View Full Version : Senior xB drivers...


ktb53
01-04-2004, 02:03 AM
I don't know about you guys but I have seen quite a few seniors driving xB's around and it's a bit depressing (no offense to the seniors) but I'll cruise up to another xB just to say hi and half the time it's an old lady. My wife laughs at me and I get a bit bummed.

Not to dis the older folks but I'm a little surprised they would be driving this type of car.

JDMxB
01-04-2004, 03:02 AM
This is very true.

Although Toyota had aimed the market towards gen Y owners, an awesome value, reliable vehicle will ALWAYS be popular with the masses.

Just because people are a certain age, doesn't mean they can't appreciate a real affordable, feature packed car made by one of the worlds best known manufacturers!

Pablo_xB
01-04-2004, 03:17 AM
Exactly, and also most of the time older people will probably have more money and means to buy the car. And Dealers want to make money, so they won't say "uh you're too old, you can't buy this" :D

But I definitely see what you're saying. You don't want to feel like you're driving around and Old-folks-mobile. :D

quadoptix
01-04-2004, 03:40 AM
very true...i use to have a rav4 and that car was marketed towards teenagers but 80% of people who drove them r old people..

tintsem
01-04-2004, 03:50 AM
Just curious, how old is old?

Pablo_xB
01-04-2004, 04:05 AM
Just look at anyone driving an element, that's too old :lol:

George
01-04-2004, 05:24 AM
I don't know about you guys but I have seen quite a few seniors driving xB's around and it's a bit depressing (no offense to the seniors) but I'll cruise up to another xB just to say hi and half the time it's an old lady. My wife laughs at me and I get a bit bummed.

Not to dis the older folks but I'm a little surprised they would be driving this type of car.

Not to dis the younger folks :) but you've purchased a plain-vanilla econobox that you've been hyped into thinking is the coolest thing since ice.

The fact it, the xB is a great little mommiemobile with ample room for two or three kids and several bags of groceries. It's also a good car for seniors on a fixed income who want a car that is easy to get in and out of.


Just curious, how old is old?

That would depend upon the age of the observer. The old saying was "never trust anyone over 30", but having passed that milestone over a decade ago those twentysomethings look like teenyboppers these days! :)

George

Itsdchz
01-04-2004, 07:19 AM
George:

2 thumbs up to ya!!!
8)

ktb53
01-04-2004, 07:28 AM
Not to dis the younger folks :) but you've purchased a plain-vanilla econobox that you've been hyped into thinking is the coolest thing since ice.

The fact it, the xB is a great little mommiemobile with ample room for two or three kids and several bags of groceries. It's also a good car for seniors on a fixed income who want a car that is easy to get in and out of.

George

Yea, acutally I would agree with that. The very first time I saw the xB I was like, man that thing is ugly, but I thought it was so radical and different that it was cool and it really started to grow on me. I admit though that the brochure with the DVD was a big hit with me because I'm a graphic designer and it was really well designed and featured some stuff about designers etc. However, I do have two kids and the practicality mixed with the very design is what made me decide to get one.

George
01-04-2004, 07:53 AM
I admit though that the brochure with the DVD was a big hit with me because I'm a graphic designer and it was really well designed and featured some stuff about designers etc.

Here is where our views diverge. My wife and I were laughing at how hard Toyota worked to make the brochure as "edgy" as possible, ignoring the supposed purpose of a brochure which is to convey useful information about the vehicle. If that's what is considered "good design" then I'm glad I'm not a graphic designer. I obviously don't "get it!"

George

stankubrick
01-04-2004, 08:35 AM
I admit though that the brochure with the DVD was a big hit with me because I'm a graphic designer and it was really well designed and featured some stuff about designers etc.

Here is where our views diverge. My wife and I were laughing at how hard Toyota worked to make the brochure as "edgy" as possible, ignoring the supposed purpose of a brochure which is to convey useful information about the vehicle. If that's what is considered "good design" then I'm glad I'm not a graphic designer. I obviously don't "get it!"

