Date purchased: January 9, 2006
Miles when new: 1.8
Current Mileage: 13,900
Pros: Excellent fuel economy, responsive engine, fun in traffic, responsive engine, reliable and cheap to own and maintain, responsive engine, better than most in its class, drives better than the econo box that it is, responsive engine at all speeds in any gear
Cons: reoccurring problems here and there, aftermarket performance parts not as readily available as other scion models, people don't realize its a scion.

After a full year i must say that this car is wearing better than i had expected. The interior parts and materials still look new or near new except for the silver trim on the doors where it has rubbed off from elbows, hands, and knees (my best friend is pretty tall, lol). This is a minor gripe, and so is the dash that seems to be loosing paint in various places on the dash. The power windows, locks and mirrors all still work and havent had any problems out of the electrical. the Head unit however is giving a bit of trouble. It seems to cut on and off when it wants to, change radio presets, and switch to different modes when it is cold. This has been taken care of by the dealer 3 times and it seems to keep happening, although less now than when it was first new. Another more major problem was with the odometer, it reset itself and started at 0 miles. The actual data was still on the computer however. The only gripe about the exterior is the cheap paint that chips easily. I highly encourage investing in the clear bra, or a whole heck of alot of paint because you will be repairing rock chips often here in Colorado. The vehicle still looks great and everything is as tight now as it was when it left the dealer. Under the hood, the 103 horsepower 1.5liter still responds to driver input instantaneously with minimal fuss. Its short gearing allows it to zip along in the first 3 forward gears with no problems. It keeps up with 85MPH traffic with no problems at all. Overall this is the most responsive engine/transmission combo ive seen on a sub-compact and i test drove many before buying the scion. Fuel mileage is stellar holding steady at 34MPG over the life of the vehicle! Thats right on point with the EPA figures of 32 city 38 highway for the manual transmission models. Compared to my previous 1999 Kia Sportage EX 4x4, i have saved $508.73 in a year alone. Versatility is another thing the Scion xA does very well. It changes from taxi to cargo wagon in no time with its 60/40 split folding rear seatback and flat cargo floor. With the optional roof rack, you can take everything from extra cargo, bikes, and kayaks with you. Before looking into that small SUV give the Scion xA, or xB a shot, youll be suprised at what you come up with! Overall, the xA is the car for you if you want a worry free, low maintenance, low cost to own vehicle that is not only hip, but easy on the eyes, versatile, and moddable.

Cost when new: $13,270
KBB Value: ~ $12,000
Worst MPG: 16.6
Best MPG: 44.2
MPG over life of vehicle: 34.7
Wear and tear costs: $0
Maintenance costs: $0
Time out of service: 1 day for broken odometer
Warrantied items: Too many to list but they were for weird noises from engine bay, multiple problems with the radio, and once with the odometer
Dealer Purchased from: Stevinson Scion East in Aurora CO

 

Congrats on the 1 year anniversary and the excellent review! You should post this at various sites like Edmunds and other mainstay auto sites.

 

It seems that the 06 people got jacked for interior pieces. There's multiple accounts of poor dash material and such and it seems the radio is also a problem spot. As for the 04-05 models, well the few that there are seem to be solid built on the inside (My dash material is thick not flimsy), and the only radio problem I've had is that the 6 disc ate my cds one time and I had to wait a week to get them back.

 

^^^ its common for the 06 XA stereo to get a mind of its own over time in fact when i told the dealer what was wrong he immediately knew what to do and what the problem was.

 

Congrads on the 1 year!

Dont you just love the xA? I bought 1 04 auto back in 05 and traded it in for an 06 stick with 0 miles and dropped my payments!

i love the resale value

 

Picking my XA up this week! Hope all goes well for mine also. Congrats on the 1 year mark

 

i love my xA, i think ill like it even more when i redo my interior lighting mods so that it looks a little less "ghetto fabulous" and more show car quality! lol