Greetings all!
New Black Cherry Pearl Xa owner here.... been lurking for a few weeks as I decided which car to buy, and reading as much as I could while waiting for my xA to arrive...
First off, I think the car is great and have a blast driving it, I think I made a wise choice here.
I had ordered it on the 5th of March, it arrived at Burien Scion on the 14th, and i finally picked it up today, the 17th. The Scion dude I dealt with at Burien Scion was great throughout the whole process, but I felt some things could have been handled better......

On the 14th when it arrived at dealership, I went down there and filled out a bit of paperwork, made sure everything was set so when I came to pick it up it would be easier. I assumed that when it was ready, I would maybe only have to schedule to have auto dimming mirror installed, as they seemed to think it would take awhile to arrive. So the 17th I was called and went down there to find out it still had no stereo, no standard wheel covers, and no auto-dim mirror..... So in the four days since it had been there, basically it had just been checked over, cleaned, whatever they do to prep a new car for someone.
Anyways, during the final paperwork they offered me all the usual upgrades, but did not hassle me about it, just explained it in a plain way and let me decide. I went for nothing additional. It was very straightforward. I was then taken over the car by the Scion guy, and was on my way. It had 34 miles on it.
Only options I went for was the extra airbags and auto dim mirror btw....most other options are way overpriced I think.
Took me awhile to even comprehend I owned the car and it was mine to drive as I wanted. Suffice to say I was as giddy as a schoolgirl on prom night. Took the long route home, stopped at a beach park, and right away the people gettin in their car next to mine were like 'What kinda car is that? That is cutting edge right there!' funny...
I noticed a few things while driving...there was a rattle- seemed to be drivers door panel , as I pushed on panel it went away...didnt notice it again....the auto trans has a high pitched sound to it at certain rpms...is this normal? I used to work on cars for a living, and am not too concerned with the noise...yet... after it is first started and I drop from Park to Drive and take off, theres some kinda click noise from rear...dunno if it is supposed to do this or not....will need to check into it further.
Other than the above, the car is top notch and everyone I showed it off to loves it. Gonna be a serious mama magnet...accel is good enough, handling is solid - just the way I would want it, field of view is good, inside room is great, and I dig the center console (just have to get used to it) .....in fact, I think its time to drive it again....

If you read this far thanks, I had no idea it would be THIS lengthy, but eh whatever.....first thing on list is to install alarm....i am good at auto electrics...any reason I should NOT attempt to do install myself? any advice appreciated...
thanks again and thanks for the great website..helped me a lot in my final decision to go with Scion.

_Cherry_Twist_

congrats on the scion xA!

Hey, I just got one as well. Congrats.

congrats i got mine a year ago this month and i love it just as much as the day a got it. it still gives me a smile when i walk to it. hope you have fun with it!

That's the best part about these little cars. I've had mine for about 3 months now. I'm 38 years old and I've owned (combined with my wife's) around 12 different vehicles. Yet everytime I walk up to my xA it just makes me happy. It's a great little car to drive and I love the style.

Vroom Vroom :love:

I have an xB, so I can't answer your questions, but one of the first things I had to get was an armrest. I can't believe they don't come with them. If you decide to get one, check out Zeta, the link is in my signature.

Congrats on the new car, you'll love it.

Hey Cherry Twist,

I too am a new xA owner and like her so far. I drove to Palm Springs yesterday from the LA area and she drove like a champ. The only thing I noticed is on certain freeway roads, where there are a lot of ruts, she rode rough and you can feel each little crack and bump. Her power and size is perfect for my commutes into the city. She's the perfect commuter car. And with the seat folded, I can pack a lot of stuff. I own a GMC Yukon I'll use on famliy vacations and pulling my boat. But for now, the Yukon is parked and with gas proces going up up up, my little Black Cherry Scion will do just fine. Of course, I'll be adding some accesories. And like some one else said on the forum, she's a blank canvas for my future master piece.

Scoot'n low

congrats on the purchase :) i envy your mirror'd passenger sun visor :)

Great to hear all the positive responses...I know that for as long as I own this thing I will get a kick out of driving it and customizing it, bit by bit.

FrankenScion - I agree on the armrest thing, my previous car didnt have one so I got used to going without, but I have looked at the Zeta one and Im sure soon I will be adding one of those, thanks for recommendation.

scoot'n low - Ill be using the car for city and freeway driving, lots of it, and I think its gonna be perfect for that, but yes some bumps really do get through. The sporty feel of it overall is good, which makes it fun to drive anywhere. I am tempted to someday lower it slightly, definately add some custom rims/tires, but I worry the ride would get too solid, so I will have to really think about that.....keep us posted on your masterpiece!

_Cherry_Twist_

would you be interested in my wheels? black/silver lip.. they'd look BEAUTIFUL on BCP and they're up for sale :)

~joel

see my gallery : www.scionlife.com/?tamago

Congrats on the car :D

congrats! now go to sponsored sales and sign up for the CF Vented hood

joel- thanks for offer but I am going to wait a bit on getting new rims, I do think the black does look trick with the BCP, but I need to really look around and take my time on deciding which ones I like.

ScionxR - thanks, I am not too sure about getting a CF hood, dunno if its something I want ...unless its color matched I think they look like the car was wrecked and hasnt been painted yet

Anyways lots of other things I plan to do before....I really need suggestions on alarm systems, esp. from people who have actually installed their own in a xA...like which ones are good quality, and come with good documentation/wiring diagrams, etc...I want remote start, 2way paging, pwr locks, starter kill, (and poison gas discharge /auto door lock when someone sits in the seat and closes door, just have to hope I dont accidentally set it off! )
Im kidding about the poison gas , but sometimes it is tempting to do, no? :) Maybe some kind of inert smoke so they couldnt see would be neato...

_Cherry_Twist_