While parts-hunting at a junkyard in Wisconsin, Paul Baumgart stumbled upon a blue Vibe sitting at the bottom of a heap of junkers. He opened the hatchback’s door to take a look, only to find a love note from the previous owner in the center console. The note was about the car.
Back in 2018 I wrote the article We Are All Underestimating The Pontiac Vibe. It was a piece about how this little unassuming hatchback is secretly one of the best cars anyone can buy per dollar in the U.S. Here’s a quote from that story, in which I talked with friend, Autopian ambassador, and prolific Pontiac Vibe owner Nick Hernandez:
Nick has owned his vibe for over six years and 122,000 miles, and tells me the car is a “secret” in that most people don’t realize just how versatile it is. “And it’s this little secret of a car that seems to do 90% of what anyone needs to do, so I’m always ready for anything,” he says.
“It’s relatively unknown for how good it is, and how happy the owners are. Especially the GT model, being 2ZZ and 6-speed manual only,” the Vibe enthusiast explained.
And looking online, he appears to be absolutely right. No matter where I look, I continue to find positive owner reviews for the Vibe. I see 4.6 stars for the 2006 model on Edmunds. I see 4.5 stars on Cars.com. On Kelly Blue Book, I see 9.1 out of 10.
Furthermore, JD power’s predicted reliability rating for the 2009 second-gen Vibe—which sits on the same platform as the first, but receives new powertrains and sheetmetal—is five out of five stars, and USNEWS’ reliability for first-gen 2007 models (a rating based on JD Power numbers) is four-stars.
The Vibe’s reputation comes, in part, from the fact that it was essentially a rebadged Toyota Matrix, and built in a plant co-developed by Toyota called New United Motor Manufacturing, NUMMI. Tesla currently own this Fremont, California plant and uses it to build Model 3s and Ys.
Somehow my article about the Pontiac Vibe blew up the internet, garnering over 200,000 views and 200 comments. Everyone seemed to have a story. Here’s one from the comments:
When my sister was looking for a new car before she moved halfway across the country, I told her to try to find a Vibe at a decent price and she ended up getting one. Vastly underrated for what it is and most people have no idea it’s just a rebadged Toyota Matrix, so you can usually find them for pretty cheap because anyone who isn’t familiar with it will just think it’s another ho hum GM Malaise 2.0 car from the early/mid 2000’s.
And another:
As an owner of a Matrix XRS (the 180hp six speed variant), I must say that I believe I do know how good it is. It’s our second (the first was a base Vibe, which unfortunately my wife totaled).
To give an idea of just what kind of tank your dealing with:
– I have run almost 30000 miles without changing the oil (oops!) with no ill effect. This on a 2003 I bought with almost 90000 miles
– I have hauled, fully inside the car: a washer, a dryer (not at the same time), a Christmas tree, three children and my wife.
– I have driven through multiple blizzards with the snow tires. Like a boss.
The five speed is a bit anemic, but the six speed with the 180 hp and 8000 rpm redline definitely make it much more fun.
It’s with this context in mind that I found myself unsurprised to find on Facebook Paul Baumgart’s post about a former Vibe owner leaving a love note in their car before sending it to the great junkyard in the sky:
“First time finding a note from the owner who scrapped their car, in a 2007 Vibe. Left it in the console,” writes Baumgart, the clerk/treasurer for a local Wisconsin village. “She called the wave blue Vibe ”bleu cheese’. I grabbed the leather seats.”
Baumgart posted a photo of the note, which reads:
This is my car. Her name is Bleu Cheese. She’s my first ever vehicle I had on my own; purchased with limited funds from my college student budget freshman year. I saw her to over 300,000+ miles, even though the odometer is broken. Bleu Cheese sustained 300+ mile one way trips across state to see my long-distance partner. We are getting married next year. She’s often been called my “garbage car” always affectionately, because I never really could get…
…myself organized and she took the brunt of it. She’s heard many late nights heart-to-hearts with friends, good and bad cry sessions, and countless memories. I will miss her and the sun rays shining through the sun roof, driving with the windows down. Always brought the good vibes – pun intended. Hopefully parts of her live on in other people’s road trips.
‘It’s a vibe.’
Indeed. I love that the Pontiac Vibe, a grand experiment between GM and Toyota, is getting the love it deserves. Even as it sits at the bottom of a junk pile, awaiting its date with the crusher.