George

I am a graphic designer, and I think it can be considered "good design." The goal was to achieve a style and tone that would speak to a very specific audience, and they were successul. The younger generation has grown up in such a visually polluted environment (MTV, billboards, ads, etc.) that wading throgh a lot of junk is not really a problem. The designers could have easily made it "simpler" for a more general audience if they wanted to. :D

Al-Truistic
01-04-2004, 02:49 PM
Hmmm...I think the age thing (even tho' it's the whole marketing edge that Toyota wanted) is really only the tip of Scion's emerging popularity. The xA and xB are both great vehicles! My Dad really likes the xA and my Mom and I liked the xB. I get a kick out of my friend who "always" sees drivers older than him driving "his" IS...It must be a vanity of youth to need to possess something...no prob, I must've been that way back in my day.
I think it is cool in a very funny way to see a dropped and tuned Scion (that I assume belongs to some "yoot") being taken for a spin or down to the local drug store or to Sunday mass by "Granny" and she is looking pretty bad ___ in the driver's seat, too!
Being practical, economic and unique should not be exclusive...

rjsalvi
01-04-2004, 03:04 PM
I don't know about you guys but I have seen quite a few seniors driving xB's around and it's a bit depressing (no offense to the seniors) but I'll cruise up to another xB just to say hi and half the time it's an old lady. My wife laughs at me and I get a bit bummed.

Not to dis the older folks but I'm a little surprised they would be driving this type of car.

Not to dis the younger folks :) but you've purchased a plain-vanilla econobox that you've been hyped into thinking is the coolest thing since ice.

The fact it, the xB is a great little mommiemobile with ample room for two or three kids and several bags of groceries. It's also a good car for seniors on a fixed income who want a car that is easy to get in and out of.


Just curious, how old is old?

That would depend upon the age of the observer. The old saying was "never trust anyone over 30", but having passed that milestone over a decade ago those twentysomethings look like teenyboppers these days! :)

George

LOL! Good call George, but you forgot one other segment of buyers...those of us "boomers" that just don't want to grow up. It's a case of: "If the car is marketed to kids, it must be cool." And I don't quite yet know why, but for those of us that cut our teeth on VW Beetles back in the day, the xB seems like the modern day logical extension of that cultural experience. 8)

izzles
01-04-2004, 03:59 PM
Thats true I see the same but I see more young of a crowd as well...its all good its always neat to see another box

SCI_FIRE
01-04-2004, 04:10 PM
I was excited to see another XA on the road last night, only to see 3 gray-haired ladies in it. They were laughing it up, prolly off to have a nice dinner out together. Hell, when a 19-year-old sees ME in my XA, he prolly thinks the same thing. "Hey, that old lady is driving an XA?! And it's all tricked out, too!"

Don't forget that fact that many older people are as poor off as the young kids... stuck in minimum wage jobs &/or facing Social Security and a parttime job. Any Toyota that has a great price, great gas mileage and longterm reliability is going to be attractive.

tintsem
01-04-2004, 04:54 PM
I'm a thirty-five year old business owner. I purchased the XB to use as a rolling billboard. Everyone looks at it. Hell it makes me another thousand dollars a week. Can't beat it.

George
01-04-2004, 07:57 PM
LOL! Good call George, but you forgot one other segment of buyers...those of us "boomers" that just don't want to grow up. It's a case of: "If the car is marketed to kids, it must be cool." And I don't quite yet know why, but for those of us that cut our teeth on VW Beetles back in the day, the xB seems like the modern day logical extension of that cultural experience. 8)

Oh, absolutely! I'm on the tail end of the Boomers (What I call the "Space Age Generation") and it's very apparent that cars like the PT cruiser and New Beetle are wildly popular with this group. Nostalgia sells.

It's obvious that if you sell a car to youth, you can sell it to everyone, but if you sell it to the mature you will turn youth off. Cadillac learned this lesson the hard way.

The teens and twenties are years of desperately trying to conform to the image demanded by one's peers, so the advertiser's goal is to make sure that their product is included in that image. Note the Scion brochures which are more concerned with displaying a teen/twenty lifestyle that includes the Scion vehicles than in actually describing the vehicles.

Older folks tend to choose products more with utility in mind, and the xB is very practical. The high roofline and seat height make it easy to enter and exit for seniors and the back seat is fantastic for the children of the middle age folk. The fact that the car carries a youthful cachet is so much the better. What many Gen-Y folks don't realize is that Boomers grew up with vehicles that were boxy, so they feel right at home with the xB.

