i just want your opinion on this. This will be my first car that im ever gonna buy in my life, and i want to make the right decision before i pull the trigger (so to speak). i want to get the xB but if push came to shove i would have to get the Echo.

omg XB all the way. u want the extra room, the extra style, and the more comfortable ride.

i woud choose an XB. go test driv 1 and find out wat i mean

i kno that scion has some sort of first time buyer program. i hav test driven the xB and the echo and IMO the xB is better, but i dont wanna screw up my credit say if i lose my job and cant pay for it (needless to say, it would be the same way it would be the same way if i went for the echo but it wouldnt be as bad.) only if knew what to do. :? :(

XB.....by Far....

I am suprised that you are having trouble deciding.. XB BABY!!

-nt

xB, no doubt! 8)

Same reasons as listed above.


Dave.

Are you seriously expecting objective options at a Scion forum?
The members of the Toyota Echo forum - if one exists - might offer you a different opinion. Or the same!

reagan

I've owned both. Get the xB. it is alot roomier, and a heck of a lot more fun to drive.

www.echodrivers.com if you want to get some words from the echo guys. I will tell you why im looking into getting a xA over a Echo. The major thing is the standard features. Now when you add on Power Windows, ABS, 15 Wheels, A/C, Rear Defrost, Power Steering & all thost other things you get a car that is about the same price as the scions. Also if you are into the after market then you will have better luck getting a scion to. I will try to figure out about how much a echo would be with all the options stacked onto it.

Edit: For a 2 Door Echo with most of the major options on it, the cost would be $12,430 but you still dont get ABS or power windows with that price. There might be some other things I cant recall right now either so as you can see the major choice would came down to you & what you want. About the only real + I can see with the Echo is the gas milage.

Are you seriously expecting objective options at a Scion forum?
The members of the Toyota Echo forum - if one exists - might offer you a different opinion. Or the same!

reagan

I just want a general idea cause this is THE FIRST car im ever gonna buy and im getting different opinions from family and friends and i just need a little help deciding thats all im asking fer.

:D

I think Motortrend put it best whe they said (SIC) "Driving the toyota echo is the equvalent to taking a laxative, you take the ride becuase you need to and you are happy when it is over". You obviosly want a cool car becuase you are on a forum. They Are both toyotas, and the are both increadibly reliable, but you are not getting laid in an echo (that is to say you can/want to get laid in the first place). If you dont care about looks or drive quality, get the echo. If its a problem with not affording the scion, get a camaro, not an echo!

Good luck and follow your heart. You will always regret not doing so.

interesting point there man :)

look at it from this point of veiw. if you were to loose your job ( assuming payments would be close between the 2) would you rather wreck your credit and still lok like you had some style and class ( xB) or would you rather wreck your credit and your reputation by making everyone think you took your Moms car for your next interveiw (Echo)? lol each is own but by far you get more with the xB for your money i think and the oddity of it certainly is appreciative as well. good luck on your decision....

Order a bone stock xB. Go to your dealer and dont add accesories. Especially the whack cargo cover. If you want accesories, I highly recommend the cargo liner that has a rear bumper flap. Also the bumper applique is pointless, I dont have it but it's one expensive skateboard grip tape. :lol:

If possible, put a big deposit to reduce your monthly payment. Or dont finance the taxes, registration. Pay those with a check.

Order a bone stock xB. Go to your dealer and dont add accesories. Especially the whack cargo cover. If you want accesories, I highly recommend the cargo liner that has a rear bumper flap. Also the bumper applique is pointless, I dont have it but it's one expensive skateboard grip tape. :lol:

If possible, put a big deposit to reduce your monthly payment. Or dont finance the taxes, registration. Pay those with a check.

Good points to keep in mind.

i just found a nice little tidbit on scions web site. turns out the gen-one program isnt available here in fl. but it also said there might be some kind of similar program offered by toyota and world omni financial or something. this might be harder than i tought
:? and i hav NO Credit so i might be outts luck but ill hav to find out.

Check out your local Credit Union or your bank. Yes, South East Toyota distriburos also have these rediculous document fee (ranging from $150 to 500 :shock: ) Ask the Florida region forum or look through that forum section for the lowest documentation fee.

Pre-2004 Echo with the nasty body cladding is gross. The 2004+ facelifted ones (I believe that is the correct year) is much more attractive, I could see myself owning one if I had to but not the nasty body cladding one.

i dont like the new echos, they dont look good to me. i like the older body style personally. :)

You are just here for attention, you know damned well which you should get. Which I think is fine, really, I need some attention too...

no u got me wrong :) seriously i really need to figure this out cause i dont wanna screw this up :?

