Yesterday I put a deposit on a Xa. I got the Black Cherry Pearl with manual trans, side airbags, 6 disc CD changer, rear spoiler, and TRD short shift kit. I do have a few questions the first being the difference between the TRD shifter and the TWM shifter? Also I want to get an arm rest for the car but not sure which one to get? The other items on my list are floor mats, after market alarm, and a stubby antenna. I’m open to suggestions on those items.

I test drove a Kia Spectra 5 which I liked. However, I could not get around the safety issues as well as the value dropping like a stone after the first year. I can’t wait to get the Xa but it will be a week or two.

 

For an armrest, it's hard to go wrong by getting the Zeta armrest with storage. I love mine.

 

Floor mats are good and definetly an aftermarket alarm. My cousin has the stubby antenna and it looks a ton better, that should be for sure. By the way congrats on the new car..

 

Thanks for the comments! Rooster the Zeta does look good a little more $$$ than I expected but over life of the car it's no big deal. No way was I going to spend $500 on the factory alarm. Truth be told I'm more interested in the remote lock and unlock feature. The savings on the insurance is minimal over 5 years or so. I guess it would be enough to pay for the armrest!

 

I believe the TRD keeps the stock height of the original shifter. The TWM (the one I have) shortens it by two inches and has a more shorter throw.

Buy the floormats and other parts online instead of the the dealer with ther rediculous markup.

With 500, you can get a very nice alarm/keyless entry/remote start including installation if you shop around.

The stubby antenna looks fine, but some have experienced a loss in radio reception. You can consider using the OEM antenna from the Honda S2000 as a replacement as it seems to fit very nicely on our cars :D

 

I'll throw my two cents in and tell you to check out the Boomerang armrest. I have it and I love it. It looks factory. http://www.scionarmrest.com

 

Cloudnine thanks for the suggestion on the Honda antenna. I have been scouring this forum for a couple of days and missed that. Matt_a at this point I could use two cents Do you have a manual or automatic transmission? Seems like the Zeta maybe a better choice for the 5 speed.

 

I have a 5 speed. When I tell people I added the armrest as an aftermarket item, they all say, "That's aftermarket? It looks factory!"

 

I agree floormats and a aftermarket alarm should be one of the first things you buy.I bought a nice set of floormats at kragen for $12.00 right after i left the dealership.A week later i had a alarm system installed.

 

Looks like I may be getting my car a lot sooner than expected. I ordered the Honda antenna. I priced out alarms Automate=$200 and Clifford=$300. I never heard of Automate but I have heard of Clifford. I friend told me Toyota alarms are repackaged Viper alarms. Is that true? Are the OE floor mats from the dealer OK? I have read of some problems on this board. I would not get them from the dealer but a few sponsors here carry them at a discounted price. Or is there an aftermarket one that is better? I think I'm going to go with the Zeta armrest. Thanks for all your help.

 

Hmm...I thought the scion or toyota alarms are made by Karr?

The factory floormats are ok. They tend to wear out quickly on the driving where you rest your foot. Other than that i think the floormats are decent.

 

The new floormats work fine for the newer models. The complaints were for the old mats which broke down every 6 months.

I would just go to a reputable audio installation shop and have them install the alarm instead of at the dealership. Where I installed my alarm, I knew exactly what I was getting, the features that were offered, and a quality installation.

 

Considering that you're in snowy New England, i'd suggest you go to walmart or sam's club or autozone and just buy some big rubber floormats for all the snow mud and crap that gets tracked into the cars. preferably one that's deep so the melting snow won't mess up the interior

 

Well I do plan on getting rubber mats for the winter. I was just hoping for next winter next winter! When is it going to end around here? My car maybe ready today or tomorrow. If I can I may delay picking it up until the storms pass. I should be ordering the mats today as well as the armrest.

 

when's it gonna end?... heh well i hear we're getting snow today

 

I got a really nice set of black all-weather rubber mats from Wal-Mart for winter use. They have deep groves in them to trap water and junk. I still think you should get the Boomerang armrest though. I got my replacement leather top for mine yesterday and it is SWEET. The color matches the seats perfectly and it looks very quality. Either way, you're going to love owning an xA.

 

I pulled the trigger on the Zeta armrest today. I also went to the car audio shop were I'm going to have the alarm installed. I'm going with the Clifford Matrix series it should be around $300 installed. The reason I went for the Clifford was the lifetime warranty on the alarm as well as labor. Matt_g I did go to Wal-Mart for temporary floor mats, even though I'm anti Wal-Mart.

While I was out the dealer called and my Xa is in! They are in the process of installing the options so I may get it tonight. My salesman was not sure if they had BCP spoiler in stock. Thanks again everyone one for your help. Now I have to clean the garage out to make room for my new toy.

 

Still no Xa yet! The spoiler was damaged in shipment so I have wait until a replacement shows which maybe today. The dealer gave me a Corolla until I get my Xa. So I get to look at my Zeta armrest and Honda antenna sitting on a shelf. Still no floormats yet!

 

Just an FYI, the Honda antenna does NOT fit perfectly. The base doesn't match up. It's wider than the OEM antenna. I ended up taking the Honda one back to the dealership and getting the stubby from carcessory.com. They are the same price and the stubby fits perfectly.

There's a thread somewhere that has pictures of the Honda antenna on the xA base. In my opinion, it looks really bad. That's why it's not on my car, but your car is your own...

~chris

 

It's mail order so I own it. I wish I had known about that before I ordered it. The $20 won't kill me at this point I just want the car.