I am selling the tacoma which use to be mines and my parents snow vehicle and forgot that the matrix and vibe are similar vehicles. Furthermore, they are available in awd. I wanted to get you guys opinions before I did anything stupid, but was thinking with this economy, I might be able to get a great deal on one since that line is being discontinued and looks like awd was stopped after the 07 year.

Never tried the xb in snow or ice, but see a lot of high end luxuary cars in my area which are awd when the ice and snow hits, infrequent as that is.

Just thinking outloud. The tacoma at best gets 18 mpg and can only carry myself and a passenger. I had to ferry my mom, then dad back and forth to the hospital the first week in march. The local ambulance refused service because of the snow and ice out.

I thought about trading the xb,for a matrix awd, but doubt I would make any finanical progress that way. Either way, the toyota dealer will still have a car to sell from the deal that they already stock. I know it sounds like I need an suv, but this will also be or could be my daily driver and needs to be somewhat fuel efficient. I dont need a second car payment as to why I am not just trading up the tacoma and owe about 11 grand on my xb.

I also had an uncle who bought a geo metro one year and suzuki swift another, which is basically the same manufacture, however many of the parts were not interchangable and difficult to find or had to be shipped over from japan, like the drive axles and cvc joints. I dont want to run into that either since pontiac is being discontinued.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

I have driven the Vibe and it is a nice vehicle but for some reason I thought the XB was a little better. The best thing to do is to find and rent a Vibe?Matrix for a few days to see if it meets your needs. AWD is nice in the slick times of the year but FWD is normally adequate during these times as well. Since all the snow has melted you might not get the full comparison you are looking for but I still think a rental would help make the decision either way.

There are also a few Vibe and Matrix forums that you might want to post this question to as well. Asking your question in any forum will get biased results so make sure you understand that before making your final decision.

Good luck!

 

My lady has a 05 Vibe. It is a nice car, however, I prefer my xb2. More room, cargo and leg room. Long distance driving is far more comforable as well. I do not like where the Vibe's seat hits on the back of my legs and the cockpit is a bit cramped. (I am 6' with long legs, don't know how that works for you).

The plus side of the vibe is better mpg...about 2 - 4 miles per gallon. She commutes nearly an hour each way and averages 34 to 35. The car has close to 100k miles with no major mechanical issues.

Hope this helps.

 

Pontiac no longer exists. Resale will be horrendous unless you plan to keep it for a long time. I'd get a Matrix over the Vibe.

 

maybe you should check out www.matrixowners.com

 

X2.... pontiac is supposed to be one of the first car manufacturers to go under shortly... if anything went wrong... it may not be too nice, although the vibe is nice, xb2 is my choice.

 

Thanks. I never drove the xb on ice, but the tacoma was in 4 wheel drifts around corners. The roads were covered in snow and that iced over. It was like 40 miles one way times 3 rond trips a day in the tacoma. I know the stability control of the xb is great on loose gravel I find from time to time alone the back roads.

I did drive a matrix s and thought it was too much plastic up front, but the rear had plenty of room, plus it had a built in roof rack.

You think I get a better deal trading the xb for a matrix or vibe?

 

i'm sure the xb will do fine, i've driven my tc in frostburg in snow and ice and rain for years now, and always with low profile all season tires (and one time with my summer tires on).

you'll do fine, you just gotta be patient and carefully plan your manuevering, give yourself atleast twice the distance you need to for braking and turning. i've gotten stuck in a parking space once, but it was nothing alittle rocking didn't fix in 3 minutes. heck, i'm even lowered and i've driven through snow and ice.

 

Are you sure that the Vibe is AWD?? The Marix is no longer avail with that option,...And its a Pontiac

 

It depends on where you read. I read some reviews that the vibe was no more awd after 07, then see the 2010 is awd as an option. I was thinking of an older 07 model myself.

dr, good to hear in that case. I got 10 gs from my tacoma, wonder what I can do with my scion besides the roof rack, anzo smoked tails and rear scion wing?

 

Why not get the Matrix...? It's the exact same vehicle as the Vibe, but it has a Toyota badge on it.

And the Matrix is available with AWD, I looked into buying one.

 

+1000

 

I have been running winter tires on my xB here in Wisconsin. Bridgestone Blizzak Revo1's to be exact. The car is excellent on ice and snow set up like that.
At traffic lights, I regularly drive away from the folks with suv's and other awd cars. Between the extra traction of the tires and the traction control it is very stable and confidence inspiring.
Almost to a fault lol.

 

eww..dont do it

 

I'd get a matrix if I had the chance. But from what I understand, you just haven't driven the xb in snow. I live in Virginia Beach and understand it snows up in Richmond quite a lot, but is it really enough to justify buying a car just for that? Is there something wrong w/the tacoma. From what youre saying, it doesnt seem like anything is wrong w/either car, just that the tacoma is small. I say you try out the xb in the snow and see how it goes. Worst case u total the xb, insurance pays for it, and you get a matrix awd and still only keep one payment a month.

 

Id have to think the xB would do fine. When the snow storm hit Va a couple of months ago, I had to drive my Sonata in it for many hours and the traction control was a blessing. I had my doubts, but once it kicked in a few times, i was sold. Im very glad to know the xB has it.

 

Thanks guys.

Yeah, the tacoma is too small for my passengers, howvever when it sleeted back in December, I drove around the non 4wd people.

My thinking was I could get a better deal with the vibe vs matrix, but it would be jsut for the few times it snowed, sleeted or iced over, but it did slide when braking hard.

So far no problems at all with handling on the xb. My xa use to hydroplne with the stock goodyears, but when I put some bridgestones on it, that went away.

 

I drove all winter with the stock Eagle RSA's, which suck IMHO. We got close to 120" of snow this season and I was able to get around safely, except for storms where we got more then 14".

Snow tire options...I got General Arctic Altimaxs for my lady's Vibe of two winters. Man, they are excellent tires. Since using those in the winters she has no problems getting around. She swears by them. I plan on getting a set for the xb next fall. I digress.

Do you really need an AWD in Richmond? How much snow do you really get there? How often to you get a major snow storm? How long does the snow stay on the ground? Are you really going to be driving in heavy snow fall? Don't city south of the Mason Dixon line shut down after 2" of snow, JK).

Insurance cost difference for AWD? What is the annual cost differences between the matrix and xb?

Personally, xb all the way. Although, you can't go wrong either way. I simply find the xb much more comfortable, especially for passengers in the back seat.

Pros vs. Cons...how bad to you want the Matrix and why?

BTW--I def. miss my 98' Ext. cab Tacoma. Don't miss the gas costs though, 18 gal. tank when gas was over 3.50, OY!

 

i say keep xb

 

i looked at the new matrix the other day (not to buy just look). and i think (think) it has the same bolt pattern and suspension set up as the tC