GET THE BOX if you don't you will regret it especially when you make that payment for a car that was your second choice. Go with your gut otherwise your gut will hurt once a month along with your wallet. Besides the BOX is only 2 grand more which translates to about $50 a month. It comes down to how secure your job is and either way a payment is a payment I'd spring for the difference and be totally happy :D good luck either way.

import a canadian 3 door echo.... they're suh-weet. there's a guy I work with that did it, suprisingly easy. I think if you're going for performance I'd go for the echo, style, the xB.

yeah, I'd get an Echo Hatch RS if it was available to me...

Performance?????? It's the same freakin drivetrain! The only advantage the echo has is the price! And if you look at it, for the little bit more you get the look TOO :idea:

yeah i bought my xB for about $16k w/ floor mats and the warrenty. I saw the other day, 2003 echos running for about $7,999. ok thats half the price. insurence is cheaper (for me at least) and payment would be next to nothing. if you only have scraps to work with, than echo. If you go a lil more change, deff the xB. In the end I pay around $500/mo to keep me driven my Blue Onyx.

I would say the echo is only good for a very cheap car, that get very good MPG, that will last you and come with a good warrenty. and thats about all an echo can do.


Oh and NEVER try to take you, a girl and 3 of, not quite your smallest friends, on a 4 hour trip from north va down to virginia tech. oh, with everyones week worth of clothes. Yeah not fun. i thought that damn auto echo would break. naw, just compressed the springs about 2". HAHA fun times were had

xb, my vote.........

I drove an Echo before the Box. It was a good little car. That 7999 price for the Echo is probably a stick,2-door, No A/C, maybe an am/fm radio, none of the niceties that you'll get with the Scion. Power is comparable but the Box feels more surefooted on the road. Gas mileage was better in the Echo, geared for economy more than sportiness.

Whatever you choose, get your ___ to work and DON'T GET FIRED :wink:

the general consensus of the people here are telling me to go for the box. Honestly thats wut i would go for. I just hope i can keep my job long enough so i can pay it off. So that being said i will go for the xB and just hope to friggin god i dont lose my job. Of course i need one first. Damn this job market it sux and its makin it difficult for me to get my box :evil:

But anyway thanx for your help, now i kno what to do. :D

Oh and NEVER try to take you, a girl and 3 of, not quite your smallest friends, on a 4 hour trip from north va down to virginia tech. oh, with everyones week worth of clothes. Yeah not fun. i thought that damn auto echo would break. naw, just compressed the springs about 2". HAHA fun times were had

So in this situation where you've got the following -
-You
-A girl
-3, not quite your smallest friends (I think this means don't allow your SMALLEST friend to come along)
-Weeks worth of clothes per person
-4 hour drive
-From Nothern VA to Virginia Tech

Remember kids, the above is something you should NEVER try to do. And it will not be fun. And some sort of damned automatic echo might break, but not really, it will just compress the springs 2". And oh yeah, fun times will be had.

Thanks MotoMan, I'll remember that for when that exact situation happens to me.

:shock:

Performance?????? It's the same freakin drivetrain! The only advantage the echo has is the price! And if you look at it, for the little bit more you get the look TOO :idea:
Do you think before you write? I figure you have access to the internet if you're on this forum. Try looking at the specs for a vehicle before making such a statement. The Echo is OVER 300 lbs lighter than the xB... it's quicker and gets better gas mileage. I love my xB, but if the Echo hatch were in the US, I would have gotten one long ago

If this is your first car and you have limited income, I'd suggest the 2000 Echo.

I think alot of people missed the "2000" part.

You could easily pick up a used 1-2 year old Echo for half of what an xB would cost. Is the xB nicer? Well, ya sure, and the Land Cruiser is nicer than the xB, so what.

A 2 year old Echo will cost you $7-8,000 tops and you will get the same mechanicals (engine, tranny etc) that new xB owners get, but with 400 fewer lbs to haul around, so it will be faster and you get better fuel mileage.

You can put big wheels, suspension, whatever on the Echo. The same stuff you'd put on an xB. You can supercharge it too.

The xB is a bit more luxurious inside and somewhat more substantial feeling, but if I were you I'd try to live within your means. The Echo is nearly as roomy as the xB no matter what people tell you, as far as passenger space, 4 adults can get comfy in an Echo.

It's got the same high roof, greenhouse effect, it's the SAME car man.

Scion/Toyota is eager to sign people up, so you might be able to get financing on a new Scion...just think it over carefully first. I got a new xB because I can easily afford it. In fact, I budgeted for (and someone with my income would normally buy...) a car costing $20-25,000, but I decided on the xB, because it meets my needs as well as anything and I enjoyed driving it.

