Good morning! Today we’re in the Chicago suburbs, looking at two cars you could actually, you know, drive. Like, all the time. Crazy, huh? I have a feeling I know which car won yesterday’s battle of the weirdos, but let’s confirm it:
Mon dieu; that poor Vauxhall never stood a chance. But that little black Renault is hard to resist. I do hope the Victor finds a forever home, though; it would be a shame if it just kept rotting away.
Now then: I know I subject you all to a lot of really strange and crappy piles of junk. The cries of “ugh, neither” and “what did we do to deserve this?” don’t go completely unheeded. The fact is, there are actually some decent cars available for the sort of money we usually deal with, and I feel it’s only fair to occasionally feature a couple of them. They’re not the most exciting things on four wheels, but they’re both known to be reliable and durable, both have plenty of space for people and stuff, and both are all-wheel-drive, which is a benefit during a winter like the one we just had. In other words, they’re both just plain decent cars. On Shitbox Showdown. I know; I’m as surprised as you are. Let’s take a look at them.
2002 Toyota Highlander – $2,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter dual overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Elmwood Park, IL
Odometer reading: 167,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
Toyota has this knack for building exactly the sort of cars that people need, even if they’re not something us enthusiasts would consider desirable. They have their moments of fun, of course, but most of the time they stay pretty well grounded to, well, the ground. Twenty-some years ago, the Japanese giant introduced this car, the Highlander, a car-based crossover SUV that won’t raise any pulses, but it just plain works.
It’s big enough to be roomy, but not so big that it’s cumbersome. It’s comfortable, reasonably efficient, and like most Toyotas, well built and stone-reliable. Yeah, it’s the Motel 6 of cars, but if you just need a place to sleep, Motel 6 will do the trick. And if you just need something to drive that will get you there and back without incident, or in fact any excitement whatsoever, here it is.
This Highlander appears to have been well cared for. It only has 167,000 miles on it, pretty low for a twenty year old grocery-getter. It is originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so we can assume it has seen some winters, which means it’s worth a look underneath to check for rust. But the paint looks shiny, the interior is clean, and the seller says its 3.0 liter V6 runs well. As the old ads say, who could ask for anything more?
All right, I suppose you could ask for some actual styling and a driving experience that doesn’t so closely resemble a Kenny G record, but if that’s what you’re after, look elsewhere. This thing is all about comfort, practicality, and usefulness.
2005 Pontiac Vibe – $2,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Glenview, IL
Odometer reading: 203,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does
Pontiac, on the other hand, was all about excitement. Its ad campaigns told us so. But this Pontiac has a dirty little secret: it’s actually a Toyota. Built by New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc, late of Fremont, California (now a Tesla plant, as I understand it), the Vibe was more or less a Toyota Matrix in a different outfit.
As such, it’s powered by Toyota’s 1ZZ-FE twin-cam four, in this case powering all four wheels through a four-speed automatic. You could get a Vibe with a stick, as well as a more powerful engine, both of which make it live up to that excitement promise a bit more. But for a practical runabout, this engine makes plenty of power, and at least Toyota automatics hold up well.
It’s in good condition, especially for being north of 200,000 miles. But no matter how well you care for it, this car will never see 300,000 – the odometer simply won’t go that high; it stops at 299,999. But the fact that that’s a well-known problem speaks highly of the car’s engineering and build quality. I mean, no one has any idea whether a Maserati’s odometer stops before 300,000 miles.
It looks good, and it’s a great shade of blue, even better than that Scion earlier this week. We don’t get a lot to go on regarding its mechanical condition, but a quick inspection by someone who knows what they’re looking for should tell you what you need to know.
Yeah, they’re boring four-door automatics. But the great part about cars like this is that they take the pressure off; if you have something like this in the driveway to get around reliably, you can have whatever fun-but-sketchy thing you want tucked away in the garage for fun on the weekends. And I think I picked two cars distinctive enough that there actually is a choice to be made. So which one will it be?
(Image credits: Craigsliest sellers)
I’ll take the Toyota.
so both.
It was a tough choice. In the end though, I decided the Toyota offered just a little more value than the Toyota.
About ten years ago, there was a Vibe running around St. Paul that had the license plate “RATOR”. I’d not be shocked to find out it is still bringing that level of humor to the streets of the twin cities today.
