vibe or cherokee

i'm trying to decide between two vehicles i can get fairly the same price on because of a deal:

2003 pontiac vibe gt or a 2001 jeep cherokee sport


i surf and kayak so i need something that is going to allow me to carry long things on the roof. both of these vehicles do this fairly efficiently..so i need some help deciding. here's some pros and cons i have thought of:


vibe:
pros- sporty, stick shift is fun, 30+ mpg, many audio/interior features, my longboards fit inside the car as well as on top
cons- only takes premium gas (20 cents every gallon) because it's GT model engine, insurance would be very high due to performance model sporty car and i'm a male teenager


cherokee:
pros- big flat roof, regular gas, 4wd (i live in maine), the ease of an auto
cons- my longboards dont fit inside, poor mpg (15-20ish), not conducive to my environmentally minded attitude as a surfer/kayaker/outdoors loving kid


i guess i don't really know what to do. the vibe is a great little car...but premium gas is a b*tch...especially when summer rolls around again...and the way the oil business is going anyway. any input would be greatly appreciated.

First, get some insurance quotes and be sure of the extra cost. Do not just guess.
The letters GT do not turn the Vibe into a Corvette. It is still an economical 4 door hatch with low rates dispite the presence of the GT package.

Your insurance agent or broker can give you quotes probably in a few minutes.

As a Jeep owner, I would say avoid the Jeep and go with the Vibe. The Jeep is less reliable, less fun to drive, has worse handling, and is an ancient design that's been out of production for a few years. (The Vibe is a current model)

If you want a SUV, there are other compact SUV's (like the Jeep Liberty, Rav4, Honda CRV etc, that are much better than the Jeep.

As for Maine snow, get a set of 4 snow tires mounted on steel rims and the front drive Vibe will do very well.

IMO the only things the Jeep can do better is heavy-duty use like towing trailers, carrying heavy loads and, of course the off-road, harsh terrain capabilities which are far better then the Vibe.

get the vibe, its pretty much a toyota matrix, minor the facelift. it has the same 1.8 that will last along time and save you mucho dinero with gas

and with that engine, your power to weight ratio is much greater, so youll be getting a lot more fun.

Are you sure a Vibe takes premium gas? The GT insurance still wont be high, its still just a station wagon. Maybe look into a Toyo Matrix. You can get one of them AWD to combat the snow.

P.S. If you live in Maine, take up snow boarding.

I'm partial to the Jeep. They run forever.

FYI, the Vibe and Matrix are the same car.

FYI, the Vibe and Matrix are the same car.
Unfortunately the Vibe and Matrix manual trannies have a nasty habit of grenading themselves just out of warranty. Cost to fix at a dealer - $5k to replace unit on a front wheel drive.

Regards:
Oldengineer