I'm in the market for a xB and have come across 2 xB's that I thought were a good deal. Here is the comparison

Car #1 is a bank repo that an independent used car dealer is selling. Its a 2005 with 12,200 miles. Asking price is $11,900

Pros:

1) Only 12,200 miles

2) Body is clean and straight

3) The front and back seats have been covered in leather and so were and door panels.

Flaws:

1) The dash area around the passenger side air bag is all scratched up. I still have to pop the tweeter cover to see if the air bag is there. I wonder how much it would cost to replace that dash piece?

2) The passenger side door area near the interior panel is gouged from what looks like a pry bar. Can be touched up with paint.

3) The radio bezel, one air vent, and the power window switch panel is dented/scratched up. Once again... I wonder how much it would cost to replace.

4) Rear power windows don't go up or down. I suspect that the harness was left disconnect by the previous owner.

5) The factory radio is a little beat... looks like the auction house found an old xB radio and shoved it in there.


Car #2

2005 xB with 53,000 miles. Current owner is 2nd owner and asking $11,500.

Pros:

1) 18 inch rims with brand new tires.

2) Has billet grill inserts

3) Body is totally clean

Flaws:

1) AC switch is a little loose and doesn't engage the fans and AC without a little wiggle. I'm sure the switch is cheap to replace.

2) While on the freeway the steering wheel shimmys back and forth. I suspect that the tire shop did a crappy job balancing the wheels.

3) Slight smoking odor in the car. Looks like the person who owned the car before smoked in it.

Which car would you purchase and why?

-B

 

Blown,
I'm way new here and with the xB .. but I just bought mine this past Saturday. I looked for over a week at four different used xBs. They ranged anywhere in price from 14,900 to 16,000...and ranged from 2004 to 2006. I ended up with a nice 04 with only 22k miles and got it out the door from a dealer for 13,900......and there is (so far) absolutely nothing wrong with it! My best advice and personal opinion is to keep looking. I'm sure many others will also chime in....they gave me LOTS of good advice and things to think of while I was searching for mine.

Good Luck!

-Kevin

 

BUY NEW! don't settle for junk, get something that doesn't have any problems with it, and buy a new car. I bought 6 used cars last year. They all had serious problems that the previous owner covered up. I bought new and now I'm so happy. 7 months now, not a single problem.

 

remember 18" wheels will noticeably hurt your gas mileage and when you hit a pothole and need a new one its gonna cost you big time for another tire. i'd go with the first one for the less mileage and change the oil right away and any other minor maintenance thats needed. your box, your call man :-)

 

i would personally go for #1 because less miles if you were really intent on these two used boxes. i dunno, something about 50K on the odometer and still asking for 12G's is cutting it close ...

 

The first with 12k miles seems the better deal. Any warranty with it or available for a price? Is it the airbag cover that is scratched? You can always get a dashmat dash cover to hide the scratches. I would be more worried that the bag is not there.......

 

What you described for #1 sends up a HUGE red flag for me. It's possible some of that damage was caused by the people that repo-ed the car, but it sounds fishy. If possible, take it to a Toyota/Scion dealer to get it checked out, and find out how much it would cost to replace the parts you mentioned. Definately have them check to make sure the airbags are there, both of them. It is possible to fool the sensors into thinking they are, so a code isn't thrown. They need to be visually inspected.

#2 has too many miles on it for me. Of course, I only drive about 9000 miles per year, so.....

 

Stay away from #1. Do an internet search to find the current blue book value of a used xB. Check your state and neaby states for your xB. If it is under warranty you can get it fixed at any Scion Dealer in the country. A new leftover Xb would be better if ya can afford it. You are putting out a lot of dough and ya don't want any headaches or maybe get a demo/used one from a Scion dealer Do your homework! Good Luck!

 

Yeah, it's pretty clear that the previous owners of #1 didn't take care of the visible parts of the car, which would make me question just how well they took care of its mechanics.

 

I'd rather purchase a car with higher miles that was taken care of, but the price seems high to me. I'd buy new if a used one w/ 50k miles cost that much.

 

that shimmy could also be a bent rim!!!

 

Yeah, buy new or look elsewhere for a stock used xB. Neither of these sound good.

 

Update 1/21/21

Two tips about buying a 15-yr-old xB.

Ask if the AC condenser has been replaced. The dash must be removed to replace it; via Toyota, the labor is more than $1,000.00.

Also, any car older than ten years probably needs to have its speakers replaced. The rubber surrounds rot; you can look through the car speaker door grill and see pieces of the surround.