This is the exact market I’m in right now; looking for a 3ish grand car for my daughter to take to school. That’s why I voted for the Highlander. It’s safe, boring, reliable, everything you would want in this situation. It does exactly what you would want a car like that to do. I got burned by a Pontiac as my first car, and I’ve held a grudge ever since.
That said, I was in an accident that totaled my car 10+ years ago, and the rental they gave me was a Vibe. I was initially pissed about getting a Pontiac, but it was surprisingly engaging to drive. It had plenty of Highway power, took a corner well, was super comfortable, and just all around fun. But I still don’t think it would last in the same way that Toyota would, so I couldn’t vote for it
Funny you should mention that Pontiac not lasting like a Toyota…
It may have a Toyota engine, but in it’s heart, it’s a Pontiac.
Ok maybe I’m just still burned from that original Pontiac I owned 30+ years ago
Literally the only thing Pontiac about this is the logo and the Delco stereo in the dash.
and the cladding to make it look a bit more boring GM of that time.
Huh, I thought it was just the engine.
Nope, they are mechanically identical cars. GM and Toyota even made them in the same plant together. Toyota needed factory space, and GM needed a small car that wasn’t a pile of shit. It was the perfect match.
Then you’re in luck, Japan also received an Uno reverse card version of the Vibe: the Toyota Voltz!
Neither are genuinely terrible for the price they have to offer. No shitboxes here!
ooo yeah that 1MZ is no fun at ALL! If you ever have to get to the back of the engine, good luck 😀
Thnakfully, the Highlander was also available with a 4-cylinder. That would be the better choice. But if you really need something that big, just get a fucking Sienna.
The Vibe is awesome! 4-cylinder engine that will last a long time with no problems and is easy on gas.
I voted for the Vibe. I might have voted for the Highlander if it was the 4-cylinder.
Choices are hard sometimes. So I will take both. And do appreciate today’s selection of two cars, which unlike most days are not total pieces of shit.
The Highlander might not be all that bad rust-wise being from the U.P. When I lived there they seldom used salt (wouldn’t work with how cold it got) so they put stamp sand on the ice to give it some *bite*. No salt, but the cars all developed a weird reddish mud hue and in the spring when it melted we ended up with “snirt”. Snowy dirt on everything. I went Highlander because of less miles, a V6, and I think a Vibe with an automatic would be a penalty box on wheels. With a stick I would have gone Vibe but I don’t believe the AWDs ever came with sticks.
I had a 2010 Matrix manual that got totaled in a rear ender about 2 years ago. It was almost all manual including transmission and rolling down the windows. Great car but not great for the bumper to bumper traffic I deal with daily.
I replaced it with a 2009 Matrix with the automatic trans and even though it might complain a bit when I push it, it does fine.
Car over
lifted unibody wagonCrossover any day.Looks like the Vibe is at a dealership, tho, which gives me pause. The only places selling cars that cheap are D Lots (or higher in the alphabet) OR it was taken in on trade, which can imply that there are some undisclosed defects or near future issues: why trade in a perfectly running car?
lol, um maybe they wanted something bigger, or were tired of it? Plenty of reasons other than something is about to go.. tho I agree something might be a ticking time bomb, esp on a “D” lot.
Or maybe they just got a raise or two and wanted something nicer. I know I’ve been there, even if it’s rarely a wise financial decision…
I went Vibe because of the fantastic blue and the fact that I always liked the styling of them. But make no mistake-this was a close one solely for nostalgic reasons. One of my buddies in college had a Highlander of this gen and it was the defacto debauchery mobile, especially early on. He had the wheels, he had the fake ID, and his car was always fair game for hotboxing.
If we were all piling into the Highlander it was going to be a good night…and he and I both lived in the DC area and would make the 8 hour drive home and back together for long breaks. We had a lot of fun trips blasting Wu Tang and Cypress Hill, passing joints back and forth, and stopping at every fast food place imaginable.
Ahhhhh shit. Simpler times. But then again this is the magic of cars…suddenly I’m taken back 10+ years by a couple of pictures of an appliance car. Anyway off to go be miserable at my job that is extremely anti hotboxing the Highlander…
Well well well… about time a Vibe showed up.
Had one of those as my first car and it is absolutely indestructible.
Sure, when I hit the horn the headlights turned on and I had to install a kill switch for the turn signals, but it gave me toyota reliability with a GM discount.
The Vibe has been listed on Chicago CL every day for the last week or so. The price keeps ticking down lower.
I’m a little surprised it hasn’t sold, it’s clean, AWD, and slushbox. Is it the orphan factor, or the fact that many don’t know it’s a Toyota?
Most don’t know it’s a Toyota, and people think that they look weird
My sister is still driving her first car, a 2003 Vibe. I think she got it when she was 18 years old? She’s 33. That cockroach will not die (the car, not my sister)
There can be only one. So Highlander it is. TBH though, the vibe is not a bad choice either… with it’s 1ZZ (same engine as in my ’06 Corolla) it has a far more resilient powertrain than the general itself ever offered.
Went for the Vibe (Vibe owner here) but I’d always pick a car over a truck.
I never knew they stopped at just shy of 300k. My in laws had a corolla of this generation that after my MIL, and literally all 5 of her kids were done with it, it landed in the scrap yard with 274k. Man if I had known it was that close to the max I probably would have talked them into keeping it another 6 months, yes they drove that much. It was in fact replaced with a Vibe, that got totaled out, and subsequently replaced by a matrix. All silver, all 2005s.
I like the Vibe better, but the Highlander is probably the better deal. Larger with fewer miles probably makes up for the age difference.
But I’d rather take the Vibe. I don’t want a Highlander. Or a black vehicle.
Of course, taking a look underneath to see if either one is going to rust apart would be the smart move.
Two tough/good choices today. Highlander here. Structural rust under both would be a concern, but the Vibes rust worse/faster than Highlanders.
I’ve owned a Vibe and they’re fine…but the community joke about them always “vibin'” isn’t misplaced. They tend to destroy the dogbone motor mounts and kick the NVH up to 12…I think they were at 11 out of the factory. The other unfortunate thing I discovered is that their lack of a true traction control (they have StabiliTrak which isn’t quite the same), so driving in icy conditions can be a little nerve wracking. Other than those issues, it was a nice runner, got decent mileage, had Corolla-esque handling which makes sense, and was pretty useful.
I’ve also had a Sienna with the dreaded 1MZ-FE and they’re really not that bad, as long as you keep up on maintenance (PCV, oil, VVT solenoid, etc). This Highlander has the last vestiges of Toyota’s Good Upholstery™ and for a Toyota of that year, that’s fairly low mileage. Bonus points for the AWD.
“The Highlander. It is the strongest of all the choices. It’s the perfect car.”
In the before times, I bought my daughter a 2003 Pontiac Vibe with about 30k miles on it for less than this one. It was the proverbial car owned by a little old lady who only drove it to church and the grocery store.
Granted, it was only 2wd, but it had a sunroof, and she loved it.
Then she wrecked it. Totalled it.
It was during the crazy car Covid times, so even after paying my deductible, I got $500 more than I paid for it 2 years prior.
It was a great little car.
I’m not sure why, but I voted for the Highlander.
Vibe, for sure. My friend/ex had one as her first car – also blue, also AWD – and she’d probably still have it (instead of a Liberty that fell over while stopped, then a Passat TDI that became a basket case, and more recently an Escape) if I hadn’t put it up someone’s ass in a panic-braking situation.
God, that thing was slow – my automatic Yaris feels meaningfully quicker, though the 740 wagon I wrote about the other day was slower, at least – but it was a great car.
Also, I’m pretty sure I can see the rot creeping into the Highlander’s rockers.
Call me crazy but if I’m going to buy a Toyota, I want the one that says Toyota. Otherwise, both are solid choices.
Due respect, but if the choice is Toyota v Toyota, I’ll take the one with the arrowhead on the grille. We be Vibin’!
I went smaller, newer, albeit more miles. Although I will be the voice of dissent regarding the color- I hate blue. Especially dark blue that looks like you really wanted black but didn’t look close enough.
Your thoughts on color (Blue) and cars with a lack of color (Black) are confusing to me.
You might be feeling the Vibe on 4/20, but the best way to celebrate the holiday is by getting High(lander).
I might be wrong, but this basically boils down to: do you want big or small? Both looks decent for the price
You’re not wrong. I went small.
I drove a Vibe for 9 years until 2018. It’s still my favorite of all the cars I’ve owned. Practical, fun, adorable, affordable. Hatchback heaven!