that, zippo. No brakes or anything.

I understand the 2009's have a bigger engine, which might be nice, but I also like getting 32+ mpg (city & highway) routinely with the engine I have.

I'm not sure how I would feel if I had to put 2 carseats in the back, but right now, the thought of carseats in any car scare me!

 

[loco4dis]

Had a rental Vue at WDW in June. It was OK, but nothing about it made me want to buy one. However, I have a cousin who had a head-on, high-speed collision in a Vibe (an elderly man in a Caddy fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the center line). The driver's side front of the Vibe took the main impact, and then it rolled 4 times, landing on its roof. My cousin and his girlfriend, who were wearing seatbelts, walked away from that accident with NO major injuries. The Vibe was totaled. The elderly man's wife, also wearing a seatbelt, died in the accident. I am now looking for a used Vibe for my 16-year-old DD!

 

[harleyquinn]

I love my 2004 Vibe. I have 80,000+ miles on it now, and the only thing I've had to replace are tires, windshield wipers, and there was a recall fo rthe windows that was performed. Other than that, zippo. No brakes or anything.

I understand the 2009's have a bigger engine, which might be nice, but I also like getting 32+ mpg (city & highway) routinely with the engine I have.

I'm not sure how I would feel if I had to put 2 carseats in the back, but right now, the thought of carseats in any car scare me!

They still come in the smaller engine, but they are really hard to find. We want the smaller engine anyway. With the 2.4 we lose all fuel savings.

I'm so torn!!! It's so hard to pick! I did a pros and cons list and it's so even, it's driving me nuts.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[harleyquinn]

Had a rental Vue at WDW in June. It was OK, but nothing about it made me want to buy one. However, I have a cousin who had a head-on, high-speed collision in a Vibe (an elderly man in a Caddy fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the center line). The driver's side front of the Vibe took the main impact, and then it rolled 4 times, landing on its roof. My cousin and his girlfriend, who were wearing seatbelts, walked away from that accident with NO major injuries. The Vibe was totaled. The elderly man's wife, also wearing a seatbelt, died in the accident. I am now looking for a used Vibe for my 16-year-old DD!

I think you posted on my old vibe owners thread. It's really an amazing story! Thanks for sharing!

And the new Vibe's crash ratings are even better than the old one!

 

[loco4dis]

I think you posted on my old vibe owners thread. It's really an amazing story! Thanks for sharing!

And the new Vibe's crash ratings are even better than the old one!

That's great. And as even further testament to how great the Vibe must be: used ones are really hard to find, and when you do find them they're expensive!

 

[arminnie]

I have a 2006 Vibe - cute little red car. I really like it but am considering selling it.

My dad (87) has not been driving, and I have his 2006 Odyssey. I don't drive much so the mileage is not important. I only have 11,000 miles on the Vibe, and it's almost 3 years old!

The Vibe does not hold much in the back except when the back seats are folded down. My dad sister and I cannot take a road trip in the Vibe - no room for luggage for 3.

I do love driving it though.

 

[harleyquinn]

That's great. And as even further testament to how great the Vibe must be: used ones are really hard to find, and when you do find them they're expensive!

I think it's the Toyota parts. The 09s are HTF because its still really early in the model year.

I have a 2006 Vibe - cute little red car. I really like it but am considering selling it.

My dad (87) has not been driving, and I have his 2006 Odyssey. I don't drive much so the mileage is not important. I only have 11,000 miles on the Vibe, and it's almost 3 years old!

The Vibe does not hold much in the back except when the back seats are folded down. My dad sister and I cannot take a road trip in the Vibe - no room for luggage for 3.

I do love driving it though.

I think this is what it boils down to: Do we need the extra space or the better gas mileage more. I just can't answer the question though!

 

[lsyorke]

Having had a minor 25 mph collision in an Equinox(the Vue's Chevy cousin) I would never recommend this car. Every other car in the accident had minor damage and was driven away...the Equinox was totalled. It had water leakage problems(filled the spare tire compartment and they couldn't find the problem), replaced the struts twice, the brake rotors were recalled, the lift mechanism on the rear door was recalled...on and on and on. It was totalled after one year and about 12 trips to the dealer.

 

[harleyquinn]

I think the Equinox and the Vue are different platforms? Either way, thanks for the info!

 

[Micca]

We have owned several Saturns over the years including our current Vue(DW's car). We're very happy with the quality of the vehicles and the service. We've discussed trading our Vue for a hybrid version of the Vue.

 

[harleyquinn]

All of our cars have been Saturns too. It's in the pro column on my list.