The xB is great, but as a kid buying their first car, I don't know that I would recommend buying a new car and saddling yourself with $20,000 in debt (do the math, after all that interest adds up...)

I say, go DRIVE an Echo and see what you think.

They get knocked a lot, but I think they are perfectly respectable, zippy little cars.

I would go for the second generation Echo, if you can find a reasonably priced used example, the second gen has some improvments, not the least of which is the revised more mature styling.

I would like to restate what i said before about getting the xB. i analyzed my financial situation, and considering i still live at home, (im 17 going to be 18 next month), i dont have to pay rent or utilities cause my mom pays for that (as long as i have a job and/or goin to school) and the only thing i would have to pay for is my cell bill but thats not a major expense.
Also im saving whatever money i get because not only am i going to have to use my money but my mom is giving me between 1500 to 2000 for a down payment for a car. so i figured that seeings how i dont have to pay really anything in the way of bills, and i would be making decent $$ for my age, depending on where i worked (last one was $6.75) i would be able to afford the xB.
But im gonna have to wait and see how everythin will pan out because i dont wanna put me foot in my mouth and not get the xB.But if everything works out like i hope it does, ill get the xB, but if it dont, the 2000 echo is still an option. And by the way, just to let you kno i like the older body style better than the new one. the new ones dont look right to me. :)
~kyle

Is it too obsurd to suggest the xA? Kind of a happy medium between the two. Some more safety features that insurance companies care about (lower insurance), a bit of a split difference between the xB and echo in looks and weight department, and a smidge cheaper than the xB with almost the same features. Just a thought... Good luck!

the xA has crossed my mind as well, but the only thing is whenever i sat in the thing as well as test drove it, (i have test driven the echo, xB, and the xA) it seemed to me like the passenger was almost right on top of me( of course this might be due to the fact that i might be a little paranoid :lol: ) i do like the xA in the respect that it is cheaper and its a little bit of a compromise between the xB and the echo. maybe ill consider that when the time comes for me to get a car. i dunno i STILL WANT A BOX. :( :(

Please consider insurance, gas, maintenance into your decision on buying your first car. Some don't think about anything else other than the product costs. There are also the operating and peripheral costs. Take some time to crunch numbers, set up some buffer funds, and then decide. Good luck. :wink:

i hav considered the things like gas and insurance (believe me i did consider insurance). the insurance on all three of the cars are bout the same roughly. i talked to the insurance woman who my mom deals with, we talked bout the the three cars and she gave me some numbers and they were not that far from each other.

the xB and xA were a little more cause they were a new vehicle. but seeigns how the cars have the exact same drivetrain (echo,xB,xA) the insurance wouldnt be much different between them. and i hav also considered things like repair and gas and all of the other thing that were gonna be there.

i have done my homework well in advance of me actually getting the car. of course i had a little help from my mom and a few other people, i have to give props to them. i would like to give props to yall who posted on this thread. anybody else who has an opinion can post still.

I would look for a 2004 xB - you can find them for around $15,000 at autotrader and maybe can talk them down a little.

If you want a box get a box - if you get something you are "settling" for you won't be happy and wish you had something else.

Go to the CU and get your Mom to co-sign if you can talk her into it! If not when I was 17 I qualified for a loan for a 92 Paseo.

ok this is wierd, I just called my loacl scion dealer (gettel scion) and they say they do offer the gen-one program. so ill go for that when the time comes. I am going to figure out some way to budget for the xB. if i cant i always hav other options. :)

When ever I finace a car I'm always offered disability/unemployment insurance. it will cost you about 10-15 dollars extra a month on your car note but it covers you in the event you are unable to work and pay your nore. Ask whomever you are financing through about this option. It might put your mind at ease and help clear things up for you. Good luck man. :wink:

Do what makes you happy...at least the struggle will be worth it!

NOW, what are you going to do to change your situation to the better?! Perhaps, you should work toward a completely different career that would be more secure. Pulling up in that xB would impress a perspective employer more than that Echo. "If you look like you belong, you will be accepted." (forgot who said that) Everyone wants to be the cool person at work. It's amazing what opportunities can present themselves with a little hard work and sacrifice. Be CONFIDENT in yourself!

Pep talk over...now get out there and "take on the day"! :D

When ever I finace a car I'm always offered disability/unemployment insurance. it will cost you about 10-15 dollars extra a month on your car note but it covers you in the event you are unable to work and pay your nore. Ask whomever you are financing through about this option. It might put your mind at ease and help clear things up for you. Good luck man. :wink:


good idea, i never thought of that :shock: i would have never guessed to do such a thing. :D i should pay more attention to my quote in my signature. :lol: