(first posted 9/4/2016)
2005 Pontiac Vibe.In 2013 it became obvious that the minivan era is over for our family. The boys have their own wheels and one of them has moved out, the other one had temporarily moved in again. Still, there was no need for a vehicle this large even though the family expanded by one English Springer Spaniel.
Yogi
For some peculiar reason I was never asked if I wanted a dog in our house. Everybody knew my answer would be: “No!” I knew exactly how this is going to work out. It was supposed to be our younger son’s dog and teach him all that responsibility. I supposed to have no work with the dog. Within about 3 months I was walking the dog, taking him to the vet, buying the food, picking up his poop and teaching him a few commands. I made her (the African-American Queen) pay the vet, groomer and kennel bills.
’04 Lincoln LS V8
I was looking forward being coddled with a smooth ride by an entry level luxury car. My excursions with the BMWs in Atlanta were fresh in my mind. I also toyed with the idea of getting a Lincoln LS V8. I drove two of these and they were very much to my liking. I also sampled a ’10 Chevrolet Malibu, an ’08 Mercury Milan and an ’07 Kia Amanti. All of them lacked one major requirement: a special compartment for the dog. I do not like SUV’s or Crossovers. I needed a wagon.
Interior of an ’07 Kia Amanti
Wagons were just about impossible to find or German, Swedish or complicated by 4 wheel drive. I entered my criteria in a query at TrueDelta.com and hoped to get some useful suggestions. Among the replies were the Dodge Magnum, Hyundai Elantra Touring, Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix and Kia Rondo. The Dodge Magnum that were in my price range had the infamous 2.7L engine. Hyundai Elantra Touring were completely absent in our region. Toyota Matrix were rare and seemed over-priced. A used car dealer wanted $7000 for one with over 200,000 miles on the clock. A Pontiac Vibe was available about 2 hours away and a Kia Rondo was close by. That was in Spring 2014.
I decided to check out that Rondo at a Ford dealer in the Des Moines area. They ran an event where they would evaluate anyone’s car for trade in. I gave them the keys to the Windstar and asked for a ride in the Rondo even though it was out of my budget. It was a decent enough car but I was not impressed. It felt and looked too much like 7/8 of a minivan.
Pissed off by high pressure sales tactics.
The salesman turned the ride into a rather displeasing encounter. First he was telling me which route to take rather than letting me choose. The route included some interstate from on-ramp to the next off-ramp and smooth four lane roads. There was no sampling of a bad road at all. Back at the office they insulted me with a below the belt line trade-in value for the Windstar and when I declined their offer they came back with a senior salesman to twist my arm. When he tried to talk me into a Ford Escape I said: “I think I have to leave.” And I left. The whole encounter left such a bad taste in my mouth I was pissed for days. At the used car dealer that had the Amanti I was treated with respect, they just didn’t have the right vehicle.
Photo from the Craigslist ad.
The following Monday an ad for an ’05 Pontiac Vibe appeared in Craigslist. It was for a private sale and only one mile from my place. It was Salsa red, black interior, it had the Moon & Tunes package (moon roof and 7 speaker stereo including a sub-woofer). I drove it the same night in stormy weather. It rode alright even though the tires were noisy. The steering wheel was a smidgen off center and the car pulled slightly to the side. I was sure an alignment would take care of that. The owner pointed out that this is a Pontiac and therefore quite firm in the suspension. At this point I did not care anymore. It looked like a decent deal and buying it would stop the agony of the search. I offered $5600 for the 9 year old car with 89,000 miles on the clock. He accepted and I picked it up the next day.
Three tires were worn, one was new. I knew that and it suited me fine. I like to choose my own tires anyway. Within a week I had all tires replaced with Michelin Defender and had the alignment done. These tires are very quiet and the alignment was now spot on, including the steering wheel.
Yogi took a swim in the South Skunk River.
As first thing I fabricated a pet barrier so the Springer Spaniel will be safe in the back. He got used to it really quick because I went to the river bottom, let him run free and take a swim.
Shaping a piece of foam for lumbar support.
But something wasn’t right with the seat. I couldn’t find a really comfortable position. After about 30 minutes my lower back started to hurt. Lumbar support was non existing. At JoAnn’s Fabric I bought a piece of foam and whittled it down with a kitchen knife so it would fit behind my back on the seat. I kept cutting it until the support was just about right. Then I placed it under the seat’s fabric. You would never know it’s there. When my son took the seat he went: “ahhhhhh!”
Grant Wood Scenic Byway
The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa had familiar bike on display: BMW R 26
I immediately started looking for rims and winter tires. In June I found a set of MSW rims with General Altimax Arctic tires that were used on a Toyota Prius for 3 years for only $250.00. I took a day of vacation to go to Cedar Rapids to pick them up and combined it with a visit to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa and a few miles on the Grant Wood Scenic Byway.
An oversized nut serves as a 10 mm spacer…
…and makes this relaxed hand position possible.
On this trip my lumbar support proved to be very effective. Still, I was not happy with the ergonomics. Somehow the triangle from pedals to the steering wheel and the hips was odd. I found that I needed to raise the seat so my hands could rest on my thighs while holding the wheel. That was impossible to achieve with the seat’s height adjustment and the wheel’s tilt. I resorted to shimming the front mounting points of the seat by about 10 mm and that did the trick. Now it is much better.
Tearing out the carpet was surprisingly easy.
Here it is hanging out to dry.
The Pontiac Vibe is an economy car. In fact it is a variation of the Toyota Corolla. Economy cars are noisy. I wanted it quiet. I pulled the interior out, added brush-on sound deadener and carpet padding. I also cleaned the carpet really well with the garden hose and a Bissell Carpet and Upholstery cleaner. I found lots of Golden Retriever hair, sand, and happy meal toys.
Adding Peel & Seal rubber membrane from the home improvement store for the door skins and carpet padding under the door panel helped damping noises and enhanced speaker performance. The sub-woofer received a layer of quilt padding inside in order to eliminate standing sound waves. Now I can hear notes in my favorite songs that I never heard before. In fact I had to dial the bass down and lower the volume.
GM sent me a recall note for the ECU. The new ECU made the engine and transmission cooperate much smoother. Another recall was issued for the the passenger side air bag, but no parts were available yet. Several weeks later they came in and the recall was completed. I don’t think any Takata brass has been put in jail for their malfeasance, but they should!
He wouldn’t mind if it were like this year round.
The intake manifold gasket was distorted and leaking.
