I ordered this xA 7 1/2 weeks ago and was told 4 to 8 weeks. In the ballpark. Requested that the AC fix be installed before delivery and it was. I did not test drive the xA before purchase as I feel that short test drives reveal little. I had looked into the options to replace my 1991 Geo Metro and the xA seemed the most suitable option for this model year. After mixed driving of 110 miles I have found the xA to be mostly satisfactory and troubling things to mostly require that I adapt to the car.

I have read of engine noise complaints and have not noticed engine noise yet. I have noticed considerable tire noise from the installed Bridgestone tires and suspect that tire noise will be common with AS tires. Also the tire noise of the xA does not even approach that of my F150.

I do not like automatic transmission but my feet are going bad so I must adjust to auto. I have noticed that the acceleration response of the xA will require different operation than that of the F150. The xA computer seems to control the accelerator more than my previous experience with automatic. I must learn to increase throttle when the transmission upshifts in order to maintain RPM for acceleration.

The power steering was another area of question to me. Real men do not drive cars with power steering you know. My experience with power steering is limited and I have rarely been happy with the feel of power steering at highway speeds. I am not happy when a car changes direction when I twitch. I am mostly happy with the power steering of the xA thusfar. However I have not yet encountered any cracked or grooved pavement. Time will tell regarding the power steering.

The seating is not yet satisfactory. I have some lower back problem and must use a thin cushion in most cars if I drive any distance. I have found that an almost vertical seatback position is necessary for me if I am going to have good control of the steering wheel and my feet in comfortable position re. the pedals. The headrest then attempts to force my head down so I am going to reverse the headrest as suggested by the dealer to see if that helps.

I am impressed with the radio. I think that this radio has the best AM reception I have experienced in perhaps twenty years. It just needs fine tuning for weak stations and I have not found that on these digital tuning things. My requirement for radio is almost totally AM. FM was OK in the early days before it was taken over by automated stations for religion, country/western, rock, and other undesirable products. I now listen to mostly just the classical music channels on FM and that amounts to about one in my area. FM is just a waste for me. I do not use the tape or disk capabilities of newer radios. Therefore my interest in the radio is almost totally AM for local news,informational and talk programs. As the talk programs are limited in this rural area I like to tune into the cities for that sometimes.

The dealership at Marion, Illinois was quite helpful. The salesman did not attempt to sell me options. The fellow who completed the final paperwork was some different. He really wanted to sell an extended warranty. The longer the better he said. If one believed in extended warranties he would he helpful. My reading suggests that extended warranties are not efficient if averaged over all purchases.