I drove a Vibe once and it was a AAA Drivers Ed car and couldn’t be happier when the next day we had a Focus to drive instead
This is my Altima, “Accomplice.” I bought it with money I didn’t have and we outran many repo men together. I find the rainbow of paint scuffs on the side to be a point of pride. This car was with me every time I checked in with my parole officer or passed people on the shoulder. One day the transmission just gave up and I ended up in handcuffs. I hope Accomplice will help someone else tailgate people in the right lane some day.
This is my BMW, “Richard.” Two years was enough. Needed another one. Enjoy.
This is my pickup truck, “Mr. Squat.” We only just got started together when I bent the frame over a concrete abutment I couldn’t see because my nose was pointed up in the air. Hopefully it’ll help someone else squat.
This is my Vega, “Rusty”. Please make sure this note stays with it when you sweep it up into the dust pan.
A Vibe wasn’t my first car, but one was connected to my first car. I bought a car (a Sunfire, also blue) for commuting to my first internship in college from a Pontiac dealer. While we were there we looked at Vibes, but they were out of my price range. However, my parents liked them so much and we had such a good experience with that salesman that they went back a few months later and bought one from the same guy.
And to continue the love-fest, one of our family friends liked our Vibe so much that they bought his and hers models. So in a way my first car led to at least three Vibe purchases.
I test drove one of the last of the Vibes in 2009. I passed because I thought I couldn’t quite afford the payment. I wish I had figured a way to do it, because I’d probably still be driving it today.
I feel like the Vibe and Matrix are having a moment now. The Gambler 500 guys are obsessed with them and have posted several videos about them and I’ve seen lots of recent enthusiasm for them online.
The engineers at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor had a Matrix that I think started as a rally-cross car but eventually started making it to stage rallies. A small lift and some rally tires went a long way, and the 2ZZ sounded great ripping around.
Not sure where that car is now. It kept getting some use when the All-trac started running, but it’s probably not in the rotation anymore.
I got a little misty-eyed reading this. Love seeing other people appreciate their cars as the companions they are.
I’m slowly coming around to buying a new car for myself, but I’ve had my Focus ST for 14 years now. I will be misty eyed when it has to go. I got it one year after I got married. It’s “lived” at every residence my wife and I have had together. It’s housed infant car seats, toddler car seats, booster seats, and now my son can sit in the front seat. It took my two kids to daycare/school and back. It’s driven me to every single job I’ve ever had. So yeah, we’ve been through it all. It’s not really worth much these days, so I’m honestly not sure what I will do with it. I’m not going to trade it in, but do I really want a 3rd car sitting (rotting) in my driveway?
This story gives me the feels.
This made me all verklempt. Thanks David. 🙂
RIP Bleu Cheese.
May your sacrifice allow for the continued enjoyment of many a Vibe
The Vibe/Matrix are pantheon-level affordable cars. Everything you need, nothing you don’t, willing to do 300k without costing insane money to keep on the road. Every single person I’ve ever known to own one gushes about them. Nothing made today really comes close.
That blue is excellent as well.
I always like the Pontiac Vibe, versatile form factor and good gas mileage, available with a manual transmission.
There was a dark green/brown metallic Pontiac had in the second generation (I think) that I though looked great, even with all the extra body cladding GM added to the Matrix.
The Matrix was offered in a nice Dark green they called spruce mica or something like that. I don’t know how shared the colors between the two were though.
The one I saw was on the Vibe for sure, with that ugly ribbed lower body cladding that Pontiac was so fond of. In bright sun, it almost looked as though the darkish green had a metallic brown undertone. It really was nice. It’s always possible that I am misremembering of course.
I actually tried finding a used Vibe a while back, but the few that were around here for sale (in LA) were overpriced to the point where they were no longer deals at that price.
With apologies to Stephen King: “I never loved any cars later on like the first one I had when I was 21. Jesus, does anyone?”
Godspeed Bleu Cheese.
I’ll be the obligatory contrarian. My first car was a 2015 Ford Explorer, which was comfortable and capable, but deeply, deeply boring. I sold it pretty quickly for a 2019 Honda Fit Sport, which I miss much, much more.
I guess it depends on what counts as your first car – the first two I drove were from my parents and the Dodge Colt did not inspire much love. The first I bought with my own money was a 1989 Supercharged MR-2 and much beloved. It sealed my fate to always want to drive mid-engine two seaters. I also had quite a bit done to it.