In the winter of ’14 I noticed some hesitation when the engine was cold. It was very reminiscing of the way the Ford Windstar acted with a vacuum leak. During the summer of ’15 I replaced the intake manifold gasket and cleaned the throttle body. That fixed the issue.
Carpet in the trunk area was well worth the effort.
The cargo area is plain plastic material and does not provide any traction for the dog or cargo. I bought some cheap runner off the reel at the home improvement store, plastic fasteners from NAPA and lined the cargo area. Not only is it more comfortable for the dog, it further reduced noise coming from the back. Beyond that I did basic maintenance: spark plugs, air filter, cabin air filter, oil changes and a transmission service. And I fixed a loose piece of cladding on the passenger door.
Junkyard upgrade: dual tone horn.
The horn was embarrassingly feeble. I replaced it with Fiamm dual tone horns from the junkyard. Now I can effectively harass those folks who fool around with their phones while driving.
Vibe in Kansas City, KS
The miles racked up quicker than I expected. We went to Kansas City, North Carolina, Minneapolis, Iowa City, Omaha NE, and did a tour of West Bend, Clear Lake and Mason City in Iowa. I found the Vibe utterly reliable, easy to maintain, and giving 28.5 mpg vs 17 to the Ford Windstar. Of course when I had the Windstar fuel prices made historic highs and now as I drive the econobox fuel prices make historic lows.
The Vibe is nimble in town and corners very well. Not long ago we spent a week in Las Vegas were I took a few laps in a Porsche Cayman with Exotics Racing. The instructor taught me a new trick and I encourage you to try it out yourself. The typical driver in the daily grind will steer into a corner while still riding the brake. He or she will also accelerate out of a corner before the car is straightened out. That puts the tires in a double tasking mode: steer and brake, steer and accelerate. However tires perform much better if they do only one thing at a time.
The instructor made me brake while the car went straight, then get off the pedals and turn the steering wheel, complete the corner without touching any pedals (“balance the car”), straighten the steering wheel and only now hit the accelerator. Of course by now the car is agonizingly slow. This felt so odd. But soon I entered the corners at a much higher speed. I started to make this a habit even in the daily grind. It is amazing how well the car corners using this technique.
Monroe Quick Struts have longer springs than the original KYB struts.
The rear struts will settle after a while.
On the other hand the Vibe is underwhelming on long distances. Don’t get me wrong, it is not bad. Yet, I still prefer a more comfortable ride. To that effect I replaced all struts with Monroe Quick-Strut assemblies. I found that the springs are not much softer than the originals. The suspension is still hard but no longer punishing. Putting the struts in was easy too. I had the alignment checked at the next oil change and it was within specifications. This was in preparation for a trip to San Antonio, TX.
A once glorious gas station with petrified wood on Old US Hwy 67, Glen Rose, TX.
Our trips have a different feel than they used to do. We don’t have the kids with us. We don’t pursue the task of providing experiences for them. We are building fresh memories together and our own interests are re-emerging. History, art, nature, architecture are the things we seek and enjoy.
On the return trip from San Antonio we stopped at the George Washington Carver National Monument near Joplin, MO. It is an idyllic and peaceful place. The visitor center provided excellent information about the life of this extraordinary scientist and humanitarian.
After an hour we continued north and looked for a place to have lunch. Something noteworthy happened at Wendy’s in Carthage, MO. A family of five placed their order prior to us. They took a table and the man of the family waited for the food at the counter. We too ordered and Mrs. W. took a seat at the opposite table, facing that family. However, she was totally engrossed into a most suspenseful part of the romance novel she devoured on her Kindle and thus oblivious to her surroundings. The guy received his tray of food and I got ours. When I turned around I noticed all five white folks sitting there and staring at my wife who was reading the Kindle. Then I stared at the five staring. The guy turned towards me and said: “That’s something.” I countered: “Must be!” That was the extend of our exchange and I sat with my wife. They kept staring right through my back until the irresistible aroma of the never-been-frozen hamburger patties grabbed their attention. I suppose it was a life-altering experience for this family to see a black woman reading a Kindle. What else could it be?
The Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, MO on Historic Highway 66.
I have to say that my African-American Queen is not excited about the Vibe. For her taste it is too utilitarian and not showy enough. She wondered what people might think about it (her). I said: “I don’t give a hoot what people think. But since you asked: it says that the owners are reasonable and practical folks. Besides, I picked it because of YOUR DOG! Remember, I could have bought the Kia Amanti for very little more but I cannot imagine letting the dog mess up the pretty interior.”
The Vibe was not love at first sight. Now the Vibe has grown on me, just like the English Springer. Over time I came to appreciate their positive attributes while accepting their negatives. It helps though when the African-American Queen picks up the poop in the back yard. Oh, and I made her pay for the dog food too.
There is something special about the Vibe. Sometimes I even get a friendly nod or wave from other Vibe drivers. Motorcyclists do that, but drivers of econoboxes? Dare I say this is a modern car with character. You will only understand it if you experience it. This car invites the owners to make it their own and it is not all about lowering springs and power adders.
D-rings help secure bulky cargo.
It’s rugged enough for the run to the dump…
….and hauling firewood.
Debbie Stokes laughs as she tries to push “Naruto,” her seven month old alpaca into the back of her Pontiac Vibe Thursday after she and the 70 pound animal visited with residents of Alterra Sterling House. Stokes finally got “Naruto” in the car and the animal laid down to enjoy the ride back to their South Vienna farm. Staff photo by Bill Lackey, Springfield News-Sun, Springfield, OH.
Some people make a micro RV out of theirs, others go for cosmetic enhancements and some use it like a pickup truck.
Mom and daughter’s 2nd generation Vibe.
Vibe owners show their pride on GenVibe.com
And there are families with multiple vibes in the driveway.
An on-line community has sprung up around this car. They are ribbing each other on Facebook and GenVibe.com. They even organize annual meetings. The last one was at the Lane Museum one weekend prior to CC’s get together.
2004 Mazda 6 Wagon.
Meanwhile I cannot imagine trading it in for another wagon. I checked out an ’04 Mazda 6 wagon. I know I would enjoy its many attributes, in particular the better ergonomics and ride. But I have put too much effort into making this Vibe my Vibe. I would rather keep it and add a comfortable sedan to the fleet for the longer trips. Heck, I know with the Vibe I own a future Curbside Classic.
Wave when you see this Vibe.
