I'd appreciate any information you Scion owners might have for someone who's mulling an xB. Are there other sites that are relevant? How's your experience been? Dos or don'ts? Any information would be really helpful.
Thanks!!!

 

just do what you wanna do. it's pure priced.. so there's not really much room to mess something up. just make sure you check the car out before taking it off the lot.

 

TRD Wheels!

 

Have them drive it I sell these things and even people that say they hate the way it looks all say that the ride was not what they expected. Oh yeah make sure you get cold air intake on it evenm at the $450 dealer installed price its very much worth it!!!

Tom

 

The price should be the same wherever you go. Some dealers have cars on the lot. Most you have to order and wait.

Dealer options are much more expensive than aftermarket. If you're financing, you're paying even more for options. Some dealer parts are available online for cheaper as well. You have to install though...

Decide between an auto and manual transmission. Man trans motors are working harder at freeway speeds and there's the traffic issue. (Clutch in, clutch out....)

I went with a manual because I live in a rural area and they accellerate faster. I wanted more "control" over the driving experience as my XB is my "toy."

Darker colors show dirt more. Paint on the XB is a bit thin. I bought a front end Bra as my first mod.

I've had my XB for a year now and I still turn around and look at it when I park it. They're just a fun car to own! Unique and practical.

If I had to do it over... I'd probably not buy the extended warrenty. Toyota's are very reliable and that was probably a waste of money. We'll see.

 

unless you go to a GOOD scion dealership, expect to know more than the dealers. (if you do good research, of course)

 

It took me 9 weeks to get mine. I love my wheels, they look awesome. (especially on black) Do you have the TRD wheels?(5 spoke 18 inch)

 

^^^^^^Scionturtle^^^^^^^

 

save money by buying parts here and putting it in yourself.. that intake he was talking about can be bought for like 200.... 450 financed.. or 200 now... you'd end up paying more than 450.. or you can. to keep your salesperson happy.

 

What does that air intake "DO".? Im a girl and have no idea what it is/does, and therefore never even considered such. But everybody keeps bringing it up - - - - - - -

 

The intake comes in two forms--a short intake or the longer cold air intake. They, in theory, give more air and/or cold air to your engine. This allows the gas to ignite more efficiently and give you more power. They take the place of the black box that houses your current air filter. A lot of Scion owners put them on themselves. I had mine put on by a tuner shop. You would expect to gain a couple of horse power and get a little more sound out of the engine. You can buy the Toyota approved AEM from dealers on line at a savings from list price.

 

Having just bought mine (waiting on delivery), I've got some tips.

1) Do your homework. Read this forum like it's going out of style. I seriously cut back what I was going to order just by looking at the difference in price between financed and still-new dealer parts. (You can get the floormats for half-price if you don't finance them and put them in yourself)

2) If you're a student/graduate/recent grad there is an incentive program from scion that gives you $400 on your down-payment, their lowest APR, and 90 days no payment. It took me a while to find it - and my dealer swore they didn't know about it (right...). It does exist and is a part of the scion page though.

3) Don't buy used. These things are easilly affordable new. No sense buying a used one for the same or slightly less money.

4) Sleep on it. A few times. I wanted one of these pretty strongly and then went to test-drive. I talked to the dealer about financing and they were ready for me to sign papers. I left. A car is a big expense (not an investment....only old Corvettes are investments). Make sure this is what you want. Scientists say that just sleeping you are able to make clearer decisions.

5) I wanted alloy wheels but realized they wanted ~$700 for the 15" alloy upgrade. You can buy a better looking set of 16" alloys aftermarket and have them fitted to your vehicle with tires for ~$700 - $900 depending on your tastes. The difference in look is dramatic.

Good luck and remember that the dealer doesn't ever know everything.

 

you could pay someone 650 for 17's here... better than the oem. unless you're just a oem baller.

 

not quite true. Although the base price is always the same, most dealers tack on dealer fees. They give it a clever name like "documentation fee" or something, and if you ask the salesman will probably lie and say "oh, everybody charges that." Shop around. dealer fees vary from nothing to as much as $900 where I live.

 

Do a search of the forums here - there are a few threads along the lines of "what don't you like about your xB" that might come in handy. I've only had mine for a few weeks, but thanks to all the fine folks here I've had zero surprises.

 

Thanks all. Great advice top to bottom. Sounds like the cold air intake may give the car the extra punch I thought it lacked on the test drive. Thanks again for the help. Keep it coming!! I'm going to make a move one way or the other by the end of the week.
Hey, one more question for my fellow Northerners. How does the xB handle in the snow??????

 

Don't count on it. You might gain a little punch, but the car still won't have much pep. That's how a wagon gets 30+ MPG. If you want power you're better off getting another car, but expect to pay more and get less gas mileage.

 

There are a few threads on this. Search for 'snow' and you will come up with a couple threads which all undeniably state that the xB owns snow like a fat kid owns a Hershey bar.

For accessories... if you like the spoiler, get it through the dealer. For every other accessory, buy online and install yourself. Every accessory installation except the spoiler is cake.

 

The new ones are cheaper than the used ones.

 

The single most worthwhile option on an xB is the TRD rear swaybar or its near identical aftermarket Progress cousin. Even if you don't drive hard, it'll reduce body roll while cornering and reduce the effects of gusty crosswinds as well, not to mention providing a tremendous improvement in emergency handling..

Dunno the installed dealer price, but the Progress model is ~$150 delivered, and only bandits would charge more than $75 to install one.

Avoid factory/dealer options in general, unless you just can't live w/o them and can't afford to purchase similar aftermarket stuff, which is a whole lot less expensive way to go.

Give it a good wax job right away to preserve the paint- I like Zaino Bros because it's easy and holds up well... depending on your lifestyle, seat covers can be a very good idea as well, along with the rear bumper applique... gotta have floormats, too...

My overall experience has been positive both with the Dealer and the Car- my Credit Union has been another story- total PITA. Hell will freeze before I ever borrow from them again...