George

CBSIMONSEZ
01-05-2004, 12:02 AM
Im with tintsem, i ( started ) out buying this car for business purposes. For carrying capacity, you cant find anything remotely close, and for the price .... fuggetboudit! Now, with the release of the r.s.1.0, for a grand more, i think the xB had taken over for both business and pleasure. I cant wait to get my lil lunch box here and start driving it around. I know it will increase my business, thing is, i cant take on any more business right now, im booked! But man, its gonna be fun driving that lil orange box around.

i just had a thought for a personal plate .... something in the line of MINITMD. A rolling juice box. :wink:

Mr_scion
01-05-2004, 01:57 AM
n-e senior that has a scion just got 10 cool points with me my grandmother donts like them

George
01-05-2004, 04:29 AM
Im with tintsem, i ( started ) out buying this car for business purposes.

I can't wait to see an xB set up as a pizza delivery car. It would be perfect for this!

George

Inazuma
01-05-2004, 05:58 AM
its true...

maybe 90% of people to ask me what kind of car this is are old people.

Maybe it reminds them of a mobile home :lol:

And i agree with GEORGE, I want to see a pizza delivery truck also.. I was actually thinking this a few days ago.

hatchbox
01-05-2004, 06:01 AM
my jaw still drops just a little when i see a geriatric rolling in a scion. but then again those folks tend to keep them looking stock.

i remember one time when this old grannie pulled up next to me in a honda del sol once at a stoplight with the turbo spooling. that was outrageous

rjsalvi
01-05-2004, 01:41 PM
Im with tintsem, i ( started ) out buying this car for business purposes.

I can't wait to see an xB set up as a pizza delivery car. It would be perfect for this!

George

...or a right hand drive mail truck. :idea:

obz
01-05-2004, 02:38 PM
I probably get more compliments on my car by 30+ers than anyone younger. The other day when I was putting on my 17's a guy was watching my car. He told me he was 70 kinda liked the xB and was actually debating on getting one. He said that if the rims looked good on my car he'd go down and buy one, and if not he wouldn't consider getting one at all. Well looks like we've got another Scion owner on the way. He loved it so much he said he was going to go down the next day and get his new car. Crazy stuff!! I tend to agree with some of you, if I see anyone over like 50 driving this car I give them BIG props. It's like seeing those funny silver haired ladys that are 80 driving an old 56 mustang!!!

George
01-05-2004, 06:42 PM
Im with tintsem, i ( started ) out buying this car for business purposes.

I can't wait to see an xB set up as a pizza delivery car. It would be perfect for this!

George

...or a right hand drive mail truck. :idea:

There are a lot of people who contract with the USPS to do rural mail delivery. For a while Subaru (I think) was providing RHD vehicles for them.

A RHD xB would be OK for this, but the skirts would have to go. Rural conditions would rip them off in short order.

George

George
01-05-2004, 06:58 PM
my jaw still drops just a little when i see a geriatric rolling in a scion. but then again those folks tend to keep them looking stock.

i remember one time when this old grannie pulled up next to me in a honda del sol once at a stoplight with the turbo spooling. that was outrageous

Obviously not a fan of the Jan and Dean song "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)" :)


INTRO:
It's the Little Old Lady from Pasadena!

VERSE:
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
(Go granny, go granny, go granny go)
Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias
(Go granny, go granny, go granny go)

But parked in her rickety old garage
There's a brand new shiny red Superstock Dodge

CHORUS:
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner
Than the Little Old Lady from Pasadena
(She drives real fast and she drives real hard)
She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard...

More at:

http://www.gogrannygo.com/

George

usdmbB
01-05-2004, 07:09 PM
Im with tintsem, i ( started ) out buying this car for business purposes.

I can't wait to see an xB set up as a pizza delivery car. It would be perfect for this!

George
seems to me taxi is where you could make some money with an xb

Inazuma
01-05-2004, 08:06 PM
My coworker told me to start an ice cream truck business with my polar white. sarcastic bastard :lol:

Cheif_Thundercloud
01-05-2004, 08:59 PM
http://images.snapfish.com/3396568723232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E2329%3D693%3D693%3DXROQDF%3E232348%3A96727%3Bot1lsi[/url]

PandaIst
01-05-2004, 10:31 PM
That ups xB rocks! :P

Munch
01-05-2004, 10:32 PM
The UPS box is pretty cool 8) .