This concludes my Cars Of A Lifetime series. It was a sometimes challenging and thus worthwhile experiment putting the stories of my vehicles and slices of my life in words and pictures.
I like to thank the readers of my COAL articles, in particular those who took time to post comments. I appreciate every one of them. They are like the salt in the soup. I like to acknowledge CC contributor rlplaut whose concurrent COAL series oozed of painstaking honesty in writing. His writing encouraged me to offer a deeper glimpse into my personal life than I would have allowed otherwise. Finally “Thank you, Paul” for providing this excellent platform for such an endeavor.
Vielen Dank für die schön geschriebenen, interessanten Einblicke!
Bittesehr!
Minor correction: I assume you mean keep the dog safe.
The foam lumbar support is ingenious. How do you get it to stay in place vertically? Is it just wedged tightly enough not to move? What kind of foam did you use? My car has an adjustable driver’s lumbar support, but even at its farthest extension, it’s not enough, so before one longish trip I bought a cushion that secures with an elastic band around the seat back. That works, although the cushion is bulkier than ideal — it pushes me a bit farther forward on the seat, which reduces the usefulness of the side bolsters in turns.
Japanese cars — and the Vibe is a Japanese car at heart — tend to have the most milquetoast horns. I was reminded of this on Saturday in a parking lot encounter with a particularly obstreperous seagull. The gull was in my path and I didn’t have room to steer around him. So, I stopped and honked the horn, which, being Japanese, beeped politely. Not only did the gull not move, a second gull came up next to him! Both of them then proceeded to stare malevolently up at me, refusing to budge. I honked the horn again and they looked at me as if to say, “And what if we don’t move? What are you going to do then, primate? What are you going to do then?” The only reason they got out of my way at all was that the two gulls got into some disagreement between themselves, causing them both to flap off in a huff.
If/when you ever sell the Vibe, I imagine the next owner will be very happy about the added sound insulation. Since interior noise tends to be a weakness of hatchbacks, I wonder if Toyota and Pontiac missed a bet by not offering a factory “extra quiet” package, either as an option or for a “luxury” model. A factory kit might not have been as elaborate and thus not as effective as yours, but I imagine it would have made for an easy upsell for salespeople.
Thanks for giving us these family portraits!
Japanese weak horns? I don’t know, my sisters Focus’ had really weak horns, while her Corolla was an improvement. We used to call her first Focus the Fisher-Price car, after those toy cars you sit in and move via kicking your feet through the hole in the floor, because it was BRIGHT red, had cheap plastic wheels, and had a weak, buzzy horn.
The foam is the green standard foam sold at craft/hobby/fabric stores. I used a large kitchen knife to cut it. The seat fabric is all that keeps it in place. There is a j-hook at the bottom of the back. If the back is folded forward it is accessible. You could just cut up that cushion you bought. I bet it is nothing else but foam.
Those gulls taught you a lesson! LOL. Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight!
There are some measures of noise control built in. But offering a quiet package in an economy car keeps buyers out of the Lexus show room.
I would be reluctant to cut into the seat fabric, partly out of fear of making a dreadful mess of it and partly because there’s an airbag in the left bolster and I have no desire to get any closer to it than necessary!
Urban seagulls are essentially a street gang with feathers and beaks. They fear very little (a single gull might be vulnerable to a medium-size dog or determined cat, but a group of them might decide to stand and fight) and I wouldn’t want to test their social contacts or willingness to bear grudges. Crows can and do remember people who are mean to them and have demonstrated the ability to share that information with other crows in their social network. I don’t know if that’s true of seagulls, but with feathered thugs like these — they were quite large as well as brazen — I wouldn’t want to experiment.
I don’t think Wolfgang is saying cut into your seat fabric, I believe he is saying cut up your pad that is strapped on and insert it into the seat underneath the fabric. In many modern cars the upholstery is held on by Velcro, zippers, plastic clips sewn to the fabric or a combination of those methods. So you can often pop the cover off and on in a matter of minutes. The hog rings are pretty much a thing of the past.
The airbag certainly is a concern but disarming them is usually a simple procedure that makes it extremely unlikely that they will go off inadvertently.
That is correct, Scoutdude.
AUWM: look at some youtube videos on how to modify a car seat. Any make and model of similar vintage will do.
Ahh, that makes sense. Although I’m still inclined to take a superstitious regard of the airbag, insofar as it and its brothers are the only things I own that are designed to explode.
I wonder if Rochester MN did something to a crow. For a while they had an awful problem with crows in the winter time. I think that is no longer the case, as the sidewalks have looked OK the last time I was there in the winter. But for a while they were like Hitchcocks The Birds.
Maybe! All kinds of corvid species are very intelligent (they can count, use tools, recognize patterns, remember things, and communicate complex information to one another). I don’t know what Rochester might have done that would cause the entire local crow population to go to war, but it’s not as far-fetched an idea as one might assume.
MN farmers used to be legally able to shoot/poison them; I know this as an original resident not far from the Rochester area. As AteUp points out, they are crazy smart, and they picked up on what was happening. Then they migrated within the city to survive. Now that those threats are illegal, they have returned to where they rightfully belong.
The wimpiest horn in any car I’ve driven is the thin, high-pitched one-note horn in my family’s ’76 Chevrolet Chevette, which sounded about how you’d expect a Chevette horn to sound. When my dad’s ’66 Polara wagon finally gave out, he ripped out the its two horns before having it towed away, and installed them into the Chevette, adding two new tones from the Polara to the existing tone the Chevette made. The resulting three pitches happened to be a diminished chord (i.e. E,G,B-flat for you musicians out there). It made the Chevette horn sound like what you’d expect from a diesel locomotive, and boy did cars move over fast if I sounded it!
I don’t think that Toyota or GM ever would have considered a “quiet” or luxury package for this car, and they were probably were right about this. The vehicle’s mission was never meant to be more than a Corolla based CUV, which I think is a good thing.
This vehicle was developed in an era of cheap fuel and relatively low CAFE standards, the option to dump in a few hundred pounds of sound deadening was certainly there. I recall Chrysler doing that with its minivans and eventually the engine displacement followed suit, all the way up to 4.3 liters!
While I respect the author’s decision to customize his vehicle as he sees fit, I actually find it refreshing that Toyota / GM didn’t let this vehicle become yet another example of losing the mission by becoming ever larger and heavier.
