Hey fellas.

We're gonna go test drive this 2004 Scion xA manual at a local dealership. I have a couple questions, mainly pertaining to ownership experience enhancement:

1) What do I look out for when buying a used xA? This particular one has 61,000mi on it. New pads, rotors and oil. Tires look sorta new too.

2) This is a long one:

See, the xA is my gf's way of "settling". She wanted a better car than her current Oldsmobile Alero V6. She wanted better gas mileage, better interior, and better driving dynamics. The Scion only fulfills the first two criterias.

Before considering an xA, she was considering a Mazda Miata and a Toyota Celica and such. However, she only has limited money, so she had to settle for something cheaper.

So I thought it'd be nice if I could buy some bits and pieces to enhance the interior. If she can't have a sports car, she can at least feel like she does.

What are some of the mods you guys do to your interior to spiff it up a little? I've been looking at getting her some MOMO pedals, Sparco **** and a MOMO brake lever. Is this a good idea?

Oh, it's also her first manual car, so I thought a set of racing pedals will help with her pedal control, and the **** with shift feel.

 

I have a 2006 xA with 70k miles on it and after using it for almost 5 years, nothing really has broken or has given me issues. So, as far as things to look for when buying a used xA, I'd say just look to make sure the transmission works properly. Ensure you can shift into gears smoothly and the tranny doesn't pop out of gear and that there's no odd noise coming from the gear shifts. It's hard to complain about this car. I haven't found anything wrong with it all these years.

The pedals and **** would be a good addition. The brake lever I don't think is that important. Getting a good short shifter like the TWM Shortshifter would actually be the best add-on. The old stock shifter has super long throws.

 

Paint the interior, slap some rims on there, and she'll love it.

 

61k on an 04 is great, I have 60k on my 05 xA and 161k on my 04 xB. My wife waned another xB and settled for an xA an has fallen in love with it. Its a great car. Do scheduled maintance on it and it will run forever. Put some nice light wheels on it and a little lowering kit, and the car will be more to her liking just like xars2.0 said. We love the xA cause there isnt very much for the xA in the aftermarket world, but we all have our own style still. Good luck with the car, and if you get it, come back and post some pics.