2003 Pontiac Vibe (14 months later)

[clarkfan1979]

I bought in late July of 2014 for 2500 dollars with 165000 miles. The car runs smooth, but as the car gets older, it burns oil.

I bought an ultragauge to track my gas mileage and also kept track at the pump.

When the car was in Florida, I was driving about 20% highway miles and 80% non-highway mile. My MPG was around 28.5 and I burned through a quart of oil about every 800 miles.

We moved the car to the Denver area for the summer. I was driving about 90% highway miles and 10% non-highway. I averaged about 32 MPG, but the car burned oil every 600 miles.

It turns out that the car burns more oil during longer trips on the highway. I am assuming that it's because  the engine is warmer.

We put about 20,000 miles on the car during the first 14 months. It has been a reliable workhorse for us with many road trips under it's belt including a cross-country trip from Florida to Colorado.

The only repair has been a new starter that I changed myself for 137 dollars.

It's going to stay in Colorado during the summer and will be our summer car.

Yes, the oil does cost money. It's 17.99 for a 5 quart of Penzoil high milage at Walmart. However, the cost of the oil is very low considering that I bought the car for 2500 and it's a great car. Very smooth and plenty of room and cargo space.

After purchasing the car, many people on this forum predicted disaster, which did not happen.

It's not about proving anyone wrong. However, it's about providing encouragement to anyone else who is considering a similar car purchase.

The burning of oil is what turns people off and makes the price lower which I think is very MMM. I will try to provide an update after the end of each summer. 

[Digital Dogma]

Are you sure thats all burning oil and not an oil LEAK?

Ive heard of large trucks burning oil which in turn fouls the catalytic converter and causes the vehicle to stall and fail to start, if that occurs it may mean a costly repair down the line that you didnt factor into the equation.

[Bob W]

1 quart every 700 miles means virtually no oil changes.  So it should be cost neutral.

[bigstack]

Is it smoking? Blueish tint out the exhuast?

I would think based on locale...it might fail emissions testing.

[Bateaux]

Switch to a full synthetic oil wich is slightly higher in viscosity.   If 5w 20 is recommended move up to 5w 30 for once oil change and note the difference.   Fuel mileage may drop a little but the full synthetic higher viscosity oil may burn less.  It won't harm the engine.

[Sjalabais]

Happy it worked out for you! In 2001 I bought a '77 Volvo 242. It was a great car. Until I drove it without much but oil vapor for almost 1000km. The top was burned and I had to change to 20W50 mineral oil. The thick slush made it hard to start in winter, but reduced the oil consumption noticeably. I had the car for a little less than three years and it was a great time. Even though everyone said such an old car will eat you alive...it didn't. And it was more reliable than a 10 year old Nissan I had later on. More comfortable and sturdy, too, plus more spacious.

[Turnbull]

1 quart every 700 miles means virtually no oil changes.  So it should be cost neutral.

Yes indeed. I had an old packer truck in my trash business years ago that burned so much oil I never changed it. I just changed the filter at regular intervals and kept the new oil flowing!

[KarefulKactus15]

I got a 2004 Vibe AWD I bought off CL.   If it last 3 more months it pays for itself over the car we sold.  It had an oil leak around the valve cover, I was gonna fix it, but I switched to a synthetic oil and the leak went away....   Not sure how long it will last but its got 165k and I think I can run it into the ground at 200K + with minimal maintenance cost.   

On a side not, I recently switched my ford ranger from valvoline conventional oil to Mobil 1 synthetic EP and I went from 25mpg to 27.5 MPG on the 2 fill ups I've done since the change.  I was very surprised when I saw that. 

[clarkfan1979]

I got a 2004 Vibe AWD I bought off CL.   If it last 3 more months it pays for itself over the car we sold.  It had an oil leak around the valve cover, I was gonna fix it, but I switched to a synthetic oil and the leak went away....   Not sure how long it will last but its got 165k and I think I can run it into the ground at 200K + with minimal maintenance cost.   

On a side not, I recently switched my ford ranger from valvoline conventional oil to Mobil 1 synthetic EP and I went from 25mpg to 27.5 MPG on the 2 fill ups I've done since the change.  I was very surprised when I saw that.

How much did you pay for your 2004 Vibe, if you don't me asking.

[KarefulKactus15]

No I don't mind,   I paid 3500 which was blue book private party at the time.  You must of got one heck of a deal lol.

[clarkfan1979]

I think mine was blue book too. I think we both got a good deal.

[Alex321]

1 quart every 700 miles means virtually no oil changes.  So it should be cost neutral.

I don't know about that. If you're burning off the oil, you're not burning off the metal particulates that are collecting in the oil and the filter, which I thought was one of the main reasons for changing the oil in the first place.

OP, I had a Honda in high school that required adding oil more often than it required refueling. Not exaggerating. The blue clouds in the morning were legendary.

[brandino29]

I think mine was blue book too. I think we both got a good deal.

Not to rub it in but last summer (July '14) I bought a 2005 Pontiac Vibe for $1,800 that booked at $4,400.

It was a friend/acquaintance of mine that was selling it on Facebook, I had messaged him originally that I was interested but I was in no rush, 2 months later he was still trying to sell it, I went to his house and jumped in with him to test drive it and 200 yards down the road he says "I can't take less than $1,800!"  I bought it on the spot, I was ready to pay much more. 

I even took it to two separate mechanics prior to buying it and asked them to look it over and both said it was in solid condition for age and mileage (182k at the time).  It's been a good vehicle for me. 

[clarkfan1979]

I think mine was blue book too. I think we both got a good deal.

Not to rub it in but last summer (July '14) I bought a 2005 Pontiac Vibe for $1,800 that booked at $4,400.

It was a friend/acquaintance of mine that was selling it on Facebook, I had messaged him originally that I was interested but I was in no rush, 2 months later he was still trying to sell it, I went to his house and jumped in with him to test drive it and 200 yards down the road he says "I can't take less than $1,800!"  I bought it on the spot, I was ready to pay much more. 

I even took it to two separate mechanics prior to buying it and asked them to look it over and both said it was in solid condition for age and mileage (182k at the time).  It's been a good vehicle for me.

Not rubbing it in at all. I think it's a great car that many people do not like so you can get a really good deal. Its the ultimate MMM.

[ketchup]

Are you sure thats all burning oil and not an oil LEAK?

Ive heard of large trucks burning oil which in turn fouls the catalytic converter and causes the vehicle to stall and fail to start, if that occurs it may mean a costly repair down the line that you didnt factor into the equation.

I'd be concerned about that too.  A leak will leave stains and make messes under the hood, but likely won't do any damage.  Oil burning could slowly murder your exhaust.

It is satisfying when a cheap car purchase works out so well.  I bought a '99 Metro last April for $1000 with 146k on it, and it's at 171k now and it leaks oil but has no other real problems (just had to change the clutch out a few weeks ago, but I think it was the original clutch at 171k).  Average of 43MPG since purchase.  And I also bought a '92 Buick Roadmaster wagon for $700 last July with 158k and it just rolled past 187k, no issues except that it got a bit beat up when it hit a deer at 60mph.  (Yes, I know we drive a lot of miles; my girlfriend travels a lot for work, hence the cheap cars.)

[Sjalabais]

Interesting car park. With a bit of sweat you could probably squeeze the Metro into the back of the Roadmaster... :D

[ketchup]

Interesting car park. With a bit of sweat you could probably squeeze the Metro into the back of the Roadmaster... :D

It would fit if the Roadmaster interior was taller!  Yes, I have thought about this before...

[clarkfan1979]

The oil consumption seems to be less in cooler weather. My wife is still driving the Vibe right now and officially moves to Kauai in two days. It looks like it's about 1 quart of oil for every 1000 miles during the month of October, instead of the previous 800 miles in the warmer months. Just wanted to share.

[RecoveringCarClown]

Yep, oil is thicker when cold.  Are you using 5w30?  Step up to 10w40 and you would likely see your consumption all but disappear.

[alsoknownasDean]

I had a Peugeot that burnt oil, and I remember going to a slightly thicker oil.

I drove it like that for a year until the clutch went and I decided to cut my losses and get rid of it.

I've had my '02 Holden Barina since December, I paid $3000AUD for it and it only had 111,000km on the clock. Now it's at just under 120,000km. The Barina was a bit cheaper than the equivalent Toyota/Mazda/Honda of the same age and kilometres because it requires a timing belt replacement more often than most other cars (and I think it's been in a minor crash at some point in the past).

So far it's been pretty reliable, although it's due for a major service (which includes said timing belt replacement).

I quite like the idea of cheap cars now.

[Cadman]

You might want to pick up a bottle of Lucas Heavy-Duty Oil Stabilizer. This isn't a stop-leak type of product but rather helps with consumption and wear. I've had amazing luck with it on several vehicles in which it's virtually stopped the consumption altogether.

[someday]

If your vibe is chugging a quart every 700-800 miles, you should always keep an eye out for oil deals to help reduce your operating cost.  Similar to buying the cheapest gas in town, except you can store oil at home and buy in bulk when on sale.

Bobistheoilguy has a forum dedicated to oil deals - I've got my oil purchases down to about $1.50/quart average, for name brand oil.  There was a massive sale last year at Autozone for $1/quart - I was shy and only bought 20 quarts.  Some folks were buying hundreds.  Pep boys also usually runs a black friday deal for 5 qts + filter for $8 after rebate (this was the BF special for 2012, ymmv).

Like others have suggested, try using a thicker weight and see if it helps.  I had an old oil burner (at one point 1 qt per 500 miles) that improved slightly when using 20w50.  Of course keep in mind the weather conditions - if you're in sub freezing temps I wouldn't go anything thicker than 10w40.

I wouldn't spend the extra $$ on synthetic since the oil gets burned at such a high rate.  I would keep driving the car until a serious problem develops, and just keep adding oil (but making sure you keep an eye on the oil level religiously).  The purchase price and miles used so far has made anything else you get from the car a bonus. 

[Sjalabais]

Wow. Here in Norway, even <a href="http://www.mekonomen.no/bil/bilpleie-og-service/kjemikalier/racingolje/motorolje-pa265856no">synthetic 20W50 will set you back 92$/4l (~gallon)</a> - and we famously pump a lot of it out of the ground. Mineral oil is ca one third less.