About Japanese horns, my daughter has the same complaint about her Honda Jazz. Not that she uses it a lot, but when she needs it, it’s just a polite “meep”.You almost expect the car to say “Excuse me, I’m sorry but could you please get out of my way?”. She really wants something that’ll scream “MOVE IT!!!”.
She did ask her brother about ‘fixing’ it, but didn’t follow it up after he mentioned the old loco horns he fitted to a mate’s Nissan Patrol (he works on locos for a living). A junkyard improvement sounds good.
I don’t feel comfortable about shiming that seat because in a crash it could result in the seat comming loose or change the way the air bag works
Your insurance co would love to deny a claim
Fordfan:
You are correct! This is a valid concern. I used new bolts and I don’t know their strength. The shimming raised the locator pin behind the bolt. All of that makes it more likely for the bolt to be sheared.
On the other hand: I don’t plan on crashing. I have done that with the Peugeot 304 and it was no fun. I also always wear the seat belt and it should be quite adequate in keeping shearing forces at the mounting bolt in check.
And one thing I don’t worry at all about is the insurance company. They won’t even look.
They will look closely if they have to pay-off!
That pin is supposed to take some of the force in a crash. Do yourself a favor and find a real hardware store or a bolt supply house and get yourself some 10.9 bolts, the top of the metric bolt strength grades. Does the buckle half of the seat belt actually attach to the vehicle? Many modern cars have that attached to the seat itself, making the seat attachment a critical part of the seat belt’s function. So yeah get rid of those ungraded bolts.
Thanks, Scoutdude! I will check on that.
I own a 2007 Vibe in the same color.
“Vibe” is an appropriate name for this vehicle. The engine is buzzy, and you get alot of vibes from the all the interior plastic and the harsh ride. That said, it is the vehicle of choice for utility and one of the few vehicles in which the rear seats actually fold to create a flat load floor. It has been very reliable and is surprisingly rust-free considering it is my winter car of choice on our salt- laden roads.
Wolfgang, “African-American Queen”. It’s a good thing I did not have a mouth full of coffee when I read that. I know Princesses can be demanding, but Queens, goodness gracious.
What a wonderful COAL series; I feel like I’ve known you since you were a reckless kid riding motor bikes on narrow mountain roads.
Making that Vibe your own makes it extra special. You took a good car and made it yours, and much better in the process. I especially like the sound insulation solution.
And thank you for the call out. I am going to miss your stories.
Thanks, rlplaut! Give me a holler when you come to the Midwest!
It was there, then in Missouri that you think somebody may have seen something strange; you with your wife?
My we have been obtuse for many, many years. When I was with my girl friend in the ’70s I noticed things very quickly. And we lived in NYC.
I personally think it may have been you. Speaking loudly with a German accent.
” “African-American Queen”. It’s a good thing I did not have a mouth full of coffee when I read that. ”
Me too! I immediately pictured a well-dressed woman saying in her best Katherine Hepburn impression “Mistah Allnut, please take the dog for a walk.” 🙂
Wolfgang, thanks for sharing your stories. I really enjoyed your COAL series!
and I enjoyed yours! I remember it very well.
Bravo! very nice. I must congratulate you for sharing it with us.
I’d also like to thanks PN for having such a brilliant idea and execution of a website on cars (and life!)
Thanks Wolfgang, I now will be sure to look for a red Vibe with the “”D” sticker on my occasional trips across Iowa! Thank you for a great series that brought back a lot of memories for me personally. Who would have thought back in the Schwarzwald days that you’d end up in the middle of America; what a long, strange, trip it’s been so far with yet more twists, turns, and experiences to undoubtedly come. Thank You.
Is this some kind of Americanized Opel?
It’s a Toyota Matrix.
Built at the old NUMMI plant in California. Where Teslas are built now.
At NUMMI, the Vibe took the place of the Chevy Prizm as the factory’s Corolla variant. There were six generations of Corolla variants produced at NUMMI: the Chevy Nova of the mid-1980s, two generations of Geo Prizm, one of Chevy Prizm, and two of the Vibe. The Nova and the earlier Geo Prizm included five-door hatch models in addition to sedans.
Many of the NUMMI GM-branded cars seem to have had long lives; until only a few years ago I would still see the occasional Nova, and I still see all three generations of Prizm, in the DC suburbs. Our first new car – a ’99 Prizm 5-speed – was later sold to a friend and is still fine mechanically.
with a face lift and badge engineering
OK, I thought it looked vaguely European…
… and you can get something similar here in the EU, the Toyota Verso…
Enjoyed the story, Wolfgang, and how you tweaked your Vibe to get it the way you wanted it. I used to do that but haven’t with our family’s latest cars.
And having driven a 2004 Kia Amanti rental for a month while my Blazer was in the shop for accident repairs…be very glad you didn’t go that route. Kia may have it goin’ on today, but back then, not so much.
This has been a delightful series to read! Your life so far has been quite the odyssey and I’ve enjoyed it. Thank you.
I’ve always much referred the look of the Vibe over the Matrix. The 2nd gen was not as nicely styled as this first gen, but still beat the Matrix hands-down. I rented a last-year Matrix a couple of years ago and took a picture of it at the gas station – it truly had no distinctive line or feature – just “car blob”. It drove ok though.
Excellent upgrades – you are quite the aesthetic adventurer!
Thanks for a great series –
Pontiac Vibe is basically a Toyota Matrix: http://www.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/3357/pontiac-vibe-vs.-toyota-matrix-six-of-one-a-half-dozen-of-the-other/
Nice job on the seat fix. You are very innovative and can figure things out (like the intake leak) and the cargo restraint.
I prefer a wagon over a SUV or van due the wagon’s better handling and lower centre of gravity. I went from a van to a wagon as well (to haul my DJ equipment). My 2006 Mazda wagon 6 speed automatic 3.0L V6 has had major issues: tranny lasted 23,000 km, exhaust flow issues causing misfires. They even changed the gas tank all under warranty. I also came up with new innovative pre-cat back design and now no more misfires and better flow/power. Main rear cat was increased to 2.5″ from 2.25″ for design fitment to work better and match Mazdaspeed cat back.
I guess with your departure we won’t be seeing the Mazderati Mazda Protege LX, 1.5L 5 speed!
BigAl:
If I had switched to a Mazda 6 wagon with the original pipes I would have shown your design to a muffler shop and had it copied. Your design just looks right and we know it works right!
About the “Mazderati”: If I find the time I may write it up as a “COAL Outtake”. For this series I chose to focus on my vehicles only. There were a number of cars that Mrs. W drove. So there is more material to write outtakes. For now I have to focus on my job though.
Wolfgang, I have thoroughly enjoyed this well-written series of your cars and life. I feel like I know you. You (and rlplaut, whom you acknowledged) really raised the bar. Thanks for writing and sharing these great pieces.
And I loved the quote from George Washington Carver.
Glad to see your COAL series concluding on such a high note! I had a Pontiac Vibe once as a vacation rental. The Dog Compartment in back is also big enough to hold a bicycle (wrapped in an old blanket), which came in very handy. I didn’t have any issues with lumbar support or engine noise, but this wasn’t a long term relationship, either. Overall, it was just my kind of car, simple and basic. If my ’92 Prizm ever gets T-Boned or rear-ended by a texting-while-driving nitwit, I’d probably go looking for an old Vibe or the Toyota Equivalent. (I guess I’m fond of cars made in Fremont, CA.)
Mike, have you featured your ’92 Prizm here? It’s a Curbside Classic for sure!
Yep. Read all about her here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1992-geo-prizm-shes-a-keeper/
Oh, yes. Betsy. I will remember her now forever.
Wolfgang, thanks for the series. I got a ride in a Vibe, and was quite impressed by the headroom and space for the back seat passenger. I think they look better than the Matrix. These types of cars are just so adaptable and practical. I had a ’75 Honda Civic station wagon which I really liked. Minimum size and maximum function.
This is exactly what I want out of a car. The Vibe/Matrix duo may be aged out by the time I can next make a purchase (maybe about 3 years), but I’m eyeing the Scion iM as the next best candidate…but it’s got a little bit too much body kit and too little ground clearance…and also a CVT. Getting harder and harder to get all the pragmatist boxes checked these days…
Have a look at the Hyundai Elantra GT as well.
I know what you mean about the ergonomics. I had a ’83 Subaru GL 5 speed wagon for a brief time, and after a half hour or so in stop and go traffic, my left ankle hurt so bad I couldn’t stand on it. And I was only about 28ish at the time. Couldn’t sell it quick enough. Thanks for such a great series! Really enjoyed reading it.
Wolfgang: Ausgezeichnet! Thank you for inviting us into your life and its cars (and bikes). I was drawn to you and your life story, given certain similarities in our life trajectories.
I rather feel about my xB like you do about your Vibe. And I really should do some soundproofing on it, as it’s a terrible buzz box.
I had to do something similar with the seat in my 300E, as it killed my back from day one, which rather shocked me. I thought Mercedes seats were supposed to be so ergonomic. This one had a canyon right where lumbar support should have been.
Maybe five years in or so in my ownership of it, I finally rode in the passenger seat while Stephanie drove on a segment of a long trip. Whoa! The passenger seat was very different, and quite comfortable. The two seats were quite different; my driver’s seat was clearly not right from day one. I felt like an idiot; I should have realized that early on, and taken it back to the dealer. Too late then. But the foam lumbar support Stephanie and I made worked fine, but in our case we just slipped it under the sheepskins I had on the front seats.
Herzlichen Dank, Paul!
The most effective sound control comes from tires that run quiet, second is sound deadening membranes on the sheet metal and then insulation material. The carpet on the plastic panel was a real surprise but I think I have plausible explanation: The plastic panels are smooth and therefore launch sound waves very efficiently. The weight of the carpet reduces vibration and the pile of the carpet cuts up the one big surface into hundreds of thousands little facets. They hardly are able to launch sound waves.
About that “idiot” thing: George Washington Carver forgot to put that in his quote. 😉
Big sections of plastic are very prone to picking up vibration (including sound) — it’s flexible enough to shake and rigid enough to effectively transmit the vibration, much like a drum. I assume adding the carpet (a) put enough extra weight on the plastic panels to damp their vibratory tendencies and (b) served to absorb what sound and vibration the plastic still picks up. If you have cargo (other than the canine variety) in the back, the carpet also serves to damp the motion of the baggage, making it harder for their movement to set up annoyance resonances in the plastic floor panels.
I have a cargo van that has had it’s load floor covered with plywood and a textured rubber covering. The sides have been covered with more plywood and the textured fiberglass panels like are commonly found in public restrooms. I used for carrying everything from dirty items like used auto parts and concrete blocks to things I want to keep clean like furniture. So shortly after I got it I got a piece of typical commercial carpet and cut a piece to lay over the rubber when I want to carry something clean. I was truly amazed how much quieter the van is when empty. It is thin carpet so the insulation factor is minimal and I’m sure it is the pile diffusing and absorbing the sound waves that is responsible for the majority of the decrease in noise.
Thanks, Wolfgang, for taking the time to tell us your life story as seen through your cars. Like so many others commenting here, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will miss this on my Sunday morning read.
I have an early Matrix, and many of the same issues apply to it also. I find the steering wheel to be too far away, but I think I’ve just gotten used to it after 11+ years. And yes, that horn is so weak, it’s kind of pathetic. The seats, however, fit me better than any other car I’ve had, obviously YMMV. It’s refreshingly easy to see out of compared to my SO’s Mazda3, (she bought the Matrix new and it was hers until last year). I find the car to be tremendously useful, invisible to those whose vehicles have to be a status symbol, and very reliable. I hope it lasts long enough to be my last car.
Enjoyed the series. Really appreciated the life experiences to go along with the car experiences. With the Vibe’s Toyota powertrain it should give little trouble over the long haul. Bought a ’95 Prizm a few months ago, great way to get a Corolla at half the price (used) of the same car built on the same assembly line. Plus I think the Prizm is a little bit better looking than it’s Corolla counterpart.
Family had an ’04 Mazda 6 sedan, 4 cylinder automatic with about 170k miles on it. Ran well, but used a quart of oil every 500 miles (no leaks or smoking). Had the Takata recall for the drivers side, took 6 months to get the part. Was totaled when a 16 year old girl turned left in front of my 18 year old grand niece. Both airbags deployed, no shrapnel from either bag. No major injuries. But a couple of months later received a notice for the passenger bag recall. Sent it back saying the car was destroyed.
I had a dog for 14 years that passed last year, family promises of taking care of Boomer proved to be wishful thinking as well. But in the long run what a great member of the family he turned out to be, and I’m glad we brought him into the fold.
Did you pull up the seats backrest cover and then place the foam under it and roll the cover back down over the foam?
