Alright well first of all I am a newbie here to the scion XA but I have read SEVERAL great reviews on our cars in regards to gas mileage and such. Firstly, I would like to say that I test drove a WRX, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sentra, and a ford focus before finally deciding to go with the XA because of gas/insurance reasons. Now I was a ford buff before and I even had a 2001 blue Mustang Cobra convertible but I was getting financially destroyed by insurance and gas (Insurance was 2500/year and gas was about 300 a month because I needed premium. Let me give you my first impressions of the car and Why I bought it being a 21 year old male and a previous sports car owner. The first and greatest thing that attracted me to the car was that it could fit in almost any parking spot and yet was extremely comfortable for me (6'2). I opted for the automatic because of the manual because I live in California and the traffic here in Orange county is insane and I was sick of having to shift all the time and go through clutches. That being said there were other reasons that drew me to the scion. Compared to all of the cars listed above (Including my cobra) that I test drove, the Scion felt the most sound to drive. It cornered well, accelerated fairly well, and came with a 7 yr/100,000 mile drivetrain warranty which gave me a piece of mind that I won't have to worry about my car breaking for a while. That being said I also liked the exterior/interior design compared to the TC (Which looks like every other sedan out there) and whatever the box one is called.

That being said if anybody has any suggestions for my scion XA please post them here and welcome me to the forums. In case any of you were wondering my car is stock and is silver in color.

 

welcome to SL!!!

honestly, go with what you want...it's your car and whatever you do to it, makes it yours.

as far as my opinion goes...i would go with suspension mods before power (springs/coilovers, strut/sway bars, underbody braces). after that, i would start on doing power mods (intake, exhaust, turbo/SC).

only reason i would go this route...if you get used to the car that has better suspension, extra power won't be so bad. but if you get used to having extra power and then adding suspension, you may find that you have to change the way you drive. then again....i kind of have a lead foot, and it's a good thing that i drive an xA instead of a sports car

 

That was the route I was going with my mustang before I sold it. It was just costing me to much money to keep it. I used to fill up my take once a week and now I make a gas trip once every 3.

 

It's pretty amazing how many posts we're seeing here of people ditching their cars in favor of the xA over gas (Among other things) recently.

Welcome to SL!

I didn't really notice the size for parking until AFTER I got my xA. I loved the styling, and had that image in my mind of the perfect car and it fit it. Now I can park it in the most laughable spots everywhere. Last weekend I went to a crowded movie theater, and the front row is slightly angled where they have five or so stalls and then bare area where its too small to have parking spots, so people usually park their motorcycles there. I fit my xA in perfectly. In parking ramps I can get this sucker in between the servicing poles and elevators. Again, usually big enough for a motorcycle or two. Also, squeezing past cars on the right to make a turn is great!

I love it.

 

i ditched my old car cause finding parts for it was geting costly and very hard to find! modern car = easier to find parts for

 

I wasn't saying the parts were hard to find...I was saying they are really expensive. Brake pads for my cobra were $256 for the front pair NOT INSTALLED. A water pump was about $300+.

 

ug, welcome to the boards!

I'd agree about going with the suspension mods first..but for a different reason....the suspension mods are something you can feel and will have a definate change in your car...engine mods just are hard to notice... face it, you are starting with 105 horses....with a supercharger you end up around 150....still less than half of what you just got out of.....

This car will never be fast, but it will be quick!

 

coilovers and front strut bar, front/rear sway bar, gramlight rims with lightweight tires
the weight distribution of the xA is pretty much 50/50. the weight difference between the front and the rear is about 30lbs. So it'll handle pretty neutral if you don't accelerate in a middle of a turn