Opinions about family car.

[Alexs]

I am thinking of buying a 2005 Vibe GT to drive a family of 4 around. I don't want an SUV and a Family van is not something I enjoy driving. I also looked at Mazda3 and Toyota Matrix, but Vibe seems to be more "functional".
What do you guys think, is it a good car for the money?

[Weapon_R]

What is your price range? I could think of a couple better cars in that price range.

[markymark]

ahh vibe :barf: :thumbsdow i hate everything about them...buy a VW. might be a bit more costly but youll save it on gas :hitit:

[barmanjay]

isn't the vibe and the matrix the same thing?

[Alexs]

I want to spend no more than 25,000 and it needs to be able to haul long items (large cargo space). I could go with a station wagon, but Vibe seemed to be a roomier car than any station wagon. I also like the way the suspention feels and the overall package.

P.S. I was told that Vibe and Matrix is the same car. Only the body styling is different.

[1badPT]

I think its the Vibe and the Suzuki Aerio that are the same car other than styling - Suzuki is a GM company - Toyota isn't :tongue:

When I was shopping for cars, I test drove the Vibe, Protege 5 and the PT Cruiser. I like the P5 and PT better than the Vibe, so I would narrow it down to those 2 (protege 5 now is basically the 3 sport). The Cruiser has fold flat seats as well as the 2nd row can be removed completely, and the front passenger seat folds flat in case you have something really long to carry. The 3 sport gets better fuel economy than the cruiser, but the cruiser I found was more fun to drive, and the interior was more useful.

[Ashkente]

Originally posted by 1badPT
I think its the Vibe and the Suzuki Aerio that are the same car other than styling - Suzuki is a GM company - Toyota isn't :tongue:


Nope..Vibe = Matrix. Toyota sells Cavaliers too in Japan..

[finboy]

Originally posted by Ashkente


Toyota sells Cavaliers too in Japan..

yes they do, and its a good thought to know that even in japan with all their nice turbo cars, they still have to put up with those pesky j-bodies :rofl:

[1badPT]

didn't know that :dunno: I wonder what prompted them to sell GMs under their badge - J-bodies especially??

[Weapon_R]

ANYWAYS....

for $25000, have you considered the Mazda 3? Perhaps a used Protege 5? Both are better cars in my opinion.

[hjr]

for the space and price, there isnt too much else that works out, but i would consider looking at the matrix though. i believe each car uses its respective companies engine, and toyota has pontiac beat in that regard. i could be wrong though.

[sputnik]

For $30k you could get a V6 Chrysler 300

[acmax2]

The matrix and vibe are the same. The difference is the bodies. Pontiac designed the vibe. The engines drivetrain, everything are the same. Another difference is the toyota is built in ontario and the Vibe is built in California. Another thing to consider is the Toyota VS Pontiac resale value. Even though they are the same car the Toyota name is better to have for resale than the pontiac name. I also wouldn't want GM techs working on my Toyota motor.

[roopi]

2005 Dodge Magnum SE - starts at $27,995

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by roopi
2005 Dodge Magnum SE - starts at $27,995

Exactly what I want to bring up.

Matrix are made in Ontario. Vibe are made in California along with U.S. market Matrix. Both car are base on the same platform as Corolla and share probably 80% of the parts. Engine is from the Corolla as well and rated for 140HP with some low torque number.

I find Mazda 3 more sporting but interior volume is not as great as Matrix/Vibe. Engine wise, there's isn't much difference but heavy cargo is better with the 3 becasue it has bigger engine and more low end torque.

While Matrix can seat 5, Mazda 3 can only seat 4. The middle back seat is horrible and space is invaded by the center console from the front. It make seating position quite ackward.

[lint]

What about a base Mazda 6 sport wagon? It would fit your needs quite well and starts at $27K, very nicely equipped. And they have very attractive finance rates right now too.

[403Gemini]

careful some people might jump on here saying theres to many of these threads around :rolleyes:

but yes as pertaining to the post i like the matrix as a family car. has quite a bit of room in it, nice design. a tad underpowered but what can u do? its a family car its not like you wanna reach mach 1 with a kid in the car heh.

i personally like the mazda 3, the interior is crazy sexy and its like 23,000 fully loaded

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by 1badPT
didn't know that :dunno: I wonder what prompted them to sell GMs under their badge - J-bodies especially??

toyota and gm have had a very strong and longstanding relationship to share parts and vehicles. there are other examples too, like how the corolla was rebadged as a chevy nova and geo prism later on.
Originally posted by hjr
for the space and price, there isnt too much else that works out, but i would consider looking at the matrix though. i believe each car uses its respective companies engine, and toyota has pontiac beat in that regard. i could be wrong though.

the only difference in the 2 cars is the styling. id pick whichever is less ugly, which is the matrix. plus, itd suck to tell ppl that u drive a "pontiac."

alexs, have u looked at the nissan murano w/ cvt?

[dasdin]

protege 5, or new mazda 3 sport, best car for the pric eimo

[dieselweasle]

Originally posted by roopi
2005 Dodge Magnum SE - starts at $27,995

cool retro...(as far as station wagons go anyway) lots of room and cargo space. and not every prick is driving one!

[statick]

mazda 3 gt IMO

[Alexs]

Originally posted by dieselweasle


cool retro...(as far as station wagons go anyway) lots of room and cargo space. and not every prick is driving one!

I took a test drive at the Crysler Golden Tour and liked it, BUT it's heavy on gas, plus I want a manual.

I am leaning towards Mazda 3 myself (purely based on the price and looks). Vibe and Matrix seem to be more functional, but styling is so so.

I have not looked into base Mazda6 and nissan murano w/ cvt, but will look at them more closely.

Thanks guys for all the input.

[Xtrema]

Base Mazda 6 is powered by the same engine as 3 but weight and cost more.

Murano is also very heavy on gas even with the CVT.

This just dawn on me, Mazda is releasing 5 next year. I posted a pic on this forum before. Don't know pricing but it's size is slotted between MPV and Mazda 6 and can seat 6 people with lots of room.

[1badPT]

I thought the 5 was the miata? 2 seat roadster hardly is a famly car but maybe i'm wrong about what model the 5 is/? And the Murano is way out of the price range.

[t-im]

Murano CVT is like 39k..

[lam-boy]

http://www.dinside.no/php/art.php?id=108295

mazda 5

Mazda "MX-5" is a miata. :D

[1badPT]

Originally posted by t-im
Murano CVT is like 39k..


I want to spend no more than 25,000

:dunno: :thumbsup: thanks for coming out...

[Alexs]

Originally posted by lam-boy
http://www.dinside.no/php/art.php?id=108295

mazda 5

Mazda "MX-5" is a miata. :D

Now, this is a very promissing car. It fits perfectly in the description I had in mind for a family car. If only they could offer a more powerful engine. I will be waiting for Spring 2005. :D

[ex1z7]

You could pick up an 02 Impreza for less then 25k... :)

[Liquidinc]

what about a lancer sportback?

[hyperwhite]

Originally posted by sputnik
For $30k you could get a V6 Chrysler 300

or you could put a cinder block in your drive way to get the same effect :barf:

[Alexs]

Well, ideally I need a car that can sit 6 people (comfortably). It looks like Mazda 5 is the car I was looking for. All the other cars are nice, but thaey all have a max sitting capasity of 5.