14 years for Boomer is a proud age. Yogi is 8 years old. I consider it halftime for him. Talking about Yogi I found out why my parents did not have a dog. Mom’s reaction to the dog was: “And all that crying when he dies.” She protected herself from grieving by not having a dog. Somehow that is easier with cats.
The backrest fabric can be unhooked and pulled up some. That’s what I did.
It always makes me a little blue when a COAL series ends, but I’m sure you will add a new installment when you finally get your comfy sedan. Excellent storytelling, and I was impressed by your extensive tweaks to tailor the Vibe to your liking. Those are the kinds of things I do to my vehicles also.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the Vibe.
The Amanti would have looked like a great bargain but it was very “old Kia”. Obscenely heavy, crappy handling, naff looks, so-so interior quality.
The LS would have been a great drive but expensive to repair and only the 2003-06 models are good used buys, apparently, because the early models had a lot of problems.
Malibu and Milan would have been good choices if it wasn’t for the dog. But the Rondo leaves me cold, although the current generation is handsome and well-built (but not sold in the US)
A shame there were no 3.5 Magnums. I wouldn’t touch a 2.7, but a 3.5 has decent power. Alas, gas mileage is fairly close to the Hemi, IIRC, so I would always be thinking about that if I owned one…
I think I checked that Kia just to see what I would be missing. On that 7 minute drive nothing horrible came to light. Stylistically it is a mongrel of Studebaker grille and cut off rear of a Town Car. I was aware of some shortcomings. it was cheap for more than one reason.
By the time I may add a sedan the Malibu and Milan are in the running again.
A Magnum 3.5 would have been a real step up to the minivan. With the fuel prices as they are now it would not have been too bad either.
Have you gotten any use out of the 110V electrical plug? That was one of the selling points of the car, although now a USB outlet is more appropriate for powering today’s gadgets.
Funny thing: I have a Canon camera with Lithium-Ion battery. It came with a 110V input charger. On our trip to Northern Iowa I wanted to take some pictures of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Mason City and the battery gave out. That was the first time I wanted to use it it and it did not work. The inverter was bad. I bought another one on E-Bay. The replacement tested good but I have not used it yet.
I’m surprised that a Honda Element or Scion xB, xA and rxF couldn’t have done the job. for you
They could have. However they are rare on the market and pricey. I really do not care for the Honda Element. It would have been a good alternative for the minivan. I was pining for a Mazda 6 wagon. The three I saw on Craigslist etc. were way too expensive (the owners knew too well what they had) and/or 300 miles away.
The Element would have been thirstier (600-odd additional cubic centimeters to feed and more frontal area) and would have given you the same complaints with regard to interior noise and ride harshness. As with a lot of Hondas of that vintage, I’d also be a lot more comfortable with a five-speed manual gearbox, which I imagine is rather rare even as the Element goes. The Element’s interior size and configuration are handy for some types of loads, but it seems like the Vibe/Matrix was a better compromise for your needs.
while I’m not crazy about the styling, being based on a Toyota your Vibe should be a decent car. Interesting reading how you have ‘Lexufied’ it.
Your car shopping experience reminds me of mine 11 years ago, starting at a local Honda dealer’s used car lot. Overpriced Hondas, well salted, with too many miles, and a very pushy salesman, who used every used car sales cliche in the book, including the famous “What can I DO to put YOU in this car TODAY?”. When I insisted on keeping to my price, he tried to steer me into a shabby looking Taurus. When I started leaving, he exclaimed “We have another lot!” I kept walking.
I wound up with a decent used ’98 Nissan Altima, for about a third the price of similar year & mileage Hondas and Toyotas, from a very non-pushy used-car salesman at the nearby Volvo dealer.
However, while the driver’s seat felt OK during my test-drive, after my first 3-hour trip in that Nissan, my back was sore from TOO MUCH lumbar support. Fortunately, that car’s front seatbacks have a removable rear cover. I was able to add a bracket and a few carefully shaped bits of clothes-hanger to pull back the springs and take the excess pressure off my back. I’m still driving the Altima today and the seats are still fine after a long trip.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Great reading Wolfgang. It’s been a bit like a treatment for a sitcom. Yogi is a handsome creature. Thanks for sharing.
I will echo others here about what an enjoyable series this has been. My first thought was about the ergonomics. I have driven lots of Fords, Hondas and a Chrysler minivan, and all of them had fit me quite well. My mother’s 06 Lacrosse was a completely different story. Your experience makes me wonder if GM (at least in that era) worked off of a different template for what a car’s ergonomics should be. The GM stuff I have driven from the 80s-00s never felt “right” to me. Kudos on figuring out just what adjustments needed to be made.
Your efforts to soundproof your Vibe remind me (again) how I need to do the same thing to my 07 Honda Fit. I really love the car, but will admit that it transmits way too much road noise due to the skimpy efforts at sound deadening. I recall spraying some of that thick, black “undercoating” under the backseat area of my 71 Scamp, and it did a great job of quieting that car. Your method sounds more thorough.
Wolfgang, I like all the little fixes you made to your Vibe. Your relationship to your car is an old-fashioned one, and is to be admired. So many folks on this site complain that new cars are inert and uninvolving, but that may be in part because we expect them to be perfect when we buy them, and we complain about, rather than do something about, their imperfections.
BTW, I’ve read that African American women, particularly middle-aged, are statistically the most voracious readers out there. Indeed, everyone I know in that demographic reads constantly and widely.
I had a 2009 Pontiac Vibe for about a few years. It was Mystic Blue Metallic(aka teal) and it was one of only 3000 Vibes made that year with that color. I got it from carmax for a great price. It was manual everything(windows, locks, trans)
It was a great car for the few years I owned it. I got rid of it because I had slipped and hurt my left leg which meant that I could not drive the car for a few weeks and had to rent one(this was the days before I decided to keep a second car) so I traded it in.
You will find that to better care for your car, you will have to get to know the 2005 Matrix and Toyota’s part numbers as if you go into most GM dealerships and ask about Vibe parts they will say huh. Get to know your Toyota parts dealer. i got most of my things from Toyota.
My only mods were adding a USASpec iPod adaptor to the car. This forced me to remove most of the panels on the right side to run the cable due me wanting to keep the XM radio(which was in the back), in retrospect I should have omited the XM radio and that way I just needed to put the unit and wiring under the dash.
I also got a set of Vibe(rare to find at that time) all weather floor mats and a Vibe trunk mat.
These cars are so practical. I took a washing machine to the dump with it in the back.
