so ive been lurking around on here in the tC fourms u might know me as tCdreamer. well my dreams were shattered by the fact that i only make 10 dolla an hour so yesterday i went out lookin for a new car kuz my ford is dead. so i started at hyundai their cheep prices drew me in looked at the elantra and the exxcel?? anyways both were kinda shabby and the dealership gave me the hebie jeebies, so i went off to the toyota dealer. drove the corola it was a nice car just to..... grandma for me... anyways they dident have any xA's there but i drove the xb it was a fun lil guyt just felt like i was driving a ford econoline van. anyways im driving back home dissapointed and i see a small podunk toyota dealer on teh way home i usally just overlooked they had 6 Xa's in stock so i figured what the heck ill try one and well i lovedit teh outside dosent do much for me but the suspention was amazing and the interior was great i liked the H.U.D. alot more the speedo and tach were the same size. only thing i have a question about is where is the temp gauge at??? kinda worried me hwo am i suppost to know if its overheating until its to late :( is it located somewhere else??? but other than that it was quite a fun little car and im sold in going to the cretit union monday and going back on wensday to see if i can pick it up then :) my only othere questions are are there any recalls on them and what are the most comon problems with the cars any help would be awsome thanks guys!!!! :bow:

There is no temp gauge - only blue and red dummy lights.

thats weak sauce wheres it located at atleast?

oh an done mroe thing i dident get a chance to drive teh manual because the 2 they had were blocked in by xB's and tC's so my other question is, how is the stick placement is it easy and confterable to shift??

Manual is deffinately the way to go! I think the placement is awesome, I'm 6' so you dont have to worry if ur tall. There's no real problems or recalls on this car. The only way you are going to have any trouble is with some aftermarket parts. Enjoy!

thanks man im thinkin ill keep it for 3 years then uy a tC with a SC and keep the xA as my dailydriver. :) its a fun lil car im hoping to get 100K worry free milles

if you can afford the lowering springs get them right away

better yet bag it and youll be far ahead of the game even rolling on stockers... xa's with air are sweet

why drop it i would rather get rims first but thats just me i th ough the car handeled very very welll for what it is stock i was extreamily supprized it blew all the other cars i drove that day out of the water and since im deffinatly a coner craver that was my ultimate reason for gettin the xA im gettin my credit rating tomarow wish me luck and with any luck by wed night ill be a proud owner of a rad xA!!!!!!

you'll find out like most of us that there is still noticable body roll. i'm guessing. it also improves the appearance of the car. good luck

ya i can understand the look thing its not my kinda car exterinally im more into wrx's rsx's and tC's but this car is a great econo car and itll get me threw this period in my life and thats all i really want froma car rightnow but ill deffinatly save up fdor a drop job i want more performance over looks whart kit and how much dose it run installed to give me what im lookin for?

if you're gonna run low (2") go for Tein S-Techs or Goldline Springs. For more moderate drop (1") go for Tein H-Techs or TRD or Hotchkis springs.

What color are you getting??

im gonna get what ever they have there thats a M5 they had a white and silver one on stock on saturday so proably either wh ite or silver kuz i cant really wait for it to get shiped here because my taurus is dead i love that car it was a supercharged 3.8Lt and i loved making mustang GT owners look like jerks when i would out run them till w/e the posted speed was and they would do the ghetto flybye and flip me off fun stuff but saidtly the block seased up a few days ago and since i dotn want my parents driving me everyhwere im gettin this car ASAP

You're one of the exteremely few people I've ever heard of that acually loved their Taurus...lol

^ yea seriously

the only problems i have with my xa is it wont let me put it in first gear sometimes and there is no block if you accidently put it in reverse

well it was my first car and even though its ____y it has never stranded me anywehre is alwasy limps home i never have to take the shoe lether express home and i drive on alot of back roads to work and back so im grateful of it

go with the white xA, a little carbon fiber, like a hood and you're in business.

carbon fiber don make it turn better or go any faster so why bother?? ill proably paint on my own graphix because im pretty skilled with pinstriping and a paint gun and air brushes im gonna try and do a tribal theme in pinstriping though im thinkin black and read what do u guys think?

Good luck with the credit union. I had some friends back in high school that drove the sc taurus, they got pretty defensive when people asked them about their Taurus. Pretty funny.

A couple of issues with the xA (at least mine):

1) the clutch is a little weak. Mine slips when it's cold and/or wet (since it was about 6 months old). It's almost impossible to prove and get the dealer to fix it under warranty, so you'll have to live with it if you're unlucky like me.

2) for long driving times, an armrest will prevent arm/shoulder pain.

Other than those two things, the xA is a great car. I get 37 mpg highway and 35-36 overall, and I'm not easy on the gas pedal. It loves the on-ramps and off-ramps even in bone stock trim.

As far as colors, my favorite now is BOP. The salsa red is just another maroon to me. But that's just personal opinion--take whatever you can get.

so how nesassary is the arm rest anyways with a manual should i finance it or just buy it online for less and not have to finance it.....

like stated, the armrest is purely for long freeway trips in a manual, I never had a need for one on my 200 mile trips to LA every month for the shows.

allrightie good to know i got a inshurance quote today its 2000 a month for my car is that high im 19 wiht one ticket??? my payment will be like 320ish a month is that high? kinda scares i really want the car but man thats high is it that way no mater what new car i buy from the ones i tested

I would go to an insurance site that will quote and just change the vehicles and see how that would effect how much you pay. Bottom line that's about right for a new car, your age and that your a guy. If you want it to drop below that either join the military, get good grades, or get married... but those are about your only options. side note mine in only $92 a month for full coverage I'm a little older but have a clean record (except the first day I had my license) plus I'm married and have the other two items going my way.

I'd highly suggest having a parent or family member with a good credit history be you co-signer to get the payments down lower.

yup i called my dad he has exclent credit so im goiing into his credit union to hopefully get my payments under 200 a month ill just get a striped down xA with no options. so hopefully itll work out