 

[Alaska Catdog]

I'm a lapsed member of the cult of Saturn. I loved my saturn and would own one if it were necessary to have more than one car. The service was excellent, the car was comfortable and in the 5 years I owned my saturn I only ever took it in for oil changes. It was a great car.
You say your choice is between mileage (bad Vue) and space (bad Vibe). If this was my problem I would probably go with the VUE because you can plan for higher cost of fuel and budget it into your travel plans but you can't budget in extra space and if you are expecting a large family you are going to need all the space you can get. That's just my thoughts. Good luck.

 

[harleyquinn]

I'm a lapsed member of the cult of Saturn. I loved my saturn and would own one if it were necessary to have more than one car. The service was excellent, the car was comfortable and in the 5 years I owned my saturn I only ever took it in for oil changes. It was a great car.
You say your choice is between mileage (bad Vue) and space (bad Vibe). If this was my problem I would probably go with the VUE because you can plan for higher cost of fuel and budget it into your travel plans but you can't budget in extra space and if you are expecting a large family you are going to need all the space you can get. That's just my thoughts. Good luck.

Thanks! That's what I've been thinking too. Fuel costs would have to be really nuts to effect us too much and at that point the 6 mpg difference really isn't going to be any kind of factor. If I was comparing a Saburban to a Prius it might make sense, but in this case, for how little I drive, I'm not sure I should let the MPG make my decision. It's hard not to when every news broadcast talks about it all the time.

 

[antmaril]

I have owned two Vibes and am currently driving a 2007 Saturn Vue. I was happy with my Vibes, but I really like my Vue. It's a smoother, quieter ride. There were more options available, like heated seats, etc. I think the new 2009 Vibes look great and I wouldn't hesitate to drive one. The Vue is a little roomier than the Vibe and that may be a consideration for you.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Good luck.

 

[harleyquinn]

I still have no idea...they both have very similar reviews on all of the websites.

I think it might come down to the blind spot on the Vibe. DH is very uncomfortable with it...ahhhhhh!!!!!

 

[harleyquinn]

Ooooo! There's a $1000 cash bonus on the Vibe that we didn't know about, so now it's $1010 cheaper...

 

[mnasmom3]

No experience with Vibe's, but I have a 2008 Vue and I love it. I fit 3 kids....one still in a booster seat....comfortably in the back seat and as long as everyone keeps their hands to themself, we're good.

 

[MomofKatie]

2004 Vibe owner here. We love it- it was a replacement for a Jeep Cherokee, and we can haul almost as much in the Vibe. We have been on many vacations with the Vibe, and have never had any problem getting all our luggage, etc in the back. With the back seats folded down, DH can get 20 bags of mulch in it easily. It also fit a 42 inch flatscreen TV (I never thought it would fit!!).

We bought it when DD was still in a big carseat. It fit with no problems. We have had 2 carseats in the back seat before, and there wasn't any room for a third person to sit, but the 2 carseats fit fine.

Overall, we have really enjoyed the Vibe. It averages about 32-35 mpg, depending on how much highway driving we do. We've had it for 4 1/2 years, and had to do no maintenance beyond the usual oil changes and such. We did buy a new set of 4 tires for it last year, but we could have gotten away with just 2 (my fault- didn't get the tires rotated often enough, causing uneven wear).

We decided between the VUE and the Vibe, too- DH has an Ion, and we really liked the VUE, but the gas mileage, price, and looks of the Vibe gave it the edge. When DH replaces his current Ion, we are thinking of a hybrid, and we will definitely consider the VUE.

 

[LuvTigger]

I'm another Saturn fan. I considered getting a VUE, but decided on the ION instead.

How far have you gone in terms of working with a salesperson at the dealerships? When I was shopping for my ION, I was also considering a Mercury Cougar, and my experience at the Mercury dealership totally turned me off. My experience at Saturn was stellar. Additionally, my experience with Saturn's service department has been way better than the service dept. for my previous car.

Also, regarding financing, before you mark Saturn off your list, go down there and talk to a salesperson to see if there are any special offers. When I bought my car, they actually FOUND discounts for me! I knew about a $500 I would qualify for before I went there, but when they were calculating the quote, they said there was a current promotion for another $1,000 off, plus 0% financing.

If the decision is as close as yours is in terms of the actual car, you might want to consider factoring in service as well. And maybe you can use this to your advantage by telling both dealerships that you're considering the other car and see what they can offer you? Saturn probably won't have much flexibility in pricing because of their no-haggle policy, but I have heard of them throwing in free stuff.

Good luck!