I was/ still am a member of Genvibe. Here is my car in the Genvibe garage
http://forums.genvibe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=36986
I loved mine and still regret getting rid of it.
Enjoy yours
Hi Leon: I really like that Mystic Blue.
our local Toyota service department has helped me with the intake manifold gasket and the transmission pan gasket. And i noted down some matrix serial numbers from Autotrader ads so I can order Toyota parts.
Too bad you had to give it up for an automatic.
Thank you for this article&its information which was fun to read&educational RE adding sound deadening. My Wife&I purchased a Vibe’06 Summer’06, and it remains her main wheels. ~450K+ miles now. Runs like it is barely broken in, in the prime of its operating life etc.
Well, not 100% sure RE the 450K+. All Vibe(&Matrix, I understand) odometers do not read beyond 299,999. The trip meter reads 9999.9 max, so I’ve tried to keep track of how many times it has turned over since passing 299,999 multiple years ago. [It’s my understanding that the dealer can download the actual mileage from some type of inner connection, and I may ask that to be done this fall when the Vibe receives its winter-prep service, or I may not.] [It’s also my understanding there is some type of Canadian class suit currently against Toyota, since cannot sell easily as a used car since cannot provide the correct mileage. Haven’t paid that much attention to that since (1)Sandy&I sort of intend to drive this Vibe until its wheels fall off–no evidence of that so far even being in the works; no obvious corrosion even, although North Dakota cars seem to last longer since it normally has been too cold over winter here to justify much chemical use; besides that road treatment costs money LOL; and (2)The legal case is in Canada, which was mostly a Matrix sales area.
RE two mentioned previously areas: (1)Amazon sells a metal mesh, lumbar support @$4 which has worked fine for multiple years now–can’t even see it, and (2)110v outlet has proved useful to Sandy to charge her cellphone on her way into her work.
Vibe’s general layout holds a ton of stuff with all three seats folded flat. Have used it to move son out to New England and then to return him to Midwest. It just keeps working. Did a thousand mile day trip this summer. Only turned the engine off to buy gasoline. Now four years ago did a thirty-five hour drive to CA. Bought gasoline&napped a couple of times were the only times again the engine was off. Cruises @90MPH if you forget to set the cruise control. That illegal everywhere speed just feels right! LOLx2
To California included through two mountain ranges Rockies&Sierras. This particular model (bottom line with its small engine&M5) *is* underpowered for driving through the actual mountain pass areas, but 3rd@4000RPM=60MPH which puts one safely in the right lane in formation with the semis. ND is quite flat&a long way away from the nearest mountain pass. Plenty of power for here.
Obviously this particular Vibe is so old&so many miles that something can go wrong at any time. Sandy&I both recognize that reality, but hope it lasts through this her final year before her retirement.
If something would happen, prob not replace it, but have her drive my car through to her retirement. That is a Riviera’98 with ~230K miles. She&I tend to drive them until they stop running. Had a Cavalier’91 that quit just before turning 400K miles. Gave that to the local high school whose automotive class got it running&it was given away by the local social services to someone who needed cheap wheels.
This Vibe is proving to be a good purchase. Any modern car should be able to cross 200K miles, as long as its oil is changed regularly. More than that you are driving on the quality of the design&build. One of the last Vibes (Vibe’10?) could be a good used car, if that is what is sought.
Also consider the Vibe GT which was sold only with a M6. One potential drawback of that particular model–however–is that it was sold with hi-test required, not recommended. As far as I could learn from its literature&tests. The extra horsepower could be worth that requirement. Ironically my Riv also is high-test required, but it is WORTH it when its supercharger answers its need to work!
To repeat: It was great to read this Vibe review. Thank you.
That odometer thing is a royal screw up. Hopefully the law suit is successful even if the lawyers will be the true winners in that game.
What do you suppose is the difference in value between a Vibe with 300K miles and one with 400K, about twenty bucks?
First World problem, gentlemen. First World problem. 🙂
You know what you did?
You proofed that Wolfgang is fully Americanized. What has the middle class done to me!!!
When it comes to the Dodge Magnum: it is a fairly big car, larger than the Mazda 6 wagon (I know because I have parked my Mazda 6 Wagon beside the Magnum), but Magnum has awesome sexy body lines due to the rounded narrowing back sides which takes away some interior storage or less room for dog. With it being so big, I can’t see anyone wanting to drive it with the “infamous 2.7L” but this vehicle needs to be driven with the real “infamous” 5.7L Hemi engine!
I noticed you had the Magnum in mind.
Hope U have been checking my updates on cycling!
Great review of the Vibe – I always thought they were great little cars – even nicer looking than the Matrix. I find it no surprise that the seats in the Vibe have no lumbar support (Assuming Toyota supplied the seats for these.) Most Toyota products I drive leave my back killing me after only a few minutes. I’m not sure about the seats in the Vibe, but I can tell you that all other products Toyota makes have the most uncomfortable seats ever. (At least to me – someone else may feel otherwise)
Wolfgang, thank you for an excellent COAL series. You’ve done a great job weaving in the cars’ stories with the story of your life at the time and it’s been an engrossing read. Between your series and rlplaut’s concurrent series, a high-water mark for COAL has been set that may never be seen again!
Regarding the Vibe, it certainly seems like you’ve formed a great relationship with this useful little vehicle. I have two musician friends who have, respectively, a Vibe and a Matrix, and both speak very highly of the cars and their ability to swallow band gear of all sorts. I had the opportunity to drive the Matrix on a portion of a trip last year and found it to be a good handler with comfortable ergonomics. The engine seemed a little underwhelming, but we did have four adults and a weekend’s worth of gear in the car, so that may have had something to do with it. The one thing that bothered me, though, was the gas pedal–it behaved like an on/off switch. Prod it gently, and you’re immediately accelerating. Very little initial travel which made it quite hard to drive smoothly…does yours behave the same way, or was that perhaps a quirk particular to the Matrix version or his particular car?
Thanks, Chris M.
The throttle tip-in is a bit sharp. The ’05 and later models are DBW (Drive By Wire). After the PCM recall the tip-in was better. The new plugs and intake manifold helped as well. If none of those things had been done on the Matrix you drove it was certainly spiky on take off. Tip-in is often a bit spiky to impress potential buyers with “all that power”.
Folks who still drive these in the US usually do so because they cannot drive anything else. Typical GM uninspiring engine, dodgy fit and finish, slap-dash interior and , this car is precisely the the type of vehicle that led to GM’s eventual bankruptcy and permanent loss of market share. Weird styling affectations, ungainly esthetics, odd proportions, ladled on trim, cheap materials, poor feeling switchgear and all other touchpoints, misplaced budgetary priorities emphasizing dubious “style” over substance, ho-hum driving experience, and more (or rather, less. Much less.)
Yes, it can be fixed like the author did with foam, sound deadening, and some Home Depot fasteners but most people won’t take the effort to do this. The Toyota Matrix is superior in every way to this DS.
Jim: do you realize that this is a Toyota Matrix in disguise? There are no real differences between the siblings, only stylistic ones. And the pair is build on the Toyota Corolla platform. I wouldn’t call this platform a looser for sure. It’s cheap and very successful for the low ownership cost. So the Vibe cannot be precisely the kind of vehicle that caused GM’s decline. One should rather look at the Cavalier, the Cobalt and its siblings. That said, I do appreciate your opinion.
One of my pool buddies drives one of these. When I asked why he bought a Vibe, his answer was very succinct: “Toyota reliability, Pontiac depreciation!”. That pretty much sums up the appeal of this car, a Toyota Corolla wagon with the seats and roof slightly raised from sedan/hatchback levels. This type of car is common in Europe and elsewhere (i.e. Golf Plus), but not in North America. The added height makes it more practical and allows easier ingress/egress without any off-road-capable pretense, allowing the sills to be at normal car height and the wheels and tires to be smaller, leaving more space in the interior. The seats front and rear are chair-height, and the rear seatbacks fold down completely flat without needing any seat-folding trickery of the Honda Fit or Mazda 6 wagon variety. Once inside the car, it’s difficult to tell the Vibe from the Corolla Matrix – the logo on the steering wheel, a GM/Delco radio, and smaller rear quarter windows are the only obvious differences. Otherwise, these rolled off the same assembly line as the Matrix at the NUMMI joint GM/Toyota plant (now a Tesla plant) in Fremont, CA, and they’re of Toyota quality as was the Chevrolet/Geo Prizm and Nova before it. Mechanicals are pure Toyota. I gave thought to buying one myself; had I known how easy it was to quiet it down I may have. I remain clueless as to how to determine what new struts will do to the ride or handling, and which to buy.
That comment could be a Wiki summary of the Vibe.
The rear struts made maybe a 3% difference in lowering the harshness. That’s it. The never came down to the previous ride height during my ownership. Of course it is always hard to determine the changes because it is a comparison between old and worn and new parts anyway.
Is this still your last installment, Wolfgang? Has this Vibe survived the salty streets of Ames?
It is not the last installment. There is an interlude with my son’s car that I had concurrently with the Vibe. That COAL rerun next. And meanwhile the Vibe has been traded in. That means an update on the Vibe is due as well as a new COAL on my latest ride. Expect them sometime this winter.
The Toyota Matrix was never manufactured alongside the Vibe in Fremont, but rather in Cambridge, Ontario. However, the virtual identical (to the Vibe) Toyota Voltz was manufactured at Fremont in the ’03-’04 model years. The Matrix also initially used a Delco double DIN audio unit at least for the first year or two (this means you can fit a 7″ touchscreen replacement).
I hope Tatra87 finds a Voltz in Japan to write up someday.
It just needs to be about a foot longer to be a proper wagon. 😉
I missed this article the first time around, so I’m pleased to see it this time.
These seem to quietly be one of Toyota’s greatest longevity hits. I still see them all the time around Houston, racking up miles as teenagers. I’d still consider one!
I’ll miss your COAL series…you’ll have to acquire a few more cars and provide updates!
Thanks, Steven. I’ll tell my wife.
Probably should do them again, but I had progressive rate springs and new struts/shocks put on my current (’00 Golf) in 2011. They actually raised my ride height a little (know old springs compress, but even taking that into account.
I’m really a car person as well, so I can empathize with your search for a vehicle spacious enough to hold your dog, and to do some hauling once in awhile. Sure, cars aren’t meant for hauling too much weight, you have to be careful when loaded (or maybe make multiple trips if that’s feasible…guess renting a truck for the few times you can’t do that is a good idea. I like the ride of a car over a truck, especially as I get older, but finding it hard to find hatchbacks or wagons which I’d also prefer over a crossover or SUV (or truck). I seem to find a pattern where a manufacturer briefly offers something along this line in a car, but it doesn’t sell well, so they pull it, such that its no longer available (new, anyhow) once I’m ready to buy. Your Vibe would be a good example, I might have considered it (or maybe a PT Cruiser?) but they came out the year after I’d bought my Golf…maybe I’d still have bought it, but would have liked the choices. Likewise, the 626 wagon, even a Lancer hatchback, the Malibu Maxx, Buick Sportback, Chevrolet Cruze hatch, and more recently the Forte 5, Elantra Touring, and VW Golf have been discontinued (know I can buy a GTi, but I had an ’86, it was a fine car, but for a younger person that I’m no longer…looking for a smooth rather than stiff ride now….in fact my next car will need to have an automatic since no one else in my family drives manual (and I might need a car someone else can drive sometimes). Guess I could buy a Corolla hatch or a Civic, but a wagon would be nice too.
I had a laugh over the part about the subwoofer…the radio on my Golf mostly works fine, but it’s developed an inability to dial down the bass…I can change the settings on the treble and midrange, but the bass is permanently set at highest setting.. Guess I should just replace the radio but I haven’t (it’s the OEM radio), it hardly befits my age to be rolling down the road with booming speakers. Maybe its trying to tell me something?
Back in 2004, my last Grandparent died (actually my step-grandmother, I never met my Grandmother by blood, she died in 1939 before I was born)…we live 1700 miles away, and due to a mixup in communications, both I and my youngest sister ended up renting cars, which was a bit silly since we only had 3 people from my immediate family from out of town and we only planned to drive locally (she flew in from Atlanta, but of course I could have picked her up at the airport in my rental). Anyhow, she ended up with a Matrix, knowing I liked cars like that, she let me drive it instead of my rental (a non-descript sedan, don’t remember what it was). I liked it quite a bit. Sad in retrospect, she probably already had the Ovarian cancer that would claim her life at age 37 (same age as the Grandmother I never met, though Grandmother died in childbirth, along with who would have been my Aunt) though she didn’t know it at the time…the next funeral I would be going to was my youngest sister